Since 1994, our Genuine, small group tours to Halong Bay & Cat Ba Island have made Griswald's Vietnamese Vacations ® & our REAL Kangaroo Café ® in Ha Noi, names you can trust.

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* Note Doing business with companies over the internet still makes some people, understandably, nervous.  Only Licensed Australian Travel Agents, like us, are eligible to be members of the Travel Compensation Fund.  It's run by the Government Dept of Fair Trading & is something only real travel agents can offer.

Check to see if who you're thinking of dealing with is actually licensed & if they're not .... ask them why not ???

A couple of years ago we wrote this on our sites  - These days with the self promotion & paid for, so called independent reviews (???) on the various travel forums it's very difficult to work out just who's who in the zoo !

(Click on this link) Travel website Trip Advisor probed amid claims that millions of reviews are fake !!! (4/09/2011)

Our response to the personal attacks we've had over the years on the Thorn Tree, Travel Advisor, The New Hanoian etc web sites was way overdue.  Rather than post about our food &/or tours, some nasty people most of whom were our competitors or involved with them, chose to attack us personally or write that they'd heard this or that about us. 

All sites like these expressly say that any hear say or personal attacks are strictly against their posting rules but, they don't bother to enforce them & the reasons are very clear. Meaningless &/or fictitious posts help enormously in keeping the total number of posts to these failing web sites up.  They give the punters & pay for advertisers the impression that the sites are somewhat popular when in real terms it's far from that.  Most, but not all, of the alleged travel sites are just being rorted & for normal travellers it really is, as we say .......

Its very difficult if not impossible, to work out just who's who in the zoo !   

Travel Fish (Click) - have banned a number of Ha Long Bay companies for continually trolling & spamming

(Click Here) to see our side to some of the stupid stuff we've seen on Trip Advisor, the Thorn Tree etc, etc !

We're not like everybody else !

It makes all the difference in price, quality, service & Safety ! 

Beware of the many, nasty crooks that continue to copy us !

This just might be the page you've been looking for !
 

The good news is - here's our new 2 day Halong Bay boat - Maximum - 14 people.

The bad news is - actually, there isn't any - just more good news - 2 triple rooms which are ideal for families or odd number groups.

And for those feeling the ridiculous pressure from the book now, book now or you'll miss out mob/s .....

The answer is this, PLEASE DON'T.

Don't book now & don't send us any money because ...... you simply DON'T have to !

In our case you'll get much more in terms of overall quality for much less in terms of price.

DON'T fall for this urgent bla, bla stuff - it's just not true !

From the 2008/9 Rough Guide, Sth East Asia book.
 

Some of our 2 Day Halong Bay tour details

(please email us for a comprehensive 2 Day Halong Bay tour itinerary)
 

With the REAL Kangaroo Café, you'll get - transportation, all meals, air con room with private en suite, entrance fees & an English speaking guide (that's not in your face all day), all for $89 USD P/person, twin share, full price, no hidden extras.

And yes, $89 USD is all you have to pay for a genuine 1st class (2 day) tour when you go with the tour operator & not going via all the all the other nuts who are all putting their cut on top of it as well. 

(Check out the other boat pics further down the page)
 

Some of our 3 Day Halong Bay tour details

(please email us for a comprehensive 3 Day Halong Bay & Cat Ba Island itinerary)
 

With the REAL Kangaroo Café, you will get - transportation, COLD drinks at reasonable prices, all meals (except dinner on day 2 on the island), air con room (with private en suite bathroom) on the boat (& at the hotel on Cat Ba Island), entrance fees & an English speaking guide (that's not in your face all day), all for $129 USD P/person, twin share, full price, no hidden extras.

And yes, $129 USD is all you have to pay for (a genuine 1st class, 3 day tour) when you go with the tour operator & not going via all the all nuts who are all putting their cut on top of it as well. 

(Check out the various boat pics further down the page)
 

With the REAL Kangaroo Café, you won't get - way over the top (warm) drink prices, the never ending buy our tee shirts, postcards, thongs & junk jewellery show/scam or a tour guide with all kinds of sad stories about 3 legged buffalos or ailing family members with gout, arse burgers &/or the clap !

That's the sort of thing that goes on all the time in Viet Nam and if you deal with the actual tour operator, you'll see all the difference in price, quality & service & Safety !
 

Unlike 95% of our competitors, we're the actual tour operator & not someone who buys a ticket around the corner, adds 50 to 200% onto it & then flogs it to you with a stupid grin on their face.

The hotels will charge (but forget to mention it) $50 + USD just to phone a tour operator for you !!! 

The important tour details like group size, what's included, what's not included, accomm details, drink prices & forced tipping amounts aren't forthcoming with the hotel touts & other ticket sellers because they don't really know or care ! It's just about commissions, not you or your trip.

Check out ...  Handspam, Phoenix, every Hotel in Viet Nam, Ocean tours, the many Backpacker hostel mobs, A-Z Queen, the 300 Sinh cafes in Ha Noi, TNK, Exotissimo etc & in terms of quality & price, our tours are way ahead.
 

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When in Ha Noi don't forget to hop over to one of our REAL Kangaroo Cafés ®. You'll find great Vietnamese, vegetarian & western food (at local prices), the coldest beer in Viet Nam as well as the latest information for travellers.  Find out what to buy, where to buy it & better still, what the fair price for it really is. 

Our Air Conditioned Cafés at 18 (soon to be No 22) Bao Khanh St & 17 Hang Bac St, Ha Noi,  are a great place to stop off & the KC staff are always keen to help with all your questions.

While you're in the cafe you can pick up a Free local map & the ever important - Free Stubby Holder too !!!

18 (soon to be No 22) Bao Khanh St Ha Noi

17 Hang Bac St Ha Noi
 

                               

Click on the thumbnail above to get a printable version of our Ha Noi (left) or HCM City (right) maps.

Better still, drop into the REAL Kangaroo Café ® when you get to Ha Noi for a free Ha Noi & HCM city map as well as some good, old fashioned, straight talk about who's who & what's what in Viet Nam !

And remember with us, tipping is appreciated but NEVER, compulsory !

Holiday makers you'll be delighted to know that Maxie is in the throes of approaching Rick & Rob (a couple of his mates in the song writing caper) to sharpen their pencils & knock out a jingle for all the grubby tour company bosses out there. Something like ..."The boss pays the wages, the customers never do, la la la" (& repeat ... over & over)

You may also want to read what others are saying about us in The Rough Guide & Things Asian, and now you can even see us on You Tube.

We've had great reviews in the Sydney Morning Herald, the New York Times, the Boston Globe & the Singapore Airlines in-flight magazine to name just a few.

Our Ha Long Bay Tour has even been featured in 2 travel shows on TV as well.  The 1st one (a few years ago now) was a local Aussie travel show presented by a former home Handi Man show bloke doing a very ordinary impersonation of the late, great Steve Irwin & called Great Train Adventures.

More recently (Nov 2008) we were featured in the internationally popular, UK based, Rough Guide to Far Eastern Adventures which features the very likeable, funny & popular Toby Amies.

Toby & his crew were just great to work with.  Unlike so many people in the film industry, they were honest, decent, funny & very kind to us, our staff & treated everyone they met along the way with integrity.  We wish to thank them again most sincerely. 

Our boats, transportation, accommodation, safety, staff & food are of the highest standard in Ha Long Bay & perhaps even more importantly ...........

Our group sizes are a maximum of 14 people & that's that !

Here's some REAL reviews that we were very pleased about !

         

You'll see lots of real pics of the tours that we operate further down the page too !

No monkey business about 3 or 4 different groups sharing the 1 boat, no squeezing 35, 50 or 80 + people onto a boat & no doctored pics on our site either, makes for a nice change we think.

Be careful of the latest scam - The bad weather = No refund scam ?

This is the one being pushed by the authors of one of the guide books & they say that if the tour company cancels because they reckon there's bad weather, "you probably won't get" more than a "handful of dollars back" because "the boat trip is only a small portion of the cost of the journey" 

What ? How does that one go again ?

Do these so called authors (and they've written for which other publications exactly) expect us to believe that the 3 hour bus trip up to the bay & back is the big portion of the costs ??? 

Yeah sure, Time share in the Sydney Opera House anyone ???

In the last 15 or so years we've had to cancel a number of trips because of the weather but we've always given our customers a full refund & so we should, anything less is a scam, no more no less !

 

Griswalds & our REAL Kangaroo Café ® make the whole thing of booking your trip, getting there & back again easy, simple & enjoyable but these days, unfortunately, there's any number of dodgy buggers who try their hardest to convey this incredible sense of urgency in order to sign you up & get your money over the net before you get to Viet Nam.  At the hotel there'll be some mug trying to pressure you as well & in both cases it's because they know if you see what's really on offer else where you'd never take their over priced tour. 

 

They employ the corniest of old lines like ....... it's all gotta go, Ha Long bay is closing down, selling out fast, this is a 1 time offer, this time of year it really busy, it's going to be hard to get a spot etc, bla, bla ......... These nuts are using some of the oldest & most stupid lines as if we haven't heard any of them before.  We have no idea who's doing the sales courses in Viet Nam but we think it could be that bloke with the crook teeth & spandex fetish from the late night tele at home in Oz.

 

So last, but not least, relax & take your time & it's no busier in Ha Long now than it's ever been & please check the bona fides of any tour mob very carefully before parting with any of your hard earned money. 
 

In the past, tourists had to go back to Ha Long town for the night and venture out again the next day because the boats weren't properly equipped to cater for overnight stays.  BUT, if you end up stuck on one of those tubs with 35 - 100 other people .... just imagine trying to get some quiet time to yourselves or what meal times will be like.  Whose for slops ? Hey boofhead, throw another bucket of water in the stew .... Sure we'd make a lot more money taking the 35, 40, 60 & 80 + people out into the bay but it's not fair to the environment, to our customers or the Vietnamese people who's country has been brutalised by foreign invaders more than any other country in the world.

It's supposed to be a relaxing trip to the World Heritage listed Ha Long Bay not a remake of Ben Hur or like that running with the bulls thing in Spain !!!!

In the lounge/recreation areas we have CD music & DVD systems, so feel free to bring along your favourite music &/or films.  There's always plenty of room to get away, if you wish, or join in the fun with the other guests, it's up to you.  When we started our small group tours to Ha Long Bay we realised that the small group concept was very important not just to our guests, but to the integrity of Ha Long Bay itself.

When choosing a tour to Ha Long be very careful. Check & double check exactly how many others will be on the boat with you. 

Our groups are up to a maximum of up to 14 people & that's that ! 

We have private charter available too so if you'd like a fabulous Junk style boat for yourself, your family or a group of friends please let us know & we'll give you our very best price.

One of the most pathetic scams is the mob that promises the group size will be 12 & then takes nearly 40 people on their tub.  When fronted about it (which is on every trip) they come back with the old, "Oh didn't we tell you ...... there's 3 groups on the boat". 

What's next, 10 groups of 4 or 20 groups of 2 on the 1 boat ? The worst part of scams like this is the being treated like an idiot bit. Before you decide who to go with it's essential that you do your homework.  Try to find out EXACTLY how much you'll be forced to tip the driver, guide, crew & the nutter flogging the aluminium jewellery on the boat as well as how often you'll have to tip them & of course don't forget the drink prices !!!!

With us tipping is always appreciated but NEVER, EVER Compulsory.

Our commitment to your safety as well as your fun is 100%.  Our boats are fitted with life jackets, maritime radios, fire extinguishers & 1st aid kits too,  just in case you need them.

After the success we've had with our Ha Long Bay and Cat Ba Island Tour we didn't just sit back and think how clever we were.  The tourism industry isn't like that & as one of the very few independent tour operators, we don't have the luxury of being part of one of the big state owned companies to take care of us.

We've got 2 boats leaving nearly every day & our guests couldn't be happier with them.  Our guides & crews are great & the food they cook on board is fan-tas-tic !  The prawns, squid and fresh fish are delicious but we even have vegetarian food too.
 
Below are some pics from our Ha Long tour. There's pics of the trip, the Agent Orange Victims workshop where we stop along the way & even where we have lunch in Ha Long city.
 

Some pics of our 2 day, 14 person boat & it really is a beaut !

                       

 

                       

 

                       

                       

Some recent pics of 3 Day boat ! 

           

       

           

Some dinner pics !

       

Various other Ha long Bay pics.

     

       

           

           

           

           

           

           

           

           

           

 
We often wonder why the other companies use the old generic boat shots or the heavily altered pics number & why won't they put photos of their own boats on their web sites ?
 
Our sleep on the boat tours are all about having fun & the lilo's (inflatable air beds) have been a big hit with our guests too.  Of course the real attraction is the bay itself and one of our nicest ever guests, Larry the lawyer, said this on returning:

"Nothing really could have prepared me for the magnificence of Ha Long" . Well put Larry !
 
Some Cat Ba Island info.
 
With other tour operators, the usual thing to do on Cat Ba is to all stay at the same hotel and then do the boring trek in the National Park.  Are we having fun yet, you can almost hear Zippy say ........

The problem with the trek is that all the operators do it & you end up trekking with between 50 to 100 + other tourists from all the other tour operators who, of course, all claim to be independent but are staying at the same old hotels and doing the same old trek ???

The other thing we disagree with is that during the warmer months (& there's plenty of those) it's simply too hot.  Trekking for 6 to 12 km's in 35 - 45 degree heat is for most people more of an ordeal than a pleasant trek.

We chose the hotel on Cat Ba for the same reason that we choose every hotel we use: Location, location and location, good facilities and last, but not least, good staff.  You'll be staying at one of the newer resort style hotels & not one of the same, same, tired old mini hotels that dot the waterfront at Cat Ba harbour.  The trek thing is still available for the die-hards, but our guests have been very happy with the slower pace and our interesting, alternative Cat Ba tour.

After a beautiful drive to the hinterlands of Cat Ba we go on a small (but safe) boat to visit some caves that are rarely seen by any tourists.  

Afterwards we take another boat over to Monkey Island for some swimming on a beautiful deserted beach and to say G'day to the locals.  We have a picnic lunch on the boat and spend the afternoon swimming, exploring, or just relaxing. 
 
Some pics of Cat Ba & Monkey Islands, the hotel on Cat Ba we stay in, as well as various other stuff we do over there !
 

           

           

                                

               

           

           

Home The Griswalds Travel Services & Tips Vietnam Tours Maps of Vietnam Spectacular photos of Vietnam Happy Campers Links Kangaroo Cafe Thumbnails of Other Vietnam Photos

 

For more information, or to arrange your vacation,   

Email: kangaroo@kangaroocafe.com

Griswald's Vietnamese Vacations ®

& our REAL Kangaroo Café ®

P.O. Box 501, Leichhardt N.S.W. 2040 Australia

Phone from inside Aust: (02) 9430 6426

OR - from outside Aust: +612 9430 6426

Phone from inside Viet Nam: (04) 3828 9931

Or - from outside Viet Nam: +844 3828 9931

Or -  call on Maxies Mobile: +84 913 506 223

Note:  When we're busy on another call or whatever, please feel free to leave your message with a real person, working in Australia, for an Australian Company (rare these days) & we'll get back to you ASAP.

Australian Company Registration Number: 107 709 384 

Aust Govt Travel Agents Licence Number (your international protection): 2TA5568

Doing business with companies over the internet still makes some people, understandably, nervous.  Only Licensed Australian Travel Agents, like us, are eligible to be members of the Travel Compensation Fund.  It's run by the Government Dept of Fair Trading & is something only real travel agents can offer.
 
This page was last updated on  13/12/11