Halong Bay Boat Cruise
A day cruise boat among limestone islands in Ha Long Bay
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Hanoi Ha Long Bay Day Cruise - Swimming, Meal, Kayaking – Times, Price and What's Included

4.8· 13,998 reviews

Yes, if you want the classic loop from Hanoi with the most reviews behind it: 13,998 of them at ★4.82, pickup in the Old Quarter and the three standard stops. No, if you want the most time on the bay: our day pick costs $4 more and gives about an hour more on the water.

$39from, per person
checked 27 Sep 2026
on the water
BayHa LongCabinNo cabinPickupHanoi Old QuarterNightsNo night on board
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Pickup: Hanoi Old Quarter

Short answerThis is the most booked day cruise on GetYourGuide: 13,998 reviews at ★4.82, $39 per person for a departure on 7 October. It is a 13-hour day from the Hanoi Old Quarter with about 5 hours on the water, a seafood lunch on board, Sung Sot Cave, a kayak or bamboo boat at Luon Cave and a swim at Ti Top Island.

≈ 5 hon the water out of 13 from Hanoi
  • Pickup 7:20–8:20 in the Old Quarter
  • Boat from Tuan Chau at 11:30
  • Back in Hanoi by about 21:00

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Options and Prices

The listing sells the same route on two boats, each with or without the Hanoi transfer: a deluxe cruise with a set lunch, or a luxury cruise with a buffet lunch and a jacuzzi. The price shown, $39 per person, is the cheapest combination for a departure on 7 October 2026, checked 27 September 2026; the calendar shows the price of each option for your date.

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What's Included

Included, from the listing

  • Pickup and drop-off in the Hanoi Old Quarter, if you book that option
  • English-speaking guide for the whole trip
  • Ha Long Bay entrance fee and the cave tickets
  • Set-menu lunch on board, vegetarian option available
  • Kayak for two or a bamboo boat at Luon Cave
  • Sung Sot Cave, Ti Top beach and the climb to the viewpoint
  • Sunset party with tea, fruit and light food
  • Mineral water on the bus

Not included

  • Other drinks and meals
  • Speedboat ride at Luon Cave, sold on site
  • New Year surcharge
  • Travel insurance
  • Tips for the guide and driver

Plastic bottlesPlastic bottles are not allowed on the boat. Water is free on the bus; bring a reusable bottle for the cruise.

From the partner's own times

The Cruise Day, Hour by Hour

The listing gives clock times for every stop. They are the operator's plan; traffic on the expressway and the order of boats at each cave move them by a few minutes either way.

  1. 7:20Pickup in the Hanoi Old Quarter, until 8:20
  2. On the wayStop of about 15 minutes at a pearl shop near the port
  3. 11:30Boarding at Tuan Chau Harbour, Vietnamese lunch as the boat sails
  4. 13:30Sung Sot Cave, the Surprise Cave, on foot
  5. 14:45Luon Cave by kayak, two to a kayak, or by bamboo boat
  6. 15:45Ti Top Island: swim at the beach or climb to the summit
  7. Late afternoonSunset party on deck: tea, wine or juice, fruit, light food
  8. 21:00Drop-off in the Old Quarter

Each of the three stops gets about an hour. Sung Sot is a walk through large chambers of stalactites, with steps; at Luon Cave you go in on the water, by kayak or on a bamboo boat. At Ti Top you choose between the beach and the stairs to the viewpoint; there is time for one of them properly.

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Hanoi: Ha Long Bay Day Cruise - Swimming, Meal, Kayaking

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Pickup: Hanoi Old Quarter

What the reviews are about

Why It Is the Most Booked Day Cruise

Nothing on this route is exclusive: almost every day boat from Tuan Chau visits Sung Sot, Luon Cave and Ti Top in the same afternoon. What 13,998 reviews at ★4.82 say is that this operator runs that day reliably, with guides who keep the group moving and explain the bay.

The logistics are simple. One booking covers the bus, the boat, lunch, the entrance fee, the caves and the kayak. The pickup point and time come by email or WhatsApp the day before, and friends on separate bookings can ask to be put in the same group.

The extras are in the price: the sunset party with tea, fruit and a glass of wine or juice on the way back, the entrance fee and water on the bus. You pay on board only for other drinks and anything you add yourself.

Who it suits

  • A first visit with one free day in Hanoi
  • Travellers who want the three classic stops without planning anything
  • Families with young children: under-4s travel free, and the bamboo boat replaces the kayak

The weak points, from the listing

What to Weigh Before Booking This Cruise

The day is long for the time you spend on the bay: about 5 hours on the water out of 13. Most of the rest is the road, 2.5 hours each way on the expressway, and the stop at the pearl shop on the way out.

The route is the busiest one on the bay. Every day boat reaches the same three stops within the same few hours, and the listing is open about it: expect crowds in summer and at weekends, and occasionally some floating rubbish that tides and currents bring in.

The lunch on the cheaper boat is a set menu of Vietnamese dishes, not a buffet; the buffet and the jacuzzi come with the luxury option at a higher price. Drinks on the boat, the speedboat at Luon Cave and tips are paid on the day.

If an extra hour on the water matters more than the review count, our day pick costs $43 for the same date, $4 more, boards at the same pier and returns to the pier at about 18:00.

Hanoi: Ha Long Bay Day Trip - Luxury Cruise & Buffet Lunch

Three neighbours on the same day route

Compared with Similar Day Cruises from Hanoi

Day cruiseMOST REVIEWEDHanoi: Ha Long Bay Day Cruise - Swimming, Meal, Kayaking
Day cruiseOUR PICKHanoi: Ha Long Bay Day Trip - Luxury Cruise & Buffet Lunch
Day cruiseHanoi: Halong Bay Day Trip with Titop Island, Cave, & Kayak
Day cruiseTaliya Day Cruise - Lan Hạ Bay: Kayaking, Swimming & Cave
Price
Hanoi: Ha Long Bay Day Cruise - Swimming, Meal, Kayaking$39 from, per person
Hanoi: Ha Long Bay Day Trip - Luxury Cruise & Buffet Lunch$43 from, per person
Hanoi: Halong Bay Day Trip with Titop Island, Cave, & Kayak$42 from, per person
Taliya Day Cruise - Lan Hạ Bay: Kayaking, Swimming & Cave$55 from, per person
Rating
Hanoi: Ha Long Bay Day Cruise - Swimming, Meal, Kayaking★ 4.8 · 13,998 reviews
Hanoi: Ha Long Bay Day Trip - Luxury Cruise & Buffet Lunch★ 4.9 · 5,818 reviews
Hanoi: Halong Bay Day Trip with Titop Island, Cave, & Kayak★ 4.7 · 648 reviews
Taliya Day Cruise - Lan Hạ Bay: Kayaking, Swimming & Cave★ 4.8 · 785 reviews
Bays
Hanoi: Ha Long Bay Day Cruise - Swimming, Meal, KayakingHa Long
Hanoi: Ha Long Bay Day Trip - Luxury Cruise & Buffet LunchHa Long
Hanoi: Halong Bay Day Trip with Titop Island, Cave, & KayakHa Long
Taliya Day Cruise - Lan Hạ Bay: Kayaking, Swimming & CaveLan Ha
Cabin
Hanoi: Ha Long Bay Day Cruise - Swimming, Meal, KayakingNo cabin
Hanoi: Ha Long Bay Day Trip - Luxury Cruise & Buffet LunchNo cabin
Hanoi: Halong Bay Day Trip with Titop Island, Cave, & KayakNo cabin
Taliya Day Cruise - Lan Hạ Bay: Kayaking, Swimming & CaveNo cabin
Pickup
Hanoi: Ha Long Bay Day Cruise - Swimming, Meal, KayakingHanoi Old Quarter
Hanoi: Ha Long Bay Day Trip - Luxury Cruise & Buffet LunchHanoi Old Quarter
Hanoi: Halong Bay Day Trip with Titop Island, Cave, & KayakHanoi Old Quarter
Taliya Day Cruise - Lan Hạ Bay: Kayaking, Swimming & CaveHanoi
Hours on the water
Hanoi: Ha Long Bay Day Cruise - Swimming, Meal, Kayaking5 of 13 h on the water
Hanoi: Ha Long Bay Day Trip - Luxury Cruise & Buffet Lunch6 of 13 h on the water
Hanoi: Halong Bay Day Trip with Titop Island, Cave, & Kayak6 of 13 h on the water
Taliya Day Cruise - Lan Hạ Bay: Kayaking, Swimming & Cave7 of 13 h on the water
For whom
Hanoi: Ha Long Bay Day Cruise - Swimming, Meal, KayakingThe classic loop, the most reviews
Hanoi: Ha Long Bay Day Trip - Luxury Cruise & Buffet LunchAn hour more on the water, jacuzzi option
Hanoi: Halong Bay Day Trip with Titop Island, Cave, & KayakSame loop, later 8:00 pickup
Taliya Day Cruise - Lan Hạ Bay: Kayaking, Swimming & CaveLan Ha instead of the busy loop
Hanoi: Ha Long Bay Day Cruise - Swimming, Meal, KayakingBook this cruise
Hanoi: Ha Long Bay Day Trip - Luxury Cruise & Buffet LunchBook this cruise
Hanoi: Halong Bay Day Trip with Titop Island, Cave, & KayakBook this cruise
Taliya Day Cruise - Lan Hạ Bay: Kayaking, Swimming & CaveBook this cruise

From 13,998 reviews on GetYourGuide

What Guests Say

CConnorSeptember 2026
“Had a fantastic day out. A lot more was included than expected. We first met Ken at the harbour (most get bus from Hanoi). Once we were on the boat we started…”
Hanoi: Ha Long Bay Day Cruise - Swimming, Meal, Kayaking
Reviews come from GetYourGuide
DDariusSeptember 2026
“Very beautiful Cruise, the Team was really helpfull and hoang was Amazing!!”
Hanoi: Ha Long Bay Day Cruise - Swimming, Meal, Kayaking
Reviews come from GetYourGuide
BBarziSeptember 2026
“JUST BOOK IT! We had a blast of a time. Everything was excellent, communication was clear, and Mike did an amazing job making the day as great as it can be…”
Hanoi: Ha Long Bay Day Cruise - Swimming, Meal, Kayaking
Reviews come from GetYourGuide

We show the reviews we have checked. All 13,998 reviews are on the GetYourGuide page, newest first.

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Hanoi Ha Long Bay Day Cruise - Swimming, Meal, Kayaking FAQ

how many hours are you on the water on this day cruise?

About 5 of the 13 hours from pickup to drop-off. The boat leaves Tuan Chau Harbour at about 11:30 and the stops run to late afternoon: Sung Sot Cave at 13:30, Luon Cave at 14:45 and Ti Top Island at 15:45, then the sunset party on the way back. The rest of the day is the 2.5-hour drive each way and a short stop at a pearl shop.

is hotel pickup in hanoi included?

Only if you book the option with the transfer. It collects you in the Hanoi Old Quarter between 7:20 and 8:20 and brings you back by about 21:00. Since 1 July 2026 buses over 16 seats may not pick up in the Old Quarter from 6:00 to 9:00, so the exact meeting point and time are confirmed within 24 hours of booking and again the day before, by email or WhatsApp.

what is not included in the price?

Drinks other than the tea and juice or wine at the sunset party, and any meals beyond lunch. The speedboat ride offered at the site, travel insurance and tips for the guide and driver are extra, and the listing adds a New Year surcharge. The Ha Long Bay entrance fee, the three stops, the kayak or bamboo boat, lunch and water on the bus are included.

can children join this cruise?

Yes. Children under 4 travel free when they share a bus seat and meals with a parent. From 4 to 8 years the first child pays the child rate and a second child pays the adult rate. For a child taller than one metre, entrance fees may apply. Kayaks take two people; a bamboo boat with a rower is the other choice at Luon Cave.

is there a vegetarian lunch?

Yes, the listing offers a vegetarian option for the traditional Vietnamese lunch served on board as the boat leaves Tuan Chau. Ask for it when you book or in the message thread afterwards. The standard lunch is a set menu with seafood; the option on the luxury boat serves a buffet instead, at a higher price for your date.

can I cancel this day cruise?

Yes, for free up to 24 hours before the start, with a full refund, and you can reserve now and pay later. If a storm warning is issued, the Quang Ninh port authority stops departure permits for all tourist boats until the final bulletin; the day cruise cannot run and the operator cancels. From late May to early November keep a spare day in Hanoi.

what should I bring on the day?

Swimwear, a towel and quick-dry clothes for Ti Top beach, plus sunglasses and a sun hat. Plastic bottles are not allowed on the boat; free water is handed out on the bus, so bring a reusable bottle. Comfortable shoes help on the steps inside Sung Sot Cave and on the climb to the Ti Top viewpoint.

Your date, the classic loop

Hanoi: Ha Long Bay Day Cruise - Swimming, Meal, Kayaking
$39from, per person
on the water
4.8· 13,998 reviews
Check dates

Pickup: Hanoi Old Quarter

Hanoi: Ha Long Bay Day Cruise - Swimming, Meal, Kayaking$39 · ★ 4.8 · 13,998 reviews
Check dates