Hanoi 3-Day Ninh Binh, Ha Long & Lan Ha Bay 5-Star Cruise – Itinerary, Prices and What's Included

Read this before you book

Two Nights, but Only One on the Cruise

The title says a 3-day cruise, and many guests assume two nights at sea. The listing is clear once you read it: night 1 is on land in Tam Coc, night 2 is on the ship.

That is not a flaw in itself. Ninh Binh lies south of Hanoi, about 3.5 hours by road from Ha Long, and this trip saves you from organising that drive and the land day separately. But you get about 23 hours on the water, the same as a one-night cruise, spread over roughly 55 hours from pickup to drop-off by our estimate.

One reviewer says it plainly: they booked it thinking it was two nights on the cruise. If both nights on the water are what you want, the well-reviewed three-day trips with two nights aboard start from $279 and are listed on our three-day page.

1. Day 1Pickup in the Hanoi Old Quarter, drive to Ninh Binh
2. MorningHoa Lu, the 10th-century capital, and its king temples; optional bike ride
3. AfternoonWooden boat through Trang An, climb to Mua Caves for the view over Tam Coc
4. Night 1Tam Coc Little Charm villa, hotel or bungalow
5. Day 2Early breakfast, limousine bus to Ha Long Bay, check in on the ship
6. AfternoonLunch past Con Vit and Thumb Islets, Ba Trai Dao Beach or the Dark & Bright Cave
7. Night 2Sunset tea, spring-roll cooking class, dinner, squid fishing
8. Day 3Tai chi, breakfast, kayak at Ao Ech or Trung Trang Cave on Cat Ba
9. 15:00Lunch on board, speedboat to Tuan Chau, drop-off in the Old Quarter

Day 2 and 3 on the water

The Cruise Night and the Balcony Cabin

After an early breakfast in Tam Coc, the bus drives to Ha Long Bay. You check in on the ship and have lunch as it sails past Con Vit Islet and Thumb Islet, through Gia Luan Harbour and into Lan Ha Bay, the quieter southern part of the archipelago.

The afternoon stop depends on the weather: kayaking or a swim at Ba Trai Dao Beach, or the Dark and Bright Cave. At sunset there is tea and coffee on deck and a cooking demonstration of Vietnamese spring rolls, then dinner, the panoramic bar, board games, a film or squid fishing.

Every cabin sold on this listing is a private balcony cabin with a bathtub, and the ship has a pool or jacuzzi. Day 3 starts with tai chi on deck and a light breakfast, then either kayaking and swimming at Ao Ech or a visit to Trung Trang Cave on Cat Ba Island. Lunch is served as the ship returns to Tuan Chau, a speedboat takes you ashore, and the bus reaches the Old Quarter at around 15:00.