Not quite as advertised, but still good. We booked this tour but the details in our itinerary differed from what was offered— we got picked up off the (amazing) boat earlier than our itinerary and thus missed the brunch on the boat, and got to the island very very early (before 9am) without any input on things to do or see until our hike to the top of a mountain which was also later in the day than our itinerary (2pm). The views were amazing but there were no caves. Additionally, we did not get the night kayaking which was something I was most looking forward to. Overall, it was an amazing experience and the boat was phenomenal, but a few tweaks would have made it perfect
We did a 2 day/1 night trek with our guide Su May.
We had the best time! Su May was very knowledgeable, we learnt a lot about the villages and their culture and lifestyles along our trek. The landscape is beautiful and the trekking on each day was not too difficult. We had beautiful weather (October), with no rain, lots of sun but not too hot for a full day of walking.
Su May and her family were very welcoming during our home stay, and cooked us a delicious dinner and breakfast.
Would recommend this trek and our guide!
We made the right choice booking this unique tour. The Lan Ha Bay cruise was very well organized, lovely helpful staff, no crowds or pollution, and amazing feasts for the meals, which included all kinds of fresh seafood. First class. We loved the speedboat ride to the village harbour. A beautiful home stay with lots of interest. The guide was terrific. We had a hike to a bat cave and the most magical night kayak to see the phosphorescent plankton. He also arranged transport for us to the hotel we were going to outside Cat Ba Town. Note there is a weekend premium fee and Visa payment charge for this tour — that might be a standard practice. So it was more expensive than advertised but still great value for money. Highly recommend it.
This cruise was amazing!! We booked for seven people (one vegan and two vegetarian)—they were super accommodating and we had wonderfully clean rooms and a really great adventure. The viet hai village was beautiful and the stay with the local people was a very cool experience. Lots of fun activities included as well.
Came across the site for a trekking trip in Sapa with the borders opening up. Signed up for a 2 days 1 night trip with local homestay. The trekking was adventurous as we trekked across rice terraces, on slopes and across rocks. The views are spectacular despite the seasons being a foggy. Needless to say, the tour guides were amazing and displayed great hospitality! Definitely recommend this experience :)
Fantastic tour! Friendly guide who spoke very good English and good group size (10 or so) Great itinerary encompassing most of the main attractions of the area, including the relaxing boat trip in Tam Coc. Sadly because of the bad weather we were unable to do the cycling tour- though this was still offered to us. Lunch was also good and included in the cost of the tour.
I decided to take the 1 day tour but stay on in Tam Coc rather than returning to Hanoi, which Friends Travel facilitated for me easily.
This was a great tour with much care and attention given to details. Even though the weather was not great we still had a memorable trip. Food on the boat was amazing. Comfy beds. Professional crew who looked after us very well. The home stay in Viet Hai was beautifully quiet after the chaos and pollution of Hanoi. Truly authentic. Good English speaking guide for the hike up the mountain and wonderful hospitality from our hosts. Recommended.
This experience was absolutely excellent. Friends Travel organised everything very well and also helped us arrange onward travel following our return to Hanoi. Our local guide around Sapa, Ping, was brilliant. She took the time to explain local customs and answer any questions that we had. The homestay family were extremely friendly and looked after all of us very well. I would definitely recommend this experience.
We took the street food tour on the first night we arrived in Hanoi. It was a great way to be shown the local dishes and what to choose on the streets. Highly recommend
The Lan Ha Bay Tour was truly a great experience. I would recommend it at any time as a super alternative to the Ha long bay short trips. The overnight stay at the village was very cool and the people very nice. The view after the hike was breathtaking
Overall great experience - beautiful, solid trekking, great guide, comfortable accommodations the whole way. As mentioned in an earlier review, we did get very pressured to buy items by a few local women who hiked part way with us on the first day. Understandable, but very uncomfortable and caught me off guard in the moment. Also, it felt like we were shuffled between many different chaperones with lots of time between each one on the trip back to Hanoi. I would still recommend booking with Friends Travel Vietnam - worth the money.
Fantastic trip. Enjoyed Sapa valley in mid/late November. Although Rice is long harvested by that time, nature and view are hauntingly beautiful.
The friends travel team was super helpful and reliable in answering all of our questions. Once arrived at Sapa we met our super welcoming and knowledgeable guide Chu who took us through fantastic paths with wonderful views into the valley over the two days.
Thank you for everything - wonderful trip!!
Great tour - pricey but recommended.
Our guide was fabulous, the honesty equally good. Food served very food too. Everything was very well organised.
The only thing I don't quite understand (henxe 4 stars not 5) is why get some people on the overnight train where you hardly sleep and that takes 8 hours where the bus takes 4 and gets you to sleep in a proper bed (esp ahead of trekking 12 kms in the Vietnamese mountains).
Our three days trekking couldn’t have been better. Ping our guide knew everything there is to know about the area, she was keen to answer questions but also not imposing if we wanted to enjoy the amazing views and nature. We could not finish the amount of food provided for every meal and it was delicious! The two homestays were a fantastic experience, chickens and cows and all! The transport, timing and facilities of friends travel was impeccable, everything was planned to a t. I would recommend friends travel in a heartbeat...we hope to be back in the future.
Amazing experience and incredible views.
Knowledgeable and friendly guide. Homestay gave an authentic taste of Vietnamese life. Professional logistics. Vegetarian options made available. Appreciated the showers at the office and Eden Hotel in Sapa. Dinner at the hotel was also good.
Some hard, persistent selling from locals who walked part of the way could make for uncomfortable moments.
Overall, very happy with the service provided by Friends Travel Vietnam.
Our Real Sapa Trek & Homestay experience was fantastic and Friends Travel Vietnam made the whole tour experience wonderful. They answered any of our questions, added small touches like goodie bags for the overnight train and gave us great recommendations for dinner in Hanoi before we left. Our trekking guide was knowledgeable and along with some other local women dragged us up the steep tricky sections of the climb as the track was muddy following all the rain. The foot massage after the first day trekking was a treat and revitalised tired feet. We loved our time in Sapa and would recommend booking tours through Friends Travel Vietnam!
Friends Travel Vietnam were amazing and made everything extremely easy, as well adding great complimentary touches making our trip even more comfortable. Would definitely recommend booking through them. The trek itself was incredible, had a fantastic guide. Everything felt very authentic and real, homestay was very memorable. Trek was decently challenging which we really loved - wasn't simply an easy stroll. Was a great experience.
Fantastic tour! Our tour guide spoke English extremely well. We learned so much about the Vietnamese cultural history. There were only 10 of us in the group which made it a more pleasant trip. I highly recommend this tour group if you want to avoid big groups.
Barring food allergies there is little substitution on this tour. One of us didn't eat fried foods and had to just sit out a few dishes. We were hoping to learn more about Vietnamese food and culture than we did. Our guide, while very nice, wasn't good a disseminating this sort of information. With that said, we got to try many different dishes and went to many stalls we never would have found on our own or would have been brave enough to try without local help.
We really loved the tour. At the end we had a private tour and our guide was just great! She explained also a lot around the food and the Vietnamese culture and history. The places you go to are kind of picked through your likes and dislikes of food (food allergy...). We enjoyed really every food and went home really full. So if you start your trip in Hanoi this tour is a must do to get a feeling what kind of food they have and to which places you can go. Thanks a lot again.
Stephanie (Guest) –
Not quite as advertised, but still good. We booked this tour but the details in our itinerary differed from what was offered— we got picked up off the (amazing) boat earlier than our itinerary and thus missed the brunch on the boat, and got to the island very very early (before 9am) without any input on things to do or see until our hike to the top of a mountain which was also later in the day than our itinerary (2pm). The views were amazing but there were no caves. Additionally, we did not get the night kayaking which was something I was most looking forward to. Overall, it was an amazing experience and the boat was phenomenal, but a few tweaks would have made it perfect
Kelsey (Guest) –
We did a 2 day/1 night trek with our guide Su May. We had the best time! Su May was very knowledgeable, we learnt a lot about the villages and their culture and lifestyles along our trek. The landscape is beautiful and the trekking on each day was not too difficult. We had beautiful weather (October), with no rain, lots of sun but not too hot for a full day of walking. Su May and her family were very welcoming during our home stay, and cooked us a delicious dinner and breakfast. Would recommend this trek and our guide!
Maureen (Guest) –
We made the right choice booking this unique tour. The Lan Ha Bay cruise was very well organized, lovely helpful staff, no crowds or pollution, and amazing feasts for the meals, which included all kinds of fresh seafood. First class. We loved the speedboat ride to the village harbour. A beautiful home stay with lots of interest. The guide was terrific. We had a hike to a bat cave and the most magical night kayak to see the phosphorescent plankton. He also arranged transport for us to the hotel we were going to outside Cat Ba Town. Note there is a weekend premium fee and Visa payment charge for this tour — that might be a standard practice. So it was more expensive than advertised but still great value for money. Highly recommend it.
Anna Ford (Guest) –
This cruise was amazing!! We booked for seven people (one vegan and two vegetarian)—they were super accommodating and we had wonderfully clean rooms and a really great adventure. The viet hai village was beautiful and the stay with the local people was a very cool experience. Lots of fun activities included as well.
Shan (Guest) –
Came across the site for a trekking trip in Sapa with the borders opening up. Signed up for a 2 days 1 night trip with local homestay. The trekking was adventurous as we trekked across rice terraces, on slopes and across rocks. The views are spectacular despite the seasons being a foggy. Needless to say, the tour guides were amazing and displayed great hospitality! Definitely recommend this experience :)
Anna (Guest) –
Fantastic tour! Friendly guide who spoke very good English and good group size (10 or so) Great itinerary encompassing most of the main attractions of the area, including the relaxing boat trip in Tam Coc. Sadly because of the bad weather we were unable to do the cycling tour- though this was still offered to us. Lunch was also good and included in the cost of the tour. I decided to take the 1 day tour but stay on in Tam Coc rather than returning to Hanoi, which Friends Travel facilitated for me easily.
Sarah Horton (Guest) –
This was a great tour with much care and attention given to details. Even though the weather was not great we still had a memorable trip. Food on the boat was amazing. Comfy beds. Professional crew who looked after us very well. The home stay in Viet Hai was beautifully quiet after the chaos and pollution of Hanoi. Truly authentic. Good English speaking guide for the hike up the mountain and wonderful hospitality from our hosts. Recommended.
Jonathan Wilkes (Guest) –
This experience was absolutely excellent. Friends Travel organised everything very well and also helped us arrange onward travel following our return to Hanoi. Our local guide around Sapa, Ping, was brilliant. She took the time to explain local customs and answer any questions that we had. The homestay family were extremely friendly and looked after all of us very well. I would definitely recommend this experience.
Bethan (Guest) –
We took the street food tour on the first night we arrived in Hanoi. It was a great way to be shown the local dishes and what to choose on the streets. Highly recommend
Marko Pende (Guest) –
The Lan Ha Bay Tour was truly a great experience. I would recommend it at any time as a super alternative to the Ha long bay short trips. The overnight stay at the village was very cool and the people very nice. The view after the hike was breathtaking
May (Guest) –
Overall great experience - beautiful, solid trekking, great guide, comfortable accommodations the whole way. As mentioned in an earlier review, we did get very pressured to buy items by a few local women who hiked part way with us on the first day. Understandable, but very uncomfortable and caught me off guard in the moment. Also, it felt like we were shuffled between many different chaperones with lots of time between each one on the trip back to Hanoi. I would still recommend booking with Friends Travel Vietnam - worth the money.
Tim (Guest) –
Fantastic trip. Enjoyed Sapa valley in mid/late November. Although Rice is long harvested by that time, nature and view are hauntingly beautiful. The friends travel team was super helpful and reliable in answering all of our questions. Once arrived at Sapa we met our super welcoming and knowledgeable guide Chu who took us through fantastic paths with wonderful views into the valley over the two days. Thank you for everything - wonderful trip!!
Florence (Guest) –
Great tour - pricey but recommended. Our guide was fabulous, the honesty equally good. Food served very food too. Everything was very well organised. The only thing I don't quite understand (henxe 4 stars not 5) is why get some people on the overnight train where you hardly sleep and that takes 8 hours where the bus takes 4 and gets you to sleep in a proper bed (esp ahead of trekking 12 kms in the Vietnamese mountains).
Joanna (Guest) –
Our three days trekking couldn’t have been better. Ping our guide knew everything there is to know about the area, she was keen to answer questions but also not imposing if we wanted to enjoy the amazing views and nature. We could not finish the amount of food provided for every meal and it was delicious! The two homestays were a fantastic experience, chickens and cows and all! The transport, timing and facilities of friends travel was impeccable, everything was planned to a t. I would recommend friends travel in a heartbeat...we hope to be back in the future.
Peter (Guest) –
Amazing experience and incredible views. Knowledgeable and friendly guide. Homestay gave an authentic taste of Vietnamese life. Professional logistics. Vegetarian options made available. Appreciated the showers at the office and Eden Hotel in Sapa. Dinner at the hotel was also good. Some hard, persistent selling from locals who walked part of the way could make for uncomfortable moments. Overall, very happy with the service provided by Friends Travel Vietnam.
Connor (Guest) –
Our Real Sapa Trek & Homestay experience was fantastic and Friends Travel Vietnam made the whole tour experience wonderful. They answered any of our questions, added small touches like goodie bags for the overnight train and gave us great recommendations for dinner in Hanoi before we left. Our trekking guide was knowledgeable and along with some other local women dragged us up the steep tricky sections of the climb as the track was muddy following all the rain. The foot massage after the first day trekking was a treat and revitalised tired feet. We loved our time in Sapa and would recommend booking tours through Friends Travel Vietnam!
Finn (Guest) –
Friends Travel Vietnam were amazing and made everything extremely easy, as well adding great complimentary touches making our trip even more comfortable. Would definitely recommend booking through them. The trek itself was incredible, had a fantastic guide. Everything felt very authentic and real, homestay was very memorable. Trek was decently challenging which we really loved - wasn't simply an easy stroll. Was a great experience.
Uy Nguyen (Guest) –
Fantastic tour! Our tour guide spoke English extremely well. We learned so much about the Vietnamese cultural history. There were only 10 of us in the group which made it a more pleasant trip. I highly recommend this tour group if you want to avoid big groups.
Victoria Parker (Guest) –
Barring food allergies there is little substitution on this tour. One of us didn't eat fried foods and had to just sit out a few dishes. We were hoping to learn more about Vietnamese food and culture than we did. Our guide, while very nice, wasn't good a disseminating this sort of information. With that said, we got to try many different dishes and went to many stalls we never would have found on our own or would have been brave enough to try without local help.
Annika (Guest) –
We really loved the tour. At the end we had a private tour and our guide was just great! She explained also a lot around the food and the Vietnamese culture and history. The places you go to are kind of picked through your likes and dislikes of food (food allergy...). We enjoyed really every food and went home really full. So if you start your trip in Hanoi this tour is a must do to get a feeling what kind of food they have and to which places you can go. Thanks a lot again.