Everything You Need to Know about Visiting Halong Bay

Halong Bay with its beautiful karst landscape is a UNESCO site, and one of the new Seven Wonders of the World. It's seen by most travellers to Vietnam to be the unmissable place to visit in Vietnam.

Other than all its accolades, it's also really popular because it's a super accessible trip for travellers of all ages, and all fitness levels. You can be as chill or as active as you want!

We're pretty averse to crowded touristy places, and Halong Bay seems to fit that bill. So it is surprising that we've decided to list Halong Bay on our site. But having been to Halong many times to suss it out, we believe that if you choose the right cruise + itinerary, it is still worth a couple of days of your time.

Think of it as a floating retreat - it's not the most adventurous, but it's a pretty relaxing way to spend a couple of days.

Here you can take a 1-3 day cruise around the bay. There are three main routes: the more crowded Halong Bay, and adjacent Lan Ha Bay and Bai Tu Long Bay. All three routes have similar karst landscape views and activities.

The cruises all offer lots of activities - from caves, floating villages, kayaking, hiking, tai chi to cooking. The activities offered on many of the boats tend to be pretty cookie-cutter. However, there are boats that are doing more interesting off-grid itineraries, like cycling on Cat Ba island and trekking mossy forest trails.

If you wish to get the most out of your trip, you should spend at least a night on board the boat. Day trips usually feel quite rushed, as it takes 2-4 hours each way from Hanoi and only leave you with 4-5 hours cruising on the water.

If you have the time, we would recommend doing a 3D2N Halong Bay cruise because that gives you the time to both enjoy the sightseeing and the very nice cruise amenities at the same time. A longer time on the water also allows you to go to further out bays which have fewer people.

Halong Bay is very accessible from Hanoi, with most cruises able to pick you up from Hanoi’s Old Quarter, where most hostels and hotels are located.

From Hanoi to the harbour in Halong city, the journey will take either 2 hours on the expressway, or 4 hours on the non-expressway route.

It depends! Are you looking for the best photography/travel conditions or are you looking to avoid the crowds?

For fewer crowds, go in spring (March to May) as these months are cool and off-peak. Avoid 30th April and 1st May as it's a local Vietnamese holiday. You may get some foggy days in springtime, so it may not be as good for photography.

For the best photos/weather, go in winter (Oct to Dec). However this is peak season, so it'll be crowded and more expensive.

And definitely avoid summer from June to Aug as it gets super hot then, with rainy season in Aug. So you might either become a puddle of sweat or be drenched in the rain!

We hear you. After a while, all the Halong Bay cruises look pretty much the same - they're all nice in the exact same stock-y way, so it's easy to assume that there's no difference between the cruises. But whether or not you think Halong Bay is worthwhile really depends on choosing the right cruise boat!

For a better experience, we'd highly recommend going for a smaller cruise boat (20-30 persons instead of 50-60), and finding a cruise that takes a less-touristed route like Lan Ha Bay or Bai Tu Long Bay. See more tips here!

You won't be able to avoid the crowds entirely, but there are definitely less-crowded parts of the bay that you can visit for a more pleasant experience.

There are actually two other bays nearby (Bai Tu Long Bay and Lan Ha Bay) that are more secluded and look the same as Halong Bay. Both these bays are less crowded because they are further out and fewer cruises go there, making the experience more intimate. So if you want to avoid the crowds, opt for cruises that take these less-touristed routes!

Also try to avoid peak season if you can! (see above)

This is a commonly asked question and the short answer is no, not since the ban on single use plastics in the area.

Previously Halong Bay had a huge rubbish problem, but since Sept 2019, the Vietnamese government has banned single-use plastics. Cruise ships are also making a concerted effort to be environmentally friendly and have replaced plastic bottles with glass ones! 👇So on our last few trips, we saw clear emerald waters without plastics in sight.

Yes, you can swim in the waters as it is quite clean now. Though do take note that if you wish to swim you will have to follow the safety regulations of the area and not all areas are suitable for swimming. Make sure to ask your guide before jumping into the water!