Unicharm Cruise

Unicharm boards at Tuan Chau, spends its night at anchor in Lan Ha Bay, and puts you on a bicycle into Viet Hai village on Cat Ba the next morning. The owner’s price for that, read on 10 October 2026, is $155 a person, two sharing, in a Deluxe Sea View room. It already covers the shared coach from Hanoi’s Old Quarter and back, the guide, the kayaks, the bay entrance fees and four meals.

Guests who chose Unicharm over other boats say they did it to get away from the crowded part of the bay. One guest on a quiet night in May 2026 counted ten passengers in total, and wrote in the same review that the ship could do with freshening up. You will know it at the pier by its two orange sails.

The owner lists sixteen Deluxe Sea View rooms of 20 m² on the lowest deck, four Charm Terrace cabins of 30 m² on the second and third decks, and three Family Connecting units, each a Deluxe and a Terrace joined by a door you can close; book the Family unit by name. Booking sites date the boat to 2018.

What do unhappy guests complain about on Unicharm?

The low-rated Google reviews of Unicharm come back to three things: the meals, the coach and being hurried through the programme. A guest in January 2026 found the food short on flavour and the rice paper at the cooking class so stale that it cracked as soon as anyone touched it; even the chef struggled with it. A guest in May 2026, who liked the room and the guide, describes trays of fish fillets, oysters and calamari left untouched and thrown into one bin bag after each of their four meals. On the other side, one guest calls the food amazing and mentions lots of seafood, and a family with vegetarians says they were well catered for.

Two reviews from late May 2025 describe a stop of 25 to 30 minutes at a highway souvenir hall, and both say the activities felt rushed; one says the second guide hurried everyone along constantly. That guest’s return coach was shared with another boat’s passengers and left the cruise earlier than expected. A guest in March 2025 ran out of hot water on the first evening, when everyone came back from kayaking in the cold and showered at once.

Ask, before you pay, what time the return coach leaves Tuan Chau and whether it is shared. Give any dietary needs in writing when you book; the owner’s FAQ only asks you to mention them once you are on the bus. And on day one, shower before the kayaks come back.

How do the two days run?

The two-day trip is roughly 24 hours on the boat with about three hours on the road at each end. The times are the owner’s. The owner makes the tunnel paddle depend on the tide and reserves the right to change the programme for weather or the bay authority.

• 08:00 to 08:30. Hotel pick-up in the Old Quarter.
• 11:30. The coach reaches the wharf at Tuan Chau. Boarding is at 12:30 and lunch at 13:00, as the boat heads south past Ba Trai Dao beach, Frog lagoon and the Dark and Light Cave.
• Afternoon. Two-seat kayaks behind the guide, a swim, and a paddle through a tunnel into a lagoon if the tide allows.
• Evening. A cooking class, dinner at anchor in Lan Ha, squid fishing off the side.
• 06:00 to 08:00 next day. Sunrise from the sun deck and breakfast, then at 07:00 a tender to the Viet Hai dock and about half an hour by bicycle to a village house.
• 10:30 to 12:00. Check-out, brunch on a different route back, and the dock at noon. Hanoi drop-off is estimated for 15:00 to 15:30.

A January 2026 guest says the cave pass and the tunnel paddle never happened on their trip, and that the village stop was mostly time in a café.

Which cabin should you book, and what does it cost?

Book the Deluxe unless you want somewhere to sit outside. Prices are the owner’s per-person tour prices with the coach included, read 10 October 2026.

The Deluxe rooms sit on the lowest deck behind a floor-to-ceiling window, and one guest on that floor in March 2026 wrote that they could see the sea from the bed. The Charm Terrace adds 10 m² and a private terrace on an upper deck (double bed only) for $25 more each. The Family unit sleeps four adults and two children.

The owner shows each price beside a list price ($225 for the Deluxe, $256 for the Terrace) marked 30% off. Travelling alone costs $95 extra. Children under five are free in their parents’ bed, five to nine pay 75%, and ten and over pay the full price. The Lan Ha Bay cruises page and the best-value list compare boats on this bay.

Is the three-day trip worth the extra night?

Yes, if you can walk for three hours. In a Deluxe the second night costs $145 a head ($300 against $155), about 94% of the first; in a Terrace it is $160 ($340 against $180). What it buys is a full day on Cat Ba. After the bike ride comes a trek of two and a half to three hours through forest to Hai Quan Peak, then the Military Hospital Cave and a kayak through Luon Cave and Tai Keo Cave. That puts real caves into the trip, which is what the January 2026 guest on the one-night version missed. More in two days or three.

What is not included?

Drinks, tips for the guide and crew, and anything personal; our list of what cruise prices leave out covers the rest. The owner’s booking conditions say rates already include the 5% service charge and 10% VAT, and paying by card adds 3%. Ask for the drinks list before you board, and for the price of an extra bed if you need one in a Deluxe. The owner warns that Wi-Fi drops out among the islands.

Who it suits

Couples and families who will trade some polish for the outdoor programme of Lan Ha. A family of five on the three-day trip in December 2023 valued having kayaking, hiking and cycling in one package, and travellers landing in Hanoi with no transport arranged get the coach to Tuan Chau and back inside the price.

Who should look elsewhere

Anyone who wants busy Ha Long scenery with other boats lit up around them at night; one January 2026 guest missed exactly that, and the quiet anchorage is the same thing other guests paid for.

What should you get in writing?

Three things. First, the Deluxe is a window room with no balcony, so if you want to sit outside, book the Charm Terrace.

Second, the refund terms. Cancel at least 72 hours before departure and the owner refunds in full; inside 48 hours nothing comes back, and any refund loses $3 to $7 in exchange costs plus a 3% bank fee. If bad weather stops the tour, the refund is in full. Payment and the booking conditions are in the name of Vega Travel, the Hanoi agency that runs the owner’s site, so ask Vega Travel for the terms in writing, and confirm a child’s rate the same way.

Third, the price basis: the $310 and $360 cabin figures are two of the owner’s per-person tour prices, coach included, so an agency’s cabin-only price will look lower.