Halong Bay Tours - How to plan your trip?

A mystical Halong Bay is a natural wonderland where thousands of karst islands rise like fangs of the giant dragon from glistening emerald waters. Coated by clinging vines and lush vegetation, the labyrinth of islands hides many caves, small grottos and secret white sanded beaches. The name “Halong” stands for “where the dragon descends into the sea”. As the legends says the family of dragons were sent from the heavens to protect the bay from a fleet of Northern invaders, spitting out jewels to form the defensive wall of islands. Enchanted by the peace and beauty of the region, the dragons decided to make Halong their home, resting for all eternity in the warm waters of the Gulf of Tonkin. UNESCO was equally as captivated by Halong as the bay’s founding dragons and named it a World Heritage Site in 1994. Now Halong Bay is one of Vietnam’s premier travel destinations, attracting visitors from around the world, who set sails on traditional junk cruises to discover this magical aquatic landscape.

How to get there?

*Shuttle Bus

Shuttle bus is a popular and convenient option for tourists to get to Halong Bay from Hanoi. It is usually small high-quality bus including Ford Transit, Limousine Bus which have from 9 to 16 seats. Although traveling by bus is less comfortable than by private car, it is faster and cheaper. It will take about 4 hours including a 15-minute break. Shuttle bus has some advanced services such as wifi and drink water on the bus. The price of ticket is around 10-20USD/ one-way/ per person. In case you already booked a cruise package in Halong Bay, you must not worry about the transfer anymore because you will be picked up and dropped off by the cruise’s shuttle bus which is quite safe and comfortable.

*Private Car

If you want more private and comfortable, you can hire a private car with or without a driver from Hanoi to Halong. There are a lot of agencies providing this service with price from 90-110USD for round trip including parking fee, tolls, petrol, driver. This option is much higher quality than shuttle bus but you freely stop and relax whenever you want and don’t need to follow any schedule or wait to pick up others in different hotels in town.

*Flight from Hanoi to Halong

For something special, taking a flight to reach Halong Bay is the best. There is currently only one company, Hai Au Aviation,  offering direct flights from Hanoi to Halong. Each seaplane is capable of accommodating 12 passengers and two experienced pilots, flies at the low altitude below 1,500m. The seaplane departs daily with two flights from Noi Bai International Airport (Hanoi) and lands at Tuan Chau Marina, a 45-minute flight instead of 2 hours by road. Before landing, you will have an additional 15-minute scenic flight to admire the panoramic beauty of Halong Bay from bird-eyes. This is a perfectly memorable, fun-filled and luxurious trip with price from 270 USD per person.

Duration of stay

Tourists can spend a few days to explore a UNESCO World Heritage Site - Halong Bay since its attractions are extremely numerous. There are also a wide variety of trips available, including day trip from Hanoi to Halong Bay. This may be rushed and most people choose 2-day 1-night tour or 3-day 2-night tour with the night spent at sea.

Accommodation

*Overnight on Halong Bay Cruise

The best way to admire the magical scene of Halong Bay is to take a Halong Bay cruise trip. You can choose a budget cruise, midrange cruise or luxury cruise that depends on your budget and travel style. The price for one night on the cruise is from 230USD (3-star cruise) up to 700USD (top luxury cruise). There, you will be guided by the experience tour guide who speaks English very well, understand the history of destinations and be explained your questions.

*Overnight at hotel/ resort in Halong

If you do not want overnight on the cruise, there are a lot of hotels and resorts from decent to luxury for you to choose. The price is around 50USD – 120USD per night with modern facilities and excellent services. For those who have a tight budget, some normal hotels with the price of 20-30USD will be the best choice.

Food

Favored with the gifts of Mother Nature, Halong is famous for its variety of day catch fresh and delicious seafood like crab, prawn, squid, and snail as well as plenty of Vietnamese traditional foods. Traveling to Halong Bay without taste wild wonders of cuisines there would be a shame. Some famous dishes you should not miss are squid sausage, horseshoe crab, seafood, sea snails, “banh gat gu” and etc. You can easily find these delicious dishes anywhere from street food vendors and seafood restaurants in Halong.

What to do in Halong Bay?

Halong Bay has so much more to offer than just the scenery and sights. From go kayaking around the myriad of islets and grottos to enjoy a romantic candlelit dinner in a cave, there are always some things for you to enjoy while at sea.

*Visiting traditional fishing villages

Fishing villages are among the most special and unique features of the legendary bay. Some well-known villages you can come to experience local life in Halong Bay are Cua Van, Viet Hai, Vung Vieng, and Yen Duc.

Once visiting these floating villages, you can truly immerse yourself in an authentic natural setting with cool and fresh air, blue sky and ocean, and picturesque seascape. You also have a chance to communicate with fishermen and understand more about the local life. The indigenous people here are extremely friendly and sociable. They are willing to guide you how to row a sampan, spread a net, bait a hook…

*Kayaking

One of the best things to do and enjoy the spectacular scenery of Halong Bay is to go kayaking at your own pace. Paddle out to the calmer, less-visited corners of the bay, which the bigger boats cannot access, and explore hidden caves, isolated lagoons, tranquil islands and much more. The emerald calm water with cool countless caves and unique grottoes make Halong Bay a perfect setting for kayaking.

*Exploring hidden caves and grottos

Hidden among the thousands of jungle-covered peaks rising dramatically out of the emerald waters of Halong Bay are illuminated caves and isolated grottos with the precious system of thousands of years old stalagmites and stalactites. Hop on a rowboat and explore these hidden gems for yourself such as the beautiful Thien Cung Cave, Dau Go Cave, Thien Canh Son Cave, Sung Sot Cave and etc.

*Squid fishing

Squid fishing is one of the most interesting evening activities for travelers in Halong Bay. The feeling of dropping net like local fishermen in Halong Bay appeals to tourists’ curiosity. The ideal time for squid fishing is from April to around January of the next year when there are a lot of squids. Normally, during the squid season, it would be common to see large squids hovering around the cruises and some lucky guests may catch 15-20 squids per night.