Short answerA Halong Bay cruise costs about $42 per person for a day cruise, about $153 for one night on board and from $231 for three days, among cruises with 50 reviews or more. The bay entrance fee is included almost everywhere; the Hanoi transfer, drinks, single cabins and holiday dates usually are not.
$153the typical price for one night on board, per person
How Much Do Halong Bay Cruise Tickets Cost by Length
Day cruiseAmong day cruises with 50+ reviews~$41.5$29–$58 per person
One nightAmong one-night cruises with 50+ reviews~$153$103–$343 per person
One night, $200+ cabinsBalcony and bathtub cabinsfrom $203$203–$343 per person
Three daysAmong three-day trips with 50+ reviewsfrom $231$231–$427 per person
$0$100$200$300$400
Private boatper group · off this scalefrom $740per group
Lowest price for a departure about ten days ahead, checked 27 Sep 2026. Dot = typical price.
The bars cover cruises with 50 reviews or more; the dot is the typical price. Below them, a whole private boat is priced per group, from $740. Our prices are the lowest price for one adult on a departure on 7 October, about ten days ahead, checked on 27 September 2026. GetYourGuide's headline “from” is the lowest price it finds on any date, often a date months away or a promotion, so the two can differ in either direction.
Halong Bay Cruise Price for a Day, One Night and Three Days
A day cruise costs $29 to $58; the lowest prices are the Lan Ha boats from Cat Ba. On the boats from Hanoi most of the difference is the boat and the lunch: a set menu on the cheaper boats, a buffet and a jacuzzi on the luxury ones. The route, Sung Sot Cave, Luon Cave and Ti Top Island, is almost the same, and so is the time on the water, about 5 to 7 hours.
One night on board costs $103 to $343, typically $153. At that price you get a balcony cabin on a 5-star ship, all meals, kayaking and about 23 hours on the water out of 31. Above $200 you pay for a larger cabin with a bathtub by the window, not for more of the bay.
Three-day trips cost $231 to $427. Check the nights: only 12 of the 28 we compare spend both nights on the ship; 14 put the first night in a Ninh Binh hotel, and 2 sell either two or three days.
Halong Bay Boat Tour Price: What the Ticket Includes
Every price we compare includes the boat, a guide on board and the meals of the itinerary: lunch on a day cruise, lunch, dinner and breakfast on one night. It also includes the kayak or bamboo boat at the cave stops and, on almost every listing, the bay entrance and sightseeing fees.
Day routes, entrance fee250,000 VND
Sung Sot, Ti Top and Luon, or Thien Cung and Dau Go
One night, route 2550,000 VND
Included in the cruise price almost everywhere
Two nights, route 2750,000 VND
Set by the province of Quang Ninh
Hanoi transfer, overnight$25
Per person, shared limousine, both ways
Single cabin$45–$180
Per cabin, on the listings that state it
Cash fee on one day boat310,000 VND
Sunset Party day cruise, paid before check-in
The fees are set by Quang Ninh province under Decision 4278/2016, with new routes added from 1 May 2025. The one listing we found that leaves them out, the Sunset Party day cruise, says so plainly and asks for cash at the pier; the kayak there is another 50,000 VND per person.
The price per person is the start. These are the extras on the listings we read, with the amounts the operators state.
Hanoi transfer
$25 per person on the most booked one-night ship and on four other ships we read; $30 on Renea. Most day cruises include it.
Single supplement
$45 to $180 for a cabin to yourself; $90 on the most booked one-night ship.
Drinks
Extra on every boat we read beyond a welcome drink and water; one three-day ship runs a buy-two-get-one happy hour.
Holiday dates
Christmas, New Year and Tet: $40 per person for the gala dinner on one ship, $18 or $38 on others, 200,000 VND per adult on the Iris day cruise.
Peak season
$10 to $20 per person from 1 October to 30 April on some ships, and $25 VAT on one three-day cruise.
Cabin upgrades
A senior suite +$10, a VIP cabin +$65 or a president suite +$110 per person on one 5-star ship; an executive suite +$130 on another.
Tips for the guide and crew, travel insurance, spa treatments and a speedboat at Luon Cave are extra on the listings we read. Some listings now include taxes and insurance; the most booked one-night ship includes taxes for bookings made from 26 June 2026.
The cheapest days on the water with a solid record start on Cat Ba Island: 8 Lan Ha day boats with 100 reviews or more cost $30 to $49. The most reviewed, a full day in Lan Ha and Ha Long Bay with cycling, kayaking and lunch, costs $30, ★4.9 from 1,646 reviews, with about 7 hours on the water out of 9. The catch is getting to Cat Ba first.
From Hanoi, the most booked day cruise costs $39 with pickup in the Old Quarter, and the luxury one with a buffet $43. For a night, the cheapest cruise with 50 reviews or more costs $103 per person; the Lan Ha cruise from Ninh Binh costs $124 with a standard cabin and a group of at most 20. None of the 52 one-night cruises on this site costs less.
Book a day cruise instead of a night if the budget is tight: the route is the same, the time on the water is a quarter
Travel from Cat Ba: the boat starts at the pier, not after 2.5 hours on the road
Avoid Tet, Christmas and New Year, when surcharges apply
Share a cabin: a solo traveller pays the single supplement on top
Pickup: Ninh Binh · transfer $12–15 each way extra
No cruise matches this choice.
Why the number moves
The Listed Price and the Price at Checkout
The prices on this site are for one adult on a departure on 7 October 2026, about ten days after we checked them on 27 September 2026: the lowest option that day, so a price you could book for a trip soon. GetYourGuide's headline from-price is the lowest across all dates and options, which is often a date months away or a promotion, and it can be higher or lower than ours.
The calendar then prices your date, your cabin and your party, and adds the transfer if you pick it. Promotions and seasons move the price from one date to the next, and holiday dates cost more. On a private boat the price is per group, and some listings show it for one guest.
On GetYourGuide, among cruises with 50 reviews or more, a day cruise costs $29 to $58 per person, typically about $42; one night on board $103 to $343, typically $153; and three days $231 to $427. Add $25 per person for the Hanoi transfer on most overnight cruises, and a single supplement if you travel alone.
is the halong bay entrance fee included in the cruise price?
On almost every cruise we compare, yes: the listing includes entrance and sightseeing fees. The province sets them at 250,000 VND for the day routes and 550,000 VND for one night on route 2. One exception we found: the Sunset Party day cruise asks for 310,000 VND in cash before check-in, about $12.50 per person.
how much does the transfer from hanoi cost?
Most day cruises include it. On overnight cruises it is often sold separately: $25 per person for the shared limousine on the most booked one-night and three-day ships, and $30 on Renea. It runs Hanoi to the pier and back, and on many listings can start or end in Ninh Binh instead.
why is the price at checkout different from the listing?
Our prices are for one adult on a departure on 7 October, checked 27 September. GetYourGuide's headline from-price is the lowest on any date, often a far-off one or a promotion. Checkout prices your own date and adds your cabin type, the transfer if you choose it and any single supplement; some operators collect peak-season or holiday surcharges on the day. Prices move with promotions, so today's figure may differ tomorrow.
are there surcharges on holidays?
Yes, on most cruises. Christmas Eve, New Year's Eve, Tet and the national holidays of 30 April and 2 September carry a surcharge: $40 per person for the gala dinner on one 5-star ship, $18 on another, $38 on Renea and 200,000 VND per adult on the Iris day cruise. Some ships add a peak-season charge of $10 to $20 per person from 1 October to 30 April.
what is the cheapest halong bay cruise?
The cheapest full days with a solid record are the Lan Ha day boats from Cat Ba: 8 with 100 reviews or more cost $30 to $49. The most reviewed, with biking, kayaking and lunch, costs $30, ★4.9 from 1,646 reviews. From Hanoi, the most booked day cruise costs $39 with pickup. The cheapest night on board with 50 reviews or more is $103 per person.
do children pay less on a halong bay cruise?
Usually, by year of birth. On the listings we read, one child aged 0 to 4 stays free in the parents' cabin, a second child of that age pays 50% of the adult price, and children of 5 to 10 pay 75% on one three-day ship. From 11 a child pays the adult price and gets a bed. Rules differ by ship, so check the listing.
