Honestly, the best bus ride I've had so far has been Mong Cai to Hanoi from 11PM - 6AM. Staff were polite and helpful, and unlike other rides, it was easy to sleep, because the driver wasn't constantly honking. I woke up at 4:30 AM in time for a bathroom break, and the facilities were clean. It's definitely a budget bed, but as a short queen at 159 cm, I was able to fit with my shoes and backpack. USB port works, and with the Viettel 8 gb/day plan, I had plenty to keep me entertained. Water is provided, and the only real negative was a loud auntie on her phone. (not much to do about your neighbours!)

I couldn't enter my foreign number when I tried to book, so I entered a random VN #. The day of travel, they reached out to me by email, so we could communicate by WhatsApp, which I appreciated so much. The instructions to wait for the driver was also good. The bus was clean, I was given a bottle water and a wet towel. Wi-Fi was fast enough. USB charging port was good. The bus made restroom stops every 2 hours or so (2 stops between the airport and Lao cai). I didn't find the toilet onboard, so I panicked a bit, but I appreciated the frequent restroom breaks at the end. I'd appreciated if this was communicated to us in advance. The door to door transfer in Lao cai was great. I'm looking forward to my next trip with s trip.