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.

We had a long journey in the car from Hanoi but were very excited to board the Victory Star! We just chose the 1 night option but may come back for the 2 nights soon. We had perfect weather and gorgeous food on board. It probably helped that we received a free upgrade to the Presidential Suite, but the whole experience had merits all of its own. It was a joy to meet the crew, who were very friendly and welcoming the entire time. There’s some great, really beautiful, natural sites to be seen in Halong Bay, but there are some real eyesores as well (a huge ‘aqua park’ that they’re building at the shore). We had a great dinner that evening and shared lots of stories of our travels with fellow passengers before we went to bed. The next day we had tai chi, visited a fishing village and cave before returning to brunch and checking out. Great service throughout – I’d highly recommend it!

Lovely ship with lots of wood and fine detailing that gives you that luxury feeling. We had a very nice cabin in the end with a great en suite full of everything we need. We dropped our bags off for the staff and then had some welcome drinks and lunch before we properly set off into the bay. We had time to go to a cave and a beach on the first afternoon and then returned to the ship for dinner in the restaurant. Great breakfast and a trip to the fishing village, which was very nice.Overall we really enjoyed the food, the activities and the company of the staff. The only thing we would mention is that the prices of the drinks are insane – no one really bought any and the cruise can’t make much money off them – not when you can buy the exact same thing in Hanoi for 5 times less.

Cabins were great – good air con and nice balcony, comfy bed and a pretty impressive en suite.Brilliant food, fantastic service and a whole day’s worth of activities in swimming, kayaking and heading to a cave. There was also a cooking class and tai chi on the boat, along with squid fishing and other small things to do after dinner.We had a really nice trip to the fishing village, which was pretty awe-inspiring as we sailed round in complete silence. Then we went out to a limestone arch where more fantastic photos could be taken.The most magical time was at sunset, which we watched from the big sundeck at the top of the boat. Amazing stuff.Very nice trip overall! I will definitely consider coming back.

We decided to splurge on the Presidential Suite of the Victory Star as we had spent a long time travelling from south to north of Vietnam on a modest budget. It was fantastic in the end, and totally worth everything we paid.We were a bit worried about the full-looking itinerary of the cruise but the manager – Le Quan, told us that everything was optional and the boat would always be there for people who didn’t want to engage in everything. We did do the cave and fishing village visits, which were interesting, but spent most of our time on the deck, watching the wonderful scenery whizz by.All the food is included in the price and is very, very tasty! The staff are a wonderful group of people. Le Quan was amazing as manager and a special mention to Cuong Dang, the bartender who always served us with a smile and made sure we were always comfortable. Thanks everyone on board the Victory Star Cruise – what a way to end our holiday in Vietnam!

First off, I really think anyone looking at booking Halong Bay should heavily consider the 2 night options. It gives you so much more time to see back and enjoy the seclusion of the bay.As soon as we mentioned that it was our honeymoon during booking, the staff went above and beyond in their service. We got a free upgrade and the wonderful crew presented us with a cake and some roses after dinner – beautiful! The activities were good for all ages and fitness levels as nothing is too strenuous on the tour. The cave and fishing village were especially entertaining. The staff are very social but we noticed that none of the guests wanted to mingle on our cruise. Maybe we just got an unsocial bunch, but me and my husband spent time chatting with the crew so it was fine. Highly recommended cruise!

A fabulous trip in the end, which was very lucky as there were two typhoons either side of our visit!. We had a smallish cabin with an en suite, complete with rainfall shower and then a little balcony where you can step outside for a bit. We arrived in the afternoon, had lunch and went to a fishing village. Nice dinner and then squid fishing at night. I had a great night’s sleep as it’s so tranquil in the bay when you drop anchor for the night. Breakfast the next day was followed by a visit to the cave and then check out. We felt the wind brewing and were very lucky to experience excellent weather before the other typhoon rolled in. Great staff and boat, a really worthwhile experience and definitely one of the Vietnam holiday highlights.

This certainly looked like one of the better boats that we saw on the bay. The maximum capacity is 40 but it’s still very comfortable and intimate. Each room had a balcony and a private hot tub in the en suites, though you’ll be pressed for time to use it.1. WIFI: Nice to have but incredibly slow2. FOOD: Fantastic – I was never hungry3. DRINKS: Not included and not particularly cheap either – bring your own from the mainland4. TAI CHI: There was no one to lead the class so we just watched the sunrise instead5. OVERNIGHT: The Victory Star seems to anchor away from the other boats, which gives it a very peaceful atmosphere at night6. VISIT TO VUNG VIEN FISHING VILLAGE: You can go out on a bamboo raft or your own boat. No one really lives here anymore but you can see the way of life that used to be here.7. VISIT TO THE CAVE: Thien Canh Son Cave – distinctly average8. OTHER: We actually caught a squid during the squid fishing! We put it back right after getting a photo.A nice cruise overall. I’m very glad I went.

We stayed for 2 nights on the Victory Star junk and were very impressed. It was a luxury cruise but I think it had been used for a while as there was a bit of wear and tear around. The cabin is a little compact but very comfortable, with a great en suite fitted with shower and a hot tub. We had a private balcony but enjoyed the view more from upstairs, where we took heaps of pictures against the back drop. Halong Bay is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever visited.Great food and excellent service, run very smoothly with everything progressing without a problem. Well worth everything we paid for it! I would definitely go again if the opportunity came up.

Very happy with our decision to spend our special day aboard the Victory Star! We were very touched by the efforts of the staff, who came to us after dinner to present us with a cake and some flowers. They and the tour guides were so great throughout! To boot, we had a great cabin with fantastic balcony and well-equipped en suite. The food was stunning and was presented like an artist.Halong Bay is totally awe-inspiring as well. There are many caves to visit, fishing villages, kayaking island etc. A very memorable time, thanks Victory Star!

drive from Hanoi but we thought it was worth it as soon as we saw the boat. The cabin had a wonderful private bathroom and powerful air-conditioning. We had excellent food the whole time.Mike was our entertaining and friendly tour guide. He took us swimming, kayaking, climbing to a viewpoint looking at a cave and some morning tai chi. There was still a lot of time to relax on the boat in between the activities so we never felt rushed.Lots of reviews mention overcrowding and pollution – we saw very little evidence of either of these, maybe it was the time of year we went (July). Just a tip: take some good footwear for the hike to the island peak!Great cruise, thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

Halongbaytours.com is a premium cruise and tour booking service offered by Blue Dragon Tours. Here on our website you can find listings of the best selected cruises of Halong Bay, one of the UNESCO World's Natural Heritage.Did the 2 day 1 night cruise where we were looked after by the best staff. We were a little worried about the safety at first but that soon subsided once we had been given a lifejacket on the small boat, given and safety briefing and told about all the lifejackets on board.So in the end it was a very relaxing cruise! We had great food by way of a 5 course lunch and dinner and then buffet option for breakfast. Lots of fish options but they can tailor it around your tastes and encourage you to tell them if you don’t like the menu you’re give beforehand.The top deck had sun beds and there was a reasonably prices spa to get your deep relaxation fix.We got into a rowing boat and went around the fishing village, which was really interesting to see. Also saw caves and went to an island to climb around 400 steps for a great view. On the boat, we had a cooking class and a tai chi class, both of which were very interesting too.Our en suite was so great too! We had a rainfall shower and a jacuzzi bathtub, very luxurious.Wish we’d stayed two nights in the end but it gives us a good reason to come back!