Victory Star Cruise

We went for the full experience by booking the 3 day cruise with the Victory Star, which we thoroughly enjoyed. We had a very efficient check in at the waiting lounge and then was shown into our cabin, which was really nice. We had a super comfortable bed and some really excellent quality amenities in the bathroom, which is certainly the best we have ever seen on a boat.If you don’t like seafood then it’s not a problem, the staff are more than happy to provide you with a delicious alternative. We had so much nice food for lunch and dinner, then UNLIMITED nice food for breakfast during the two buffets we had. We had a spectacular second day on the day boat with much fewer passengers, who we got to know well. We shared a beautiful lunch and then some drinks during Happy Hour when we got back to the main boat.Such a great way to see the bay. I’d heavily recommend the 3 day cruise, but if you can only do the 2 day, then go with Victory Star.

I had a lovely trip with my two grandsons to Halong Bay and we all agreed that this was the highlight of a fantastic 2 weeks in Vietnam – we’re just infatuated with this country! The ship feels very luxurious, with lots of space and some gorgeous areas around. The balcony was our favourite, so we spent most of our time here, watching the scenery drifting. The food was absolutely delicious and the amazing staff always served it to us with a smile, tailored completely to us. Some of the activities were fantastic, including the cave visit and the floating village as well. We couldn’t believe the fitness of some of the men and women who were rowing the passengers around!A very reasonable price tag for what was a fantastic trip. We had a wonderful time!

I had a lovely trip with my two grandsons to Halong Bay and we all agreed that this was the highlight of a fantastic 2 weeks in Vietnam – we’re just infatuated with this country! The ship feels very luxurious, with lots of space and some gorgeous areas around. The balcony was our favourite, so we spent most of our time here, watching the scenery drifting. The food was absolutely delicious and the amazing staff always served it to us with a smile, tailored completely to us. Some of the activities were fantastic, including the cave visit and the floating village as well. We couldn’t believe the fitness of some of the men and women who were rowing the passengers around!A very reasonable price tag for what was a fantastic trip. We had a wonderful time!

I heavily advocate going for the 2 night experience on the Victory Star as the drive is 4 hours each way, so you really get the full benefit if you stay for a couple of days. Aside from that, Halong Bay is stunning and you need 3 days to soak it all in!It’s a great boat with some really nice cabins and other touches that made us feel like we were on some kind of luxury vessel, even though it’s a 4* service. We had excellent food and the opportunity to buy drinks (for roughly the same as what you’d pay in the west). It’s a well planned itinerary with the activities that you do off the ship.Excellent rooms and a gorgeous en suite that makes you forget you’re on a boat. That is until you step out onto the balcony and look at the amazing scenery outside.The only negative is the price and temperature of the beer. We bought a few Hanoi beers for about $6AUD a pop and they were all warm. I’d suggest if you’re going to charge that much for beer, at least put it in some ice beforehand.Nevertheless, we had a really good time overall. I’d definitely recommend 3 days for the full experience!

If the Victory Star is a 3* cruise, I’m really struggling to imagine what a 5* one would be like!I’d read mixed reviews but couldn’t find a single flaw in the end. We had an amazing time. It’s always a huge issue to travel with my young daughter as she is deadly allergic to nuts, but the brilliant staff went to extreme lengths to make sure there wasn’t even a hint of nut. Me and my son don’t really like shellfish, so they changed that for us too. We ended up having some very tasty meals with a lot of food on offer.The cabins weren’t huge but we fitted all 3 of us in pretty comfortably. The beds were great and the air conditioning was very necessary! Wonderful little bathroom with islands viewable out the window.We had a great trip to a fishing village and went swimming afterwards to cool down. There was also tai chi then a trip to a mystical cave, which my kids absolutely loved. It was a little busy near the entrance but we got away from the crowds by exploring further inside. Amazing staff overall and some really great tour guides to have on board. They explained everything about the bay in a clear and concise way with excellent English.Lots of different types of passengers on board and I ended up talking to a few while my kids were off playing with some other kids. A very nice atmosphere all round and we’d be very happy with return with Victory Star for the 2 night version in the future.