Ready to cruise Ha Long Bay? When you think of a bay, you probably imagine a confined cozy body of water – Ha Long Bay is the furthest thing from that. Meaning the descending dragon, Ha Long Bay is a chain of 1600 islets, or small islands. It’s one of Vietnam’s top tourist attractions, and understandably so. Located in northeastern Vietnam, the bays are a tourist magnet, bringing in millions of visitors every year. While you plan your visit to Vietnam, consider visiting its stunning Sa Pa region.

Like any popular attraction, there are many ways to visit and enjoy everything Ha Long Bay has to offer. Your four options are: a daytrip on a junk boat, a daytrip on a luxury boat, an overnight cruise, or an independent “do it yourself” tour. We’ll explain what each of these tours offers and how to pick the best option for you.

How to get to Ha Long Bay

Most cruises will include transfer from Hanoi’s Old Quarter to Ha Long Bay & back. As you reach the cruise port, formally known as the Tuan Chau Marina Pier, you’ll quickly realize how popular these tours are. The pier is packed with dozens of boats and cruises ready to set sail. Both cruises and small boat tours run on a strict schedule, so if you opt to reach the pier on your own, make sure you arrive at least 45 minutes to the departure time. If you’d rather “do it yourself,” here are recommended bus routes that can take you from Hanoi to the pier.

Lays of the Islands

Ha Long Bay belongs to a larger zone which includes Bai Tu Long Bay and Cát Bà Island, all of which have gone through over 500 million years of formation. Within the bays, a community of 1,600 people lives in fishing villages: Cua Van, Ba Hang, Cong Tau and Vong Vieng. The locals live on floating boats, which serve multiple purposes. Firstly, they are living quarters. Typically each family lives on a private boat. Secondly, the boats are their source of income since they are used as fishing docks and later on for transporting and selling goods. In fact, as the cruises anchor for daily activities, some of the locals will swim up with their fishing boats and sell snacks and drinks to visitors. Depending on which tour you choose, you may get the chance to visit a local fishing village and learn more about their livelihood. In 1994, Ha Long Bay was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Then there’s of course the historical legend. It is said that long ago when Vietnam was newly formed, locals had to fight against invaders coming from the north. Mythical gods then sent a Mother Dragon to support the Vietnamese people in fighting their enemies. As the dragons descended into the water, they spat jewels of emerald and jade that transformed into great islands upon hitting the surface. Literally translated as the ‘Descending Dragon Bay,’ the formation that is Ha Long Bay is known as the great Mother Dragon.

Ha Long Bay is perhaps the most notable name for the region, but the truth is there are thousands of clusters of caves, bays and islets with their own authenticity, history and mesmerizing views. We’ll do our best to breakdown our trip itinerary, but the area is vast and hardly any tour will cover everything. This interactive map gives you an excellent grasp of the scope of the region and highlights all the must see attractions.

Ha Long Bay Excursions

In our humble opinion, the best way to explore Ha Long Bay is an overnight cruise. Nothing beats waking up and being completely surrounded by lush islets. Each cruise line will offer different itineraries and activities on-board and at sea, so make sure to look into what’s included.

Within Ha Long Bay is the famous Lan Ha Bay – both belonging to the great Cat Ba area. With a similar seascape of limestone pillars and green covered mountains in the water, Lan Ha Bay is known for being more tranquil than Ha Long. There you can enjoy its sandy beaches and pristine waters; this is also where many water activities take place – most notably kayaking. Note that multi-day cruise trips typically stay overnight at Cat Ba Island.

As you cruise through Lan Ha, you’ll get the opportunity to enjoy an excursion to Luon Cave. The arched entrance to the grotto will lead you to a labyrinth of channels and canals through the caves. At first, it’ll look like people are just disappearing into the mountain as the tunnel space is quite small. Take it from us and follow along, and you’ll reach an enclosed lake surrounded by even more picturesque mountains. Not just that, the best part of this excursion is that this is a known habitat for monkeys. Our guide helped us spot them as they swung from one formation to the other.

Our cruise itinerary included a magnificent trip to King Kong’s Skull Island. Despite there being no giant gorilla, the island visit was glorious. Visitors reach the island via authentic bamboo boats rowed by locals.

On-Board Activities 

Of course, you can’t beat the overwhelming views throughout Ha Long Bay, but the sun does set eventually, and you will be surrounded by clear dark skies. Almost all overnight cruises offer on-board activities in the evening. They range from authentic Vietnamese cooking classes, dance parties, and morning Tai-Chi and yoga classes on the sundecks. We must admit, thanks to our experienced chefs, we have perfected making spring rolls from scratch!

These are only a handful of activities within a sea of endless opportunities and excursions available in Ha Long Bay. It all comes down to picking the best Ha Long Bay Tour that offers the most comprehensive itinerary of activities and sightseeing. Now that you’ve read about highlights of visiting Ha Long Bay, it’s time to choose the most suitable tour. We’ve done the research for you and picked out what we think are the best tours.

For the best overnight cruise options, we recommend sticking to Doris Cruise, Paradise Elegance, or Majestic Legend.

Remember that Ha Long Bay is a few hours from Hanoi, so you will be spending a chunk of your day in transit. However, if you’re short on time or still prefer to do a daytrip boat tour, we suggest the following: Monkey Island + Caves + Fishing Villages, the Dragonfly Cruise which includes a cave visit and kayaking, or a more relaxed tour of just the bays and caves. All of these options include transfer and lunch. Don’t be afraid of trying out a junk boat cruise. It’s merely a way to differentiate between the larger boats and the smaller ones.

There you have it – a glimpse of what to expect when visiting Ha Long Bay and the surrounding area in Vietnam. For more travel tips throughout Vietnam, check out our guides here.

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