V'Spirit Cruise

V’Spirit is the boat to book if the cabin is the reason you are going. The operator says each room comes with a private balcony and a bathtub with a sea view, and the operator’s own suite photos show a king bed turned towards the windows, loungers on the balcony and a freestanding tub behind glass. Guests back up the balcony part, in English and in German. The boats sail Lan Ha Bay from Tuan Chau. Guests on Google praise the crew almost without exception; the food divides them more.

Is V’Spirit one boat or two?

Two. The operator’s phrase is “our two, newly built wooden junks”, on a company page that gives 2012 as the year the business started, and both sail the same V’Spirit Classic programme, so this page covers the brand. halongbaytours.com lists 18 cabins and a renovation in 2018. Have the boat for your date named on your quote. For what the hull material changes in practice, see wooden hull or steel.

Does the V’Spirit boat actually cruise?

Not much. This is the weakness to plan around, and guests raise it unprompted. One three-day guest felt the main V’Spirit boat hardly moved and was more hotel than cruise; a German reviewer was sorry it covered so little distance; a third, in 2026, said there was little cruising. If you want hours of karst sliding past the rail, this boat is the wrong choice. Lan Ha does not always mean an empty bay either: one family in 2025 found far fewer boats once they reached it, while a guest at Lunar New Year 2026 counted at least 50.

The three-day trip makes it sharper. On day two the operator’s own timetable moves you to a day boat at around 08:00 for Viet Hai, and you are back on the main boat at 16:00. Two guests on the three-day trip, one in the Executive Suite, said they spent that whole day on an older, lesser boat. The Executive Suite guest felt it was not what they had paid extra for, and believed the swap gave the tender time to change over passengers on the main boat. If the suite is the point, book two days. If Viet Hai village is the point, take three days knowing the suite will mostly be where you sleep. Our two days or three guide sets out the trade in general.

The second problem is noise low in the boat. Two reviewers, one naming cabin 102 and one describing a room on deck 1, say an engine or generator kept them awake. The operator places the Senior Suite and Executive Suite on the upper deck. Ask for an upper-deck room in writing.

What happens on the two-day trip?

The owner’s timetable runs like this.

• Day 1, 08:15–08:45: pickup in Hanoi’s Old Quarter.
• 11:45: check-in at V’Spirit’s lounge at Tuan Chau International Harbour.
• 12:00–12:30: tender out, welcome drink and safety briefing on board.
• 13:00: lunch in The Dawn restaurant while the boat heads for Lan Ha.
• 15:00: Bright Cave, rowed by locals in bamboo boats.
• 17:00: cooking demonstration, then a sunset party with happy hour.
• 19:00: dinner; later, board games and squid fishing on the top deck.
• Day 2, 06:30: tai chi; breakfast at 07:00.
• 07:30: kayaking around Tra Bau, then swimming from 08:00.
• 09:00: cabin check-out, brunch at 09:30 as the boat returns.
• 11:00–11:30: back at Tuan Chau.

A family who did the two-day trip in 2025 filled in what the timetable leaves out. Their minibus stopped for about 30 minutes at a pearl shop near the dock. They reached the terminal around 11:00 and waited 45 to 60 minutes for the previous group to come back before the tender took them out. Vegetarians on that trip got separate meals arranged for them. Read which harbour you leave from before you fix your transfer.

What are the cabins like?

There are six classes. Sizes for the Junior Suites are the owner’s; those for the Senior and Executive Suites are from the halongbaytours.com listing.

The connecting suites are the class to ask about if you travel as a family of five or six; ask whether there is an inside door between the two rooms. For how much a class upgrade buys elsewhere, see what your cabin gets you.

How much does V’Spirit cost?

From $150 per person, two sharing, for one night in a Junior Suite. That is half of the $300 cabin rate on the halongbaytours.com listing, read on 28 October 2026. The listing shows its maximum price per cabin, so a quote may come in lower.

The three-day column is the price of the whole two-night trip. The listing says these rates include 10% VAT and a 5% service charge. The connecting suites are priced on request; ask the agent for the rate in writing, and our cost guide shows where these figures sit in the market.

What is included, and what is not?

The operator lists meals on the itinerary, an English-speaking guide, the sunset party, entrance fees, tai chi, kayaks, bamboo boats, fishing gear and on-board insurance as included. Drinks, the stand-up paddle board, massage, tips, taxes (the owner’s terms list them as extra; the reseller rates above include them), a holiday service charge over Tet, Christmas and New Year’s Eve, and bank charges are extra. More than one guest was caught out by drinks: one says even water was added to the final bill.

Transport is the muddle. The owner’s timetable starts with a hotel pickup, yet the same page lists transport to and from Tuan Chau as excluded. One guest in 2026 says the hotel pickup cost a small fee, and halongbaytours.com sells a shuttle at $30 an adult and $25 a child for the round trip. Ask whether your quote includes it. More on the usual extras in what is not included.

Who is V’Spirit for?

Couples and families who want a good room on a traditional-style junk for one night and are content to see the bay mostly from the kayaks and rowing boats. Light sleepers should ask for the upper deck: both noise complaints we read came from lower-deck rooms. Guests often name their guide, Frank in particular, and a few say they left full.

Who should look elsewhere?

Anyone who wants a long day under way should compare other Lan Ha Bay cruises. The main V’Spirit boat covers little distance, so most of what you see of the bay comes from the small boats. Three-day buyers paying for the top suite will lose a day of it to the day boat. Light sleepers offered a lower-deck room should say no.

Where these facts come from

The two junks, the timetables, the cabin classes and Junior Suite sizes, and the inclusions come from vspiritcruises.com, read on 10 October 2026; its current itinerary and guests from 2024 to 2026 describe Lan Ha. The cabin count, the other sizes and the prices are from the halongbaytours.com listing read on 6 August 2026; prices move with season, so confirm yours on the quote. Guest remarks are from reviews we collected.