Halong Bay Day Cruise – Which Day Trip from Hanoi to Book

Every day cruise we compare includes lunch on board; it is served as the boat leaves the pier, around 11:30 to 12:30. The cheaper boats serve a Vietnamese set menu of eight to ten shared dishes, seafood included; the luxury boats serve a buffet. Vegetarian lunches are available on request on most listings. Drinks with lunch are extra everywhere, and plastic bottles are not allowed on the boats.

That is the standard day cruise: lunch on board, Sung Sot Cave, an hour at Luon Cave by kayak or bamboo boat, then a swim or a climb at Ti Top Island. The most booked one is the Hanoi day cruise with swimming, meal and kayaking, from $39 with pickup in the Old Quarter. Kayaks take two people; the bamboo boat is the choice for young children and anyone who would rather not paddle.

There is no day cruise that leaves at sunrise: boats from Tuan Chau board from about 11:00, after the drive from Hanoi. To see sunrise on the bay you need a night on board. One-night cruises anchor in a quiet part of the bay, and most start the second day with tai chi on the sundeck at about 6:00, before breakfast.

About 13 hours door to door from the Hanoi Old Quarter: pickup between 7:10 and 8:20, about 6 hours on the water, and back in Hanoi between 19:00 and 21:30. Of the itineraries we checked, the time on the boat ranges from 4.5 to 7.5 hours. Boats from the Ha Long piers without the Hanoi transfer run 4 to 6 hours.

Enough to see the three classic stops, Sung Sot Cave, Luon Cave and Ti Top Island, which are the same on almost every day boat. It is not enough to see the bay empty: every day boat is there at the same hours. If you can give it a night, the overnight cruise gives about 23 hours on the water for the same 5 hours of road.

Drinks on board, tips for the guide and driver, travel insurance, the speedboat ride at Luon Cave where it is offered, and holiday surcharges around Tet, Christmas and New Year. The bay entrance fee, the cave tickets, the kayak or bamboo boat and lunch are included in the listings we compare; check the listing for the Hanoi transfer, which some options sell separately.

It depends on the boat. On the luxury day cruise with buffet lunch, children may kayak only if they are over 10 years old and taller than 130 cm, with a parent; adults must weigh under 100 kg. Younger children take the bamboo boat through Luon Cave with a local rower, which is included in the price.

When a storm warning is issued, the Quang Ninh port authority stops issuing departure permits and no tourist boat leaves; the cruise is cancelled and refunded. Most listings also allow free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure. From late May to early November, check the forecast the evening before and keep a spare day in Hanoi if you can.