I booked a 4-night stay at this hotel based on Trip Advisor reviews. The $15/night price for a sea-view room seemed reasonable, until I arrived in Cat Ba and similar accomodations were going for $6. When I checked in, the sour-faced and sullen receptionist wanted to charge me an additional $2 for breakfast, which I had thought was included. She got the owner on the phone and he literally yelled at me for several minutes, saying I was pretending not to understand (when I told him I didn't understand why he was so angry). He later arrived and was still yelling, but finally calmed down, apologized, and included breakfast in the $15. The next day, I met some people staying at Duc Tuan who were paying $8. When I asked the receptionist about it, she got the owner on the phone again (no one besides him is comfortable speaking English, apparently). He again started yelling and told me to move out the next day if I didn't want to pay $15. The receptionist hung up and told me I'm a bad person. I left that miserable place the next day and moved into a sea-view room at Phuong Mai down the street for $6 per night. Duc Tuan, I don't know why everyone there is so unhappy, but I wouldn't wish your "service" on the annoying backpacker kids on the overnight bus.

As far as value for money goes duc tuan is tops. Sure breakfast was not copious but at the price of room didnt expect more. Sure the staff are not smiling a lot but they are really helpful and compared with the pushiness of other restaurants I quite liked the reverse psychology of duc tuan. You eat there if you wanted and if no one came they just closed early. The food is actually as good as any of the hotels in cat ba town. Yes the staff are a little oddball but I think that kind of made the place v human. They ll arrange anything for. Thoroughly recommended

Mostly this was a good hotel, but maybe you can do better? Nice rooms, good noodle breakfast, good location, and only $17. Problem is that you get a slightly disfunctional family with that price. The female is not very easy to talk with and there is some mad screaming from time to time. The man is helpful and charming, but it usually takes two to tango.

The welcoming is not at all friendly compared to what we have experienced in Vietnam.
Rooms are ok, spacious, bathroom is average but clean. We asked them to clean the room and when we came back they only cleaned the WC..
Mattress is hard and linen is cheap but clean. Breakfast is small, you can only choose 1 item and 1 drink.
We booked a tour in Ha Lond bay with them which was OK and I believed it is the same tour each hotel is proposing in Cat Ba.