HTX Van Tai 277

Too hot, no ac, took way lobger than necesarry, bus driver had a 6 hour sleep break mid drive

It was better that I expected. I've read all the reviews before and was expecting something worse. The bus left on time. It's was Wednesday so the bus didn't have a toilet or outlets to charge phones. We didn't experience racism, we were just sitting in front of the bus when they called us and we got on. The seats were pretty comfortable and sleapable. There were 2 seats together and then one - on the side, so couples could sleep next to each-other. The driver knew a few English words but even without it we could have basic communication about stops and border crossing. The driver was not very friendly, but it was okay. The second driver was more attentive and helped us to search for lost headphones. The first toilet stop was in 2-3 hours at approximately 9 PM and the drivers yellled "toilet" so it was easy to understand. I recommend taking this change because there were no toilet stops until 8AM when we reached the border. The toilets in Laos side of the border were manageable, no paper though so make sure to have it. Also, make sure you don't put on the clothes you don't want to get dirty, because the border crossing was muddy. We had passports and Vietnamese E-Visa so there were no problems crossing the border. At first we went to Laos border and they checked our e-visas. Then we walked like 3-4 minutes and got to the Vietnamese side, took bags from our bus and got also checked for our passports and e-visas as well as bags. No queue and no extra fee. After that, we walked again for 4-5 minutes and stopped at a covered area (like a bus stop) after the barrier, where we got picked by our bus. We didn't have to walk a lot at all. The whole proess took us 1-1.5 hours. We stopped to eat at 1:30-2PM (there was a toilet there) and then didn;t stop anymore. At 5PM, we echnaged busses because our bus had to be repaired and got a bus with 3 rows with separate beds. We got to Hanoi 1.5 hours later. The roads were a bit bumpy in Laos, but got better in Vietnam. But the driver honked very frequently in Vietnam (apparently, that's normal in Vietnam). Overall, it was pretty good for such a long drive. Nothing to be scared of.

The sleeper bus itself was completely fine, though no toilets. The bus left 1:30 hours later than it was originally supposed to. Around 50 I’m away from Hanoi the bus had a technical problem and we waited 6 hours for a different bus, though we were only 6 passengers by this point and they could have took us sooner by cars. We ended up arriving in Hanoi at 10:30 am instead of 3 am.

It was better then we expected. The driver was really nice and helpful. The only thing that was not great was that we arrived 2 hours later then expected

I took the bus on a Saturday from Hanoi to Vientiane, according to 12goasia, it's one of the days with better busses. Bus was clean, staff friendly although they spoke almost 0 English. Comfort will be lower if you're taller than 1m80. In Laos there's a lot of road works and the ride gets bumpy. It would be nice if their was clearer communication about where we would stop and for how long. Overall quite comfortable, nothing to do with some horror stories that other travelers experienced.

This was the second time we took this route since the first time we arrived to the border and had to go back to Hanoi since we didn't know that it wasn't possible to get on-arrival visas to Laos anymore. We left on time from Hanoi and arrive almost at 9 pm to Luang Prabang. More than a formal transport for people, the bus was a goods delivery service.The bus stopped more than a dozen times to collect and deliver multiple items on the way, including more people with no tickets. All felt more like of it was a side business from corrupted drivers than something organized from the company. There were few stops to go to proper toilets (specially for women) and to eat. The drivers smoked constantly inside the bus and the air conditioning damaged a couple of times.

時間はかかるのは承知の上だし、入出国のサポートがないのも理解した上だったので、料金相当です。

Overall very good ride. I‘ve experienced none of all the bullying behavior against Western people described in some reviews. Very kind staff but unable to speak English, so it‘s more of a gesture-based communication :) Vientiane-Hanoi: Arrived at the border around 2.30 am, took a rest until the border opens, paid 10k Kip tip to the Lao staff and 50k Kip to the Vietnamese staff at immigration. Everything worked well having the eVisa in advance. No visa on arrival available. One guy had the wrong border crossing checkpoint to enter Vietnam in his eVisa, so he paid about 2M Dong to the Vietnamese staff to get in. Didn’t need any Dong at the border, I could pay everything in Kip. Bus was comfortable and we arrived only with a delay of 1-2 hours. Hard to tell if I‘d do it again bc it‘s a very long ride in the end but that‘s what you pay for I assume. Good job!

A comfortable ride that ran on time, a slightly chaotic boarder crossing but we got through fine with our e-visas (this was on a Saturday bus)

No way near as bad as the description makes it out to be, even the border crossing was fine, just lots of waiting. Comfortable sleeper bus and altogether easy journey.

I don't feel very comfortable in the car. The place is quite narrow and the mattress is hard while moving for 12 to 14 hours, and the staff does not drink anything. The garage should install additional USB connector-type phone chargers like many other night runs because of the urgent need for communication. Especially, the staff are very friendly and enthusiastic to support customers, but if they improve their English further, it will be a plus for the journey.

Bus was overcrowded, people with stinky feet slept next to our faces. Luggage was on the roof. Bus was 1 1/2h delayed and at the end of our journey the bus broke down

Actually it was bad experience. We came to hanoi bus terminal around 4 pm but started at 7 pm; lost 3 hours. We came to the border at 3 am but border opens at 7 am; lost 4 hours. Totally we loose 7 hours. At the end iv found out someone stole my stuff from my bag.

Ok trip, as mentioned somewhere before asians got seated first, westerners last. Procedure on the borderline was as described on the website - hectic and little bit confusing. We paid small fee/bribe on both sites (10000 kip pp, we got receipt on Laos side), we had few stops on the way for food, toilet etc. Temperature inside bus was ok. Departure and arrival was roughly one hour later than stated, but this is normal in asia. Overall ok.

Водители ужасные. Все передние места резервируют для своих и туристов на них не пускают. У половины сидений в автобусе сломаны спинки. По дороге постоянно останавливаются, чтобы брать грузы. Везли даже мотоцикл и живых куриц. Для обеда остановились у дорогого кафе. Мы пошли в соседнее, там было намного дешевле. В итоге ехали 25 часов

We were pretty nervous about getting this bus after reading the very unnecessarily aggressive terms&conditions, but it really is fine BAR getting on at Vientiane. When we arrived, an hour before our ticket time (as instructed) it would seem we were actually 2 hours early. After reading so much about locals snatching tickets and forcing you to pay again, we were pretty concerned when lots of apparent bus pushers started trying to grab ours and put our bags on their busses. Turns out this ticket is not for a specific bus but any of the many that are parked there. After much pushing and grabbing and some arguing between the bus guys (and absolutely NO letting go of our ticket) we had no choice but to assume the bus we eventually got on would take us to Hanoi. Anyway once we got settled it was fine. The bus had no toilet (travelled on a Sunday) but we stopped every few hours. We stopped around 1am and everyone including the drivers went to sleep. Apparently because we were queued at the border ready for when it opened at 7am. Fully prepared for a chaotic border crossing we were actually very relieved to find that our bus guys and other locals were happy to point us clueless tourists in the right direction. In low season we were 2 of only 5 westerners we could see doing the crossing. In conclusion, it’s fair to lower your expectations, but the Laos staff are very nice, as long as your not expecting any special treatment. Prepare for stress at Vientiane.

The ride was okay, but it will be better if you get the bottom bed rather than the top bunk. Lots of stop getting locals, and cargos. Communication with the driver is hard. But it was a memorable 24 hours bus ride experience :)

Pas déçue du tout! Je renouvèlerai l’expérience sans problèmes. Les sièges sont confortables en position allongée, le temps passe vite à condition de télécharger au préalable des films sur son tel car pas de wifi. Le personnel ne parle pas anglais et n’est pas spécialement accueillant ni sympathique mais ils vous guideront pour les démarches à la frontière. Ils sont efficaces, il suffit d’être aimable avec eux! Petit bémol, les couvertures ne sentent pas très bon, mais pour le prix on ne se plaint pas. Ce n’est pas un bus touristique donc personne pour vous dire combien de temps il reste ou quand est ce qu’un stop va être fait, mais le bus s’arrête suffisamment souvent pour que l’on puisse décider de descendre se dégourdir les jambes ou faire une pause toilettes. 2 stop sont faits pour dîner et déjeuner, mais dans des endroits pas terribles certes. Bouteilles d’eau fournies, on peut en demander autant qu‘on veut. Bref je recommande sans problème : ne pas s’attendre à un bus exceptionnel, c’est rustique, mais pour le prix ça en vaut largement la peine.

Trip went smoothly. Drivers didn't speak English so we didn't know at first what to do at the border. Good thing some people who were with me in the bus helped me with the process. Wasn't as bad as I thought the trip was gonna be.

Safely arrived in Hanoi on time. Staff can not speak English which seem to be normal. Overall Okay for me

Bus travel and comfort at all: First of all it is a 24h bus travel and I would do it again. For sure the bus stuff at the bus station is a bit racist (just be prepared and take it not too personal) and we had to wait until every Asian checked in and choosed their seats. I think we forefingers will always get the seats in the back but they are also comfortable. When the bus stops maybe the air will get sticky a bit but then you can leave the bus until it continues. -------------------------------------- Note: on 12goasia it is written that busses on Tue, Thur, Sat are in bette conditions! WLAN was not free, it costs 5.000 KIP for 24h -------------------------------------- Boarder crossing: The Bus arrived at 1:30 am and the boarder opens at 7 am. We could wait in the bus and just slept (but the air was getting worse and worse because the AC stopped) - but even though we slept well (at 5 am we got out of the bus due to bad air conditions. But it was a good decision: we saw the sunrise and it was really refreshing outside). At 7 am the boarder opened and we went inside (just follow the "departure" sign). There you give your passport directly to the boarder petrol officers - don't wait until they call you - if they are busy just place your passport inside at the table and wait near the window. As soon as they check your passport go to the window. There is a camera: put your face in front and wait (we didn't put some money in our passport and everything was fine. You will see some busdriver do this. Don't be confused) After your departure is done just cross the boarder and walk about 1km to the vietnamise boarderstation. You don't need to take your luggage with you! At the vietnamise boarder we had to pay 20.000 Dong or 1 USD even though we had already paid our Visa (be prepared - we don't know if this is the normal procedure). When you leave the boarderstation you need to pass through the last control (its under a roofed waiting area beside the last checkpoint) where they will check your passport again. That's all! Maybe it sounds a little bit confusing but you will always find someone to ask. Just wait there until your bus passes the last checkpoint, get in and enjoy your lasts hours to hanoi :) -------------------------------------- Personal note: I was afraid and a little bit scared about our 24h bus trip because of all the bad reviews and the bad experiences but at the end, it was a good trip, I could sleep, I could go to toilet during the stops (an important issue for me), we got into the bus after the boarder and it was so much cheaper than a flight. !Bring warm clothes with you, AC is cold as always!

One star for getting there. One star for staff being fine...in that they got us here. 12go tells you in the voucher (after you've booked) that certain days of the week have subpar busses. We had one of those. Would have been good info for 12go to share prebooking to earn the fee they charge. Left two hours late (standard in SE Asia) but that meant arriving in the dark at 8pm. Despite no assigned seats, westerners are directed to the worst seats and you have to accept it or argue back. Really only a good option if saving money. Skip 12go, they provide nothing, just book at the station.

The journey is fine and reasonably comfortable. But the level of completely blatant racism is just laughable. Asians are treated like people, westerners are treated like dirt. Every Asian was allowed on the bus to choose a seat prior to departure. We (having been the very first to arrive) were made to wait until the very end and were constantly shouted at for no reason. In the UK, the staff on this trip would have been fired within days.

They didn't stopped at my stop and I had to pay 500bath for a taxi to go to the stop.....

The quality of the Sleeper Bus was good. Service was normal as staff are not able to communicate in English. However trip took longer than expected. We were informed to arrive 1hour before the departure time at 1730hrs but the bus only left the station at 1900hrs. Not sure why there was a delay but we were told to wait every time we asked.

Well, you get what you pay for. It did say on the ticket don't expect much. But I thought it was fine. Staff don't speak English, but as long as you are nice and polite they are also nice and polite so no big deal. No toilet but they make plenty of stops, and I got the feeling that if you asked to stop to use a toilet that would be no problem. Towards the end of the journey, the air con started leaking hahaha was a bit crazy but all part of the fun. Yeah the border is a little hectic but everyone finds their way. It's not up to the bus driver to hold your hand. All in all I thought it was fine and would probably do it again.

To be honest even just sitting on a bus for 24h is not a 5 star experience in general. But a toilet and wifi would habe definitely make the time on the bus better. It is true - bus full of stuff like packages, ready-to-sell-tshirts and ohter things. You got your seat and that’s it - no wandering around as there is people (even staff) laying in the narrow walkway. We got brought to the passport-check-out in Vietnam at the border (btw. 1 USD) and then to the Laos border where it was a little chaotic. But well the bus waited for everyone (at least it seemed like it) and we made the it to Vientiane. Earplugs are a must.

Bus left at 18:00 from Vientiane Southern Bus Station. As usual in Laos, it travelled quite slowly due to the numerous potholes and washouts in the road. The Bus made it into Nam Phao/Cau Treo Border post at 02:30, whereupon the driver, lined up in the growing queue of busses and turned off the engine (and therefore the AirCon). I was only just getting used to the various tonal snores of the various people when I dropped off myself. The bus driver and his offsider were helpful, though they didn't speak any English, giving me the nod when to get off the bus and where they would pick me up from. Get off at the Lao side, get stamped, walk about 1km to the Vietnam side, get your passport stamped, hopefully you have an e-visa and meet the bus. You have to then take your luggage off the bus and send it through the luggage scanner, collect it and wait while the border guards give the bus the once over. After they have, put your luggage back on and hi-ho away we go to Hanoi Nuoc Ngam Station. Bus was comfortable,in that I fell asleep a number of times. The AirCon is Arctic. They do give you a pillow and blanket, which is helpful, but wear thick socks and rug up. You HAVE to remove your shoes to get on the bus. They lay a strip of mattress on the aisle, so passengers can really stretch out and when you get off the bus, especially to the toilets, the ground is just plain filthy and you don't want to bring that back. They do provide you with slippers for when you get off the bus. However, either bring your own or buy some at Vientiane Southern Bus Station, which is what I did. All in all a good experience, The driver was exceptional as a driver, managing to avoid most of the potholes and just keeping the bus journey really smooth. Caught the Wednesday bus (with no on-board toilet or WiFi), rest stops about every 2 hours. Got into Hanoi Nuoc Ngam Station at 18:00.

We arrived 3 hours early and the bus staff did not assign us a seat until the last minute and gave us the worst seat at the back of the bus. I have been told this always happens to westerners.

This really gives me PTSD. Would highly recommend against anyone doing this trip. Its not for the faint of heart. 24 hours on a bus is no joke. The place is quite dirty, pillows feel a bit damp so you really aren’t sure what was on it before you. Also the toilet onboard is really smelly and damp too. You can’t wear shoes onboard so I’m not sure how you’re supposed to use the toilet without dirtying your feet with urine and fecal matter. Also the drivers and assistants weren’t friendly to foreigners at all and were actually quite hostile. If you are traveling alone, I would definitely recommend you reconsider because they will bully you. Just don’t do this.

The driver was VERY unfriendly to all the foreigners but the seats were comfortable and it wasn't as bad as I had expected! And it only took us 18 hours!

Our trip wasn't as bad as other reviews I have read. The bus was loaded with random packages, and was cramped, but it didn't bother me and my girlfriend too much. The guys on the bus were nice enough, and tried to be helpful at the border (pointing in a general direction, but he did actually take us to the first passport gate). The only thing that would help is if they spoke even very basic English. But then again I suppose we could learn very basic Vietnamese. Yes, it was long, but we tried to sleep most of the way and succeeded. Ear plugs are a MUST. I asked for the toilet and had to wait another 90 minutes for what was a planned stop anyway. No wifi, toilet, so be prepared to be dehydrated for risk of going to the toilet on yourself.

The trip started badly when I got to the Hanoi Bus Station and counter 57, I kept trying to give my voucher in exchange for ticket as I was instructed to do. I was told nothing and kept getting sent to sit down. It got to 5 minutes until the bus (time written on my 12goAsia booking) was due to leave until someone told me it was due to leave an hour later and then I was asked to pay for my ticket, I had to repeat again and again I had already paid and argue with the person in charge before I got my ticket. I found my bus and it was ok, nothing special or terrible. Our bus journey took 30 hrs in total (i timed it out of curiousity), we had a few stops but the length of time was mostly due to the deliveries being loaded on the bus. We stopped very often in Vietnam to pick them up and a lot in Laos to drop them off. Overall not as bad as I had thought and i came well prepared with lots of films. Most of those of us travelling slept ok, at one point the bus turned on the radio for us all to hear quite late in on the 2nd night at a deafening volume which was not so great so i suggest earplugs. Expect very little and you cannot be disappointed.

The bus left one hour later, than originally planned, but they told me already at the counter. Instead of having chosen a Saturday bus, it was definitely one of those that is "below my expectations". No electricity, no wifi, no toilets, no space for sitting, no space for the legs. Luckily in the beginning and towards the end the bus was not too crowded, so that you could actually make yourself comfortable. There were several stops on the way for food and toilet. Border passing took more than two hours. But in the end I arrived after 26.5 hours. As I was the only western tourist, it appeared to me, that all the other guests were really nice and even showed me where to eat and so on

Bus was delayed by 3 hours without explanation. The staff were very cold and rude to the western tourists not giving us information at any point. Leg room was poor and had no usb ports

Instructions on the booking voucher was to go to counter 3 at the bus station to exchange for a boarding pass. But no one was at the counter (it was empty, and didn't look like the counter was in operation). Checked with a couple of other counters (other companies) and was finally directed to go straight to the bus bay. By sheer luck, met a staff (who turned out to me the driver) who spoke both English and Mandarin, and he helped me to settle everything. And since I was the only foreigner on board the bus that day, he also took care of me during the journey especially at the border crossing, telling what to do since the locals got to stay on the bus while I had to go through immigration myself. A big thank you to him (I didn't manage to get his name). Other staff didn't speak English but could see they were trying to help as well. The bus ride was decent. Overall an okay experience, less the boarding pass issue at the bus station.

The staff has been very rude,they don't speak ONE word of English and they don't care about you, they just about words in their language and treat you bad when you try to ask something. The bus has no WiFi and no toilet,the air conditioning was so high that u need a blanket to stay,they put loud Vietnamese music for almost all night so it was not possible to sleep, and they drive so fast the you cannot lay down. At the border they didn't explain us what we should do and ask us one dollar to Stan our passports (I don't know if it was a real fee or a fake one). Very hard and uncomfortable trip

My experience was better than most stories that I've heard but still an interesting one to tell my friends. Be prepared for bugs, VERY rude bus attendents (segregated the foreigners from the laos obly gave us wifi to shut us up but refused water and snacks, yelled and pushed us), be on your toes at immigration otherwise you bus will just leave without you and laugh ( almost happened to the other foreign couple sitting next to us. Only had wifi til Laos border but there was a toilet on board and blankets and very loud Laos music through the speakers by 9am the next day :)

The bus I took was a replacement service so I'm not sure how helpful my review can be. The scheduled bus caught fire so I was offered a replacement bus that promised arrival in 14hr instead of the usual 24hr. Actual journey took 20hr so I just wish that the promised arrival time was more realistic as some of us make changes to our accommodation bookings only to find it gone to waste. The bus we were on seemed to have just completed a trip so it was pretty messy and smelly. We had to switch buses some distance after the border so we waited in a freezing cold restaurant for 2-3hr without any information. In terms of service the staff of 12Go whom I communicated with (Hong Nguyen) was quite helpful and prompt with replies but I guess there are just some things that are out of their control.

Bus stoped 3 Times to fix the a/c. The bus operator was not the one shown in the ticket, nothing special but good for the money. It took 22 hrs and wasn't any ride of hell. Okay to save money compared to flights

Very friendly operators! They'll help out if you have any kind of problem.

Said 24 hour and some reviews online said it could be worse. My experience was good. Only took 22hr. Be aware the visa points have no ATM and won't accept card. Carry cash. I had to borrow of the driver and I was a little embarrassed. All in all, bus was comfortable enough and if you don't want to pay the extra for the flight it's a reasonable option. :-)

No English at all. No information about the trip available: when and how long we stop. Can't help about the visa procedure. Surprisingly loud music on the bus. I can't recommend it.

Late leaving and getting to Hanoi . Left us at border and drove off to Vietnam side without telling us. Dirty bus bathroom , trash etc. not helpful in any way.

Didn't arrive at the time provided. 4 hours later than expected arrival. Also they will have other passengers joins in the middle of the trip. Take the 2nd bunks so you'll avoid the hassle of getting your face hit with bags and people's legs/arms

The bus was late to reach Hanoi as compared to the ticket timing, but was expected after reading the reviews. The actual time to reach is about 6pm. Got to the bus station early to get good seats. Went there a bit too early, around 430pm would have been fine. Buses set off too early from the station as we reach immigration at about 2am, while waiting for immigration to open at 630am. Could have set off later to ease the travel waiting time. Immigration was a mess as people jostle to get their passport stamped first. Luckily our bus conductor was nice to ensure that we get through immigration together. Overall bus was ok and not too bad if you get good seats.

Considering this is meant to be 'the journey from hell' we had a good journey. Comfy bus seats. We managed to get the back 3 seats between 2 of us because it was practically empty. Only negative is some of the staff was so rude to us. Hurrying us along at immigration as if we had any control over the ridiculously slow process!

Long journey but not as horrible as the other reviews make it sound. The journey is long but the bus was comfortable, had good AC, and a bathroom (I went on Tues; they say the busses on Tue/Thu/Sat are better). One stop around 9-10pm for food/bathroom. Got to the border ~2am and cued up to be first for border crossing in the morning. The bus got quite hot when not on during the night (~2-6am) but was otherwise quite chilly while running (bring a sweater/pants). At the border you need to have your visa already, pay 50k dong to leave Vietnam and 30k kip to enter Laos (or $1-2/dong equivalent). Another stop around lunch time then arrived on time. The roads in Laos can be a bit bumpy. The staff are efficient; if you pay attention, follow their hand gestures and are polite, they are nice enough. They yelled at one guy who was being super rude and pushy but that's not their fault.

The bus left according to schedule, chairbeds were comfy. The bus broke down during the trip, but the drivers could fix it. Nobody could speak a word in English in the whole bus. So we didn’t know what was going on and when we could leave the bus or had to stay inside. It was difficult to find out where to go and what to do at the border, nobody could tell us because they didn’t speak English. We arrived 2 hours earlier than expected which was nice. Overall the trip was ok.

Got an email 2 hours before departure that my selected type of vehicle ( VIP SLEEPER BUS) was not available, and I got downgraded to a seated couch bus . Yes I got 150.000 back , but I couldn’t do anything else apart from taking the bus anyway. No time to change the bus, reebok another day or with another company . Felt like there where not enough people on that bus and they decided to use only one bus regardless of the vip status or not. Felt a bit like a scam