Looking for an unforgettable adventure in Vietnam? Halong Bay is an absolute must-see in Vietnam! Getting from Hanoi to Halong Bay is a breeze with a quick bus ride. Hanoi itself is the perfect hub for exploring Northern Vietnam, with day trips to Sapa, Halong Bay, and Ninh Binh all within reach. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Halong Bay is truly one-of-a-kind.
Here’s the tl;dr: traveling from Hanoi to Halong Bay is a great addition to your Vietnam itinerary. Select a one or two night cruise with a reputable tour company and they will handle the actual transport from Hanoi to Halong Bay. Consider looking into Bai Tu Long Bay routes.
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Hanoi to Halong Bay
Halong Bay is home to over 1,600 towering monolithic limestone islands that are densely clustered and look like something straight out of a fantasy novel. In Vietnamese “Ha Long” translates to “descending dragon,” as according to Vietnamese tradition dragons were sent by the gods to help the local people defend against hostile invaders. Research shows that prehistoric human beings inhabited the area tens of thousands of years ago, and visitors can actually enter prehistoric caves where people dwelled.
Hanoi is a bustling and busy city. It is wonderful, cultural, and full of delicious foods. And it is very chaotic.
And while I think it’s chaotic in a good and exciting way, you may want a break from city life. Heading from Hanoi to Halong Bay is a perfect break-up of the chaos, especially if you plan to spend a couple of days in the city or are on a 10 day trip through Northern Vietnam.
You have a few options in planning your trip from Hanoi to Halong or Bai Tu Long Bay. The first option is to spend the time researching tour guides ahead of your Vietnam vacation and scour online review sites to try to make the best selection. Spoiler alert – a lot of companies have very similar options, so try not to lose sleep combing through dozens to find different routes. I linked what I feel are the best ones below. By going this route and pre-booking, you may get a discount if you book a couple months in advance.
The second option to plan your trip from Hanoi to Halong Bay is to work with either your hotel in Hanoi to book a cruise or to work with any of the travel guides with offices stationed around Hanoi. In most hotels in Hanoi, there is a concierge who is available to help book day tours for you, including to Halong or Bai Tu Long Bay. These are going to vary in price and may feel like there’s no transparency as you don’t really have the ability to shop around on prices or know fully how much of a cut the hotel is getting.
Booking your trip from Hanoi to Halong Bay while in Vietnam is likely a fine option for those looking for just a one night cheap cruise and aren’t picky. If you’re not concerned about getting a particularly luxurious cruise or a specific route, you could end up getting better prices than if you pre-booked, as the cruise operators may try to fill spots and may drop prices to do so. You could also find that cruises are fully booked and have little to no availability, so it’s a gamble.
While I am a Basic Economy B who loves a deal, I am also a type-A planner who doesn’t like taking chances. So we pre-booked a couple months before our cruise. More on the options we looked at below.
Choosing between a day cruise, a 1 night cruise, or a 2 night cruise will depend on how much time you have in your Vietnam itinerary.
How Far is Halong Bay from Hanoi?
It takes about 4 hours to get from Hanoi to Halong Bay, so I’m going to give a resounding no to choosing a day cruise.
With a single day trip, you’re going to be driving 8 hours in one day, and you’re realistically barely going to get far enough away from the harbor to lose sight of the shore. And the further you get away from the harbor, the less you see the large industrial ships that are using the bays for transporting of metals, rock, and other material. Nothing against industry, it’s just not my favorite vibe on vacation.
If you have 3 days total in Vietnam and you’re on a whirlwind tour of southeast Asia, you can do a day tour from Hanoi to Halong Bay, but only if your heart is absolutely set on it. Otherwise just spend the day exploring Hanoi and taking in the street food scene (I assure you, any food you have on a cruise will not be as good).
Additionally, my perception of Hanoi to Halong Bay day trips is that they’re more geared towards the younger partying crowd. That may not actually be true, but if you look at the itineraries, you can definitely piece together that some cruises are intent on making sure you have a lit time and are consuming copious amounts of alcohol. The 1-2 day cruises also will have some mean happy hour deals, don’t get me wrong, but they’re likely to be more lowkey.
Why Halong Bay is One of the Best Places to Visit in Vietnam:
The choice between the 1 night cruise and 2 night cruise options is also going to be somewhat dependent on your Vietnam itinerary, as well as what you’re interested in. If you want a little extra time to relax and be in nature, go with the 2 night cruise. If you’re short on time or would rather squeeze in a trip to Sapa or just continue to experience the rich culture of Hanoi, go with the 1 night cruise.
With the 1 night option, most tours are going to follow this schedule:
- Pick up from your Hanoi hotel around 8am.
- Stop for a restroom break at an art gallery 90 minutes into the trip and arrive at the ferry terminal around 11:30am.
- You’ll likely be on your boat and starting your cruise around 12:30pm. You’ll have lunch and afterwards likely stop at a cave or do some kayaking.
- In the evening you’ll have happy hour, dinner, and some activities following dinner.
- In the following morning, you’ll have the option to do Tai Chi on the deck of the boat and then visit a cave or fishing village.
- Then you’ll have an early lunch while the cruise heads back to the harbor.
- You’ll likely be off the boat by around 10:30-11am and headed back to Hanoi shortly after. Most cruises will have you back in Hanoi around 4-5pm.
This 1 night option allows you to really experience Halong or Bai Tu Long Bay before heading back to the bustling streets of Hanoi.
It doesn’t really allow for much down time.
If you’re like me and want a little bit of “vacation” on your trip, the 2 night cruise might be better. This is what we selected and it allowed us more leisure time.
We were able to add massages to our itinerary as well as spend time soaking in the huge tub and bird watching while the towering limestone islands passed by. We were also able to do more kayaking and spend time outside. We saw a second cave on the last morning, though I’m a bit of a claustrophobic girlie and that wasn’t actually a selling point.
In general, the whole pace is much more leisurely – you don’t have to feel like you’re missing out on one of the activities offered as you’ll likely have the chance the next day. Case in point, the first morning we definitely slept through the early morning Tai Chi, but the second morning we got our little butts out of bed and had the chance to enjoy that experience. And when we booked our massages over squid fishing on the first night, we were able to enjoy it on the second night.
In both instances, if you’re returning to the same hotel you left from, your hotel will likely be able to hold your larger suitcases if you just want to take a smaller day bag. We actually ran into other travelers whose cruiser operator made them leave their larger bags with the hotel (be warned: they were concerned about them just being left in the open of the lobby for how many hours, if this makes you nervous consider the small investment of a travel lock – my favorite one is on Amazon here). We just had our trusty carry-on suitcases and actually went back to a different hotel, so we did not do this.
Bai Tu Long Bay is an Excellent Place to Visit in Vietnam
Finally, if you’re sold that your Vietnam trip itinerary should include a trip from Hanoi to Halong Bay, you should consider looking at options that cruise to Bai Tu Long Bay. This may be a better option for those who select a 2-night cruise, as it’s a little further from the Halong Bay ferry terminal (where all of the cruises are going to leave from).
Bai Tu Long is really just another part of Halong Bay, but is generally considered cleaner and less polluted. Our cruise route spent time in Halong Bay on the way to Bai Tu Long, and the levels of garbage in the water in Halong Bay was pretty sad to look at. Whereas I happily swam in the waters of Bai Tu Long and watched all of the soaring black kites (where my fellow birders at?), I likely would not have gotten in the water in Halong Bay.
Day Trip from Hanoi to Halong Bay Cruise Options:
See my note above on how I’d recommend Bai Tu Long 1 night cruises instead of a day trip.
- 1 Day Cruise option out of Hanoi that is $50 per person. Come ready to party!
- Or this cheaper 1 Day Cruise option at $28 per person.
2 Day 1 Night Halong/ Bai Tu Long Bay Cruises
- 2 Day 1 Night Bai Tu Long Bay option for a 2 Day 1 Night trip. $137 per person. This is a luxury cruise option and is a great value at the price. This is the company we used, and the staff was fantastic.
- 2 Day 1 Night Halong Bay cruise option that is $160 per person.
3 Day 2 Nights Halong/Bai Tu Long Bay Cruises
- 3 Day 2 Night Bai Tu Long Bay luxury cruise option that is $295 per person. This is the option we splurged on (definitely get a room with a balcony) and would highly recommend.
How to get from Hanoi to Halong Boy:
With any of the options above, your best bet to get to Halong Bay is going to be to book a hotel pickup with your tour company from Hanoi. These are either included in the cost or will range from $25-$40 per person depending on the level of luxury the cruise is advertising (all of them are going to be pretty similar vehicles tbh).
When booking this option ahead of time or with your hotel, make sure to specify that you want to add a “transfer” as some people are coming as part of organized tours where their transport is pre-arranged and the cruise companies do not automatically assume you’ll need a transfer.
We found the transfer from Hanoi to Halong process to be very slick. We were picked up in our lobby, and when we arrived at the terminal our guide was waiting for us when the doors of our bus opened and took us exactly where we needed to go to get on our boat and set sail. There’s a time and place for navigating chaos and figuring out public transit in a new city, and there’s a time and place for letting someone take you exactly where you need to be. This is the latter, in my opinion.
Overall, I firmly believe that Halong Bay is one of the best places to visit in Vietnam and should absolutely make your Vietnam itinerary. Vietnam is a budget traveler’s delight, and I recommend taking advantage of the low costs you’ll see everywhere in the country and splurge a little on a 1-2 night cruise in Halong or Bai Tu Long Bay.
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