The main issue with this bus ride from Sa Pa to Ha Giang was, unfortunately, the staff. While the 11 AM departure time was convenient and the bus itself was clean and comfortable, it’s hard to relax when the crew is kind of noisy. The co-driver was sometimes watching TikTok videos, taking phone calls, and chatting with the driver in a way that felt louder than necessary. In a sleeper bus, it should be obvious that passengers are looking for some quiet (although my bud was during day time, but still). Unfortunately, this is pretty much the same with any other bus company in Vietnam.
Other than that, the bus was well-equipped, and there was even a USB-C port, though it didn’t charge my MacBook Air (30W), so maybe it wasn’t real Power Delivery. Despite some traffic, we arrived on time, and they dropped us off directly at our hostel in Ha Giang, which was a nice touch.
Still, for a service-based company, the lack of consideration for the passenger experience is only Vietnam average.
Update: They contacted me and apologized for the inconvenience of the louder staff members. I took another ride from Ha Giang to Hanoi with them a few days after and the bus ride was very enjoyable, no loud staff members. So I'm hoping that they communicate this with their staff better that the base requirement should be that they are as quiet as possible during the bus ride.
Nachdem ich gebucht hatte, bin ich bei WhatsApp angeschrieben worden, dass ich scheinbar nun mit einem anderen Bus fahren würde, der von einem anderen Ort abfährt und auch noch früher als geplant. Als der Bus mit über 1h Verspätung eintraf stand mein Name nicht auf der Liste, weshalb der Busfahrer noch hin und her telefonieren musste. Es handelte sich um einen anderen Bus als auf den Bildern angegeben ich hatte das Gefühl, dass der von mir gebuchte Bus nicht gefahren ist, da zu wenig die Verbindung gebucht haben und sich nun ein anderes Busunternehmen erbarmt hat mich mitzunehmen. Nach 30 Minuten wurde die erste Pause gemacht, dann knapp 4h nicht. Mehrere Personen haben den Fahrer gefragt ob er anhalten kann, da man auf Toilette müsse, was verneint wurde.
Unfortunately we left about 45 minutes late. The bus itself is quite comfortable. There were also a number of stops to go to the toilet. There were also a number of stops where additional goods were loaded, but this was not disruptive or took a long time. Once we arrived in Ha Giang, everyone was neatly taken to their hostel or hotel. In the end we had an ok bus trip.
ซาปา ไป ฮาซาง, รถทัวร์ เอ็กซ์เพรส 29, Grouptour (Công ty du lịch quốc tế Grouptour), 16 ก.ย. 2023
Driver was very nice and polite. He stopped for us about half way for a toilet break (basic and remote but to be expected). We were happy. He even dropped everyone to their hotels in Ha Giang and a nice surprise to arrive about 20 minutes earlier than scheduled. My one criticism is that unfortunately the seatbelts did not work.
ซาปา ไป ฮาซาง, รถทัวร์ เอ็กซ์เพรส 29, Grouptour (Công ty du lịch quốc tế Grouptour), 22 ธ.ค. 2022
We booked the VIP9 for departure at 07:10. Other passengers booked for 06:30, 07:45 and 08:00 so we were all in the same bus. Leaving at 08:10. Bus was as picturized. 9 seats and comfortable. One blanket per seat. The bus station of Grouptour in Sapa is just a parking lot but at least you can use the restroom of a hotel next to it. Absolutely nothing to see/do/buy in the morning. Bus driver was good although did not speak english. Had a 30 minutes lunch break at a ‚friend‘s place‘ which was fine and cheap (beverages, soups). Finally dropped us at a different location in Ha Giang as stated in the booking but was in our favor.
ซาปา ไป ฮาซาง, รถทัวร์ เอ็กซ์เพรส 29, Grouptour (Công ty du lịch quốc tế Grouptour), 27 พ.ย. 2022
PA
Perrine A
We left and arrived in advance and were dropped off at our hotel. Very confortable. A thirty minuts break.
ซาปา ไป ฮาซาง, รถทัวร์ รถลีมูซีน, Bang Phan, 24 ต.ค. 2026
JD
Juan D
Terrible experience with the first driver
The journey started terribly. The first driver was extremely rude, shouting constantly, and drove very dangerously. To make matters worse, he stopped the bus to have dinner without explaining anything to the passengers, leaving us completely in the dark about why we had stopped. This lasted for half the trip. Thankfully, the drivers swapped halfway through and the second driver was much better, but the first part of the journey was completely unacceptable.
