Halong Bay is a must see destination in Vietnam to welcome million tourists every year. If you area having some troubles in finding your right Halong Bay overnight cruise, this little travel guide with updated information for 2018 is for you.
General Information
Halong Bay locates in the Northeast of Vietnam, in Quang Ninh province, 160 km from Hanoi capital. The bay is a system of legendary islands covering over 1969 islets with water body. It consists of two types; Limestone & Slabs which made the marvelous landscape of Halong Bay, dotted many sandy beaches and caves, about 40 caves and grottos are discovered, 20 of them are opened for tourists.
Visitors coming to Halong Bay includes both domestic tourists and international toutists. The domestic tourists prefer to visit Halong bay in summer by the combo hotel stay and day boat (4 hours) cruising on the bay. For the international tourists (mostly from English speaking countries), they prefer to stay on an overnight cruise, get to the less crowded part on the bay and enjoy activities: kayaking, cave visiting, floating villages, BBQ on the beach… There are now more than 500 cruising boats on Halong Bay in which more than 200 boats offers overnight cruise service, most of them are wooden boat ( 1 – 20 cabins/boat) added by the new iron made boats which provide more accommodation choice ( 18 – 30 cabins/ boat)
- Domestic and Asian tourists prefer to enjoy Halong Bay on a day cruise ( 4 – 8 hours) and stay at hotel in harbor
- Western tourists prefers to explore Halong Bay on overnight cruise (1 night, 2 nights…)
In summer, there would be possibility for cruise cancellation by weather condition, check out Possible Scenarios and Refund Policy.
The best time to visit Halong bay is spring (March, April, May) and fall (September, October), the weather is cool to enjoy outdoor activities and less tropical storms…
How to get to Halong Bay
Airport near Halong Bay
- Noi Bai Airport (Hanoi Airport): 165km to Halong Bay, 3,5 hour transfer by cars
- Cat Bi Airport (Hai Phong Airport): 70km to Halong Bay, 2 hours driving time
- There is another international Airport building in Van Don (50 km from Halong Bay) but it is expected to operate at the end of 2018 only.
Most tourists get to Halong Bay from Hanoi, the destination hub but there are many others visit Halong Bay from Ninh Binh or Hai Phong…
