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Hanoi Ha Long Bay Day Trip - Luxury Cruise & Buffet Lunch – Which Option to Book and What's Included

4.9· 5,818 reviews

Yes, this is our day cruise pick: ★4.91 from 5,818 reviews, about 6 hours on the water by the partner's timetable and a luxury option with a buffet and a jacuzzi. No, if you want an empty bay: it runs the same three stops as every day boat from Tuan Chau.

$43from, 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 answerOur pick among Halong Bay day cruises from Hanoi: $43 per person for a departure on 7 October, ★4.91 from 5,818 reviews. You choose a luxury boat with a buffet lunch and a jacuzzi or a standard boat with a set menu; the route is the same, Sung Sot Cave, Luon Cave and Ti Top Island, with about 6 hours on the water out of 13.

≈ 6 hon the water out of 13 from Hanoi
  • Luxury: buffet and jacuzzi
  • Standard: set-menu lunch
  • Tuan Chau-only option, no Hanoi bus

Check prices and dates on GetYourGuide

Options and Prices

Two boats and two starting points. The luxury cruise has a buffet lunch and a jacuzzi; the standard cruise has a Vietnamese set menu on the same route. Each can start with the Hanoi round-trip bus, 7:30 to 8:15 from the Old Quarter, or at Tuan Chau Marina at 11:30 without any transfer. The price shown, $43 per person, is the cheapest combination for a departure on 7 October 2026, checked 27 September 2026; the calendar prices each one for your date.

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What's Included

Included, from the listing

  • English-speaking guide
  • Buffet lunch on the luxury cruise, set menu on the standard cruise
  • Vegetarian and gluten-free lunches on request
  • Ha Long Bay entrance fee
  • Jacuzzi on the luxury cruise
  • Sung Sot Cave, kayak or bamboo boat at Luon Cave
  • Ti Top Island: the climb and the beach
  • Round-trip bus from the Old Quarter, if you book that option
  • One bottle of water on the bus from Hanoi

Not included

  • Speedboat ride at Luon Cave
  • Drinks on board, sold on the boat
  • Travel insurance
  • Tips for the guide and driver
  • Hanoi shuttle on the Tuan Chau option: USD 15 per person

Bring your passportThe listing asks for a passport on the day; a copy is accepted. Drones and plastic bottles are not allowed.

From the partner's own times

The Day Trip, Hour by Hour

These are the operator's times for the Hanoi option. The Tuan Chau option joins at the marina and leaves the boat there at about 18:00.

  1. 7:30Pickup at hotels in the Old Quarter, until 8:15
  2. 8:00Last pickup, 160 Tran Quang Khai Street, until 8:10
  3. On the wayExpressway with a short rest stop; a pearl farm if time permits
  4. 11:30Boarding at Tuan Chau Marina, lunch as the boat sails
  5. AfternoonSung Sot Cave, about an hour with 40 to 60 minutes of walking
  6. AfternoonLuon Cave: kayak, bamboo boat or stay on board, about 35 minutes
  7. AfternoonTi Top Island: swim, rest or climb, about 50 minutes
  8. 18:00Back at Tuan Chau after afternoon tea on deck
  9. 20:30Drop-off in Hanoi, until 21:00 depending on traffic

On the way out the boat passes Hon Ga Choi, the Fighting Cocks islet that is the symbol of the bay. Sung Sot is the largest cave in Ha Long Bay; the walk inside has stairs, and guests with limited mobility can stay on the boat. At Ti Top boats are not allowed to anchor, so the boat drops you off and comes back at a set time; be at the pier when the guide says.

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Check a Date for the Luxury Cruise

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

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Pickup: Hanoi Old Quarter

The one choice you make

Luxury Cruise or Standard Cruise

Both boats follow the same Ha Long Bay route at the same times, so the choice is about lunch and the deck, not about what you see. The luxury cruise serves a buffet lunch and has a jacuzzi on board. The standard cruise serves a Vietnamese set menu, dishes shared at the table.

The afternoon tea differs as well. On the luxury boat it is tea, fruit juice, cake or cookies and fresh fruit; on the standard boat it is tea, local wine, cookies, French fries and fresh fruit. Drinks with lunch are sold on board on both.

Luxury cruise
Buffet lunch, jacuzzi, a more premium boat and service
Standard cruise
Set-menu lunch, the same stops and times, a lower price

Take the luxury option when lunch and time on deck matter, or when someone in your group will skip the caves and spend the afternoon on board. Take the standard option when the three stops are the point and you would rather spend the difference in Hanoi.

Compare both options on your date

Pickup: Hanoi Old Quarter

Our reasoning

Why This Day Trip Is Our Pick

It has the highest rating of the day cruises from Hanoi with thousands of reviews, ★4.91 from 5,818, and by the partner's own timetable it gives about 6 hours on the water: about an hour more than the most booked day cruise on the same loop, for $4 more on 7 October.

It also does not tie you to the Hanoi bus. The Tuan Chau option lets travellers who sleep in Ha Long, or who arrive from somewhere else, board at 11:30 and leave the boat at about 18:00.

The weak points are the ones every day boat from Tuan Chau shares. The three stops are crowded in the afternoon, drinks cost extra and there is no water refill on board. Some guests find the food plain: one of the recent reviews below calls it bland. The Hanoi pickup covers only the Old Quarter; from other districts you walk or ride to the last stop on Tran Quang Khai Street.

Who it suits

  • A first visit with one free day in Hanoi
  • Couples and friends who want a buffet and the jacuzzi without paying for a private boat
  • Travellers already in Ha Long: the Tuan Chau option has no bus
All day cruises compared

Three neighbours on the same day route

Compared with Other Day Cruises from Hanoi

Day cruiseOUR PICKHanoi: Ha Long Bay Day Trip - Luxury Cruise & Buffet Lunch
Day cruiseMOST REVIEWEDHanoi: Ha Long Bay Day Cruise - Swimming, Meal, Kayaking
Day cruiseHanoi: Ha Long Bay Luxury Day Cruise - Kayak, Titop, Cave
Day cruiseTaliya Day Cruise - Lan Hạ Bay: Kayaking, Swimming & Cave
Price
Hanoi: Ha Long Bay Day Trip - Luxury Cruise & Buffet Lunch$43 from, per person
Hanoi: Ha Long Bay Day Cruise - Swimming, Meal, Kayaking$39 from, per person
Hanoi: Ha Long Bay Luxury Day Cruise - Kayak, Titop, Cave$58 from, per person
Taliya Day Cruise - Lan Hạ Bay: Kayaking, Swimming & Cave$55 from, per person
Rating
Hanoi: Ha Long Bay Day Trip - Luxury Cruise & Buffet Lunch★ 4.9 · 5,818 reviews
Hanoi: Ha Long Bay Day Cruise - Swimming, Meal, Kayaking★ 4.8 · 13,998 reviews
Hanoi: Ha Long Bay Luxury Day Cruise - Kayak, Titop, Cave★ 4.8 · 365 reviews
Taliya Day Cruise - Lan Hạ Bay: Kayaking, Swimming & Cave★ 4.8 · 785 reviews
Bays
Hanoi: Ha Long Bay Day Trip - Luxury Cruise & Buffet LunchHa Long
Hanoi: Ha Long Bay Day Cruise - Swimming, Meal, KayakingHa Long
Hanoi: Ha Long Bay Luxury Day Cruise - Kayak, Titop, CaveHa Long
Taliya Day Cruise - Lan Hạ Bay: Kayaking, Swimming & CaveLan Ha
Cabin
Hanoi: Ha Long Bay Day Trip - Luxury Cruise & Buffet LunchNo cabin
Hanoi: Ha Long Bay Day Cruise - Swimming, Meal, KayakingNo cabin
Hanoi: Ha Long Bay Luxury Day Cruise - Kayak, Titop, CaveNo cabin
Taliya Day Cruise - Lan Hạ Bay: Kayaking, Swimming & CaveNo cabin
Pickup
Hanoi: Ha Long Bay Day Trip - Luxury Cruise & Buffet LunchHanoi Old Quarter
Hanoi: Ha Long Bay Day Cruise - Swimming, Meal, KayakingHanoi Old Quarter
Hanoi: Ha Long Bay Luxury Day Cruise - Kayak, Titop, CaveHanoi Old Quarter
Taliya Day Cruise - Lan Hạ Bay: Kayaking, Swimming & CaveHanoi
Hours on the water
Hanoi: Ha Long Bay Day Trip - Luxury Cruise & Buffet Lunch6 of 13 h on the water
Hanoi: Ha Long Bay Day Cruise - Swimming, Meal, Kayaking5 of 13 h on the water
Hanoi: Ha Long Bay Luxury Day Cruise - Kayak, Titop, Cave7 of 14 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 Trip - Luxury Cruise & Buffet LunchOur pick: buffet, jacuzzi, 6 hours on the bay
Hanoi: Ha Long Bay Day Cruise - Swimming, Meal, KayakingThe most booked, $4 less
Hanoi: Ha Long Bay Luxury Day Cruise - Kayak, Titop, CaveAnother luxury boat, about 7 hours
Taliya Day Cruise - Lan Hạ Bay: Kayaking, Swimming & CaveLan Ha Bay, quieter, $55
Hanoi: Ha Long Bay Day Trip - Luxury Cruise & Buffet LunchBook this cruise
Hanoi: Ha Long Bay Day Cruise - Swimming, Meal, KayakingBook this cruise
Hanoi: Ha Long Bay Luxury Day Cruise - Kayak, Titop, CaveBook this cruise
Taliya Day Cruise - Lan Hạ Bay: Kayaking, Swimming & CaveBook this cruise

From 5,818 reviews on GetYourGuide

What Guests Say

DDagmaraSeptember 2026
“Sam is a great guide! I highly recommend a trip with him!”
Hanoi: Ha Long Bay Day Trip - Luxury Cruise & Buffet Lunch
Reviews come from GetYourGuide
PPatrickSeptember 2026
“My tour was amazing, one of the best tours i’ve been on in my life, i can’t stress enough how perfect our tour guide Austin was, incredibly knowledgeable and…”
Hanoi: Ha Long Bay Day Trip - Luxury Cruise & Buffet Lunch
Reviews come from GetYourGuide
EEliaAugust 2026
“Ken was a very friendly and kind tour guide. We saw the highlights and transport from hanoi and back. However the food was bland.”
Hanoi: Ha Long Bay Day Trip - Luxury Cruise & Buffet Lunch
Reviews come from GetYourGuide

We show the reviews we have checked. All 5,818 reviews are on the GetYourGuide page, newest first.

Read all reviews

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

what is the difference between the luxury and the standard cruise?

The route is the same: Sung Sot Cave, Luon Cave and Ti Top Island. The luxury cruise serves a buffet lunch, has a jacuzzi on board and gives tea, fruit juice, cake or cookies and fruit in the afternoon. The standard cruise serves a Vietnamese set menu and an afternoon tea with local wine, cookies, French fries and fruit. The calendar shows both prices for your date.

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

About 6 of the 13 hours from Hanoi. The boat leaves Tuan Chau Marina between 11:30 and 11:45 and is back at the pier at about 18:00. Pickup in the Old Quarter is from 7:30 to 8:15 and you reach Hanoi again between 20:30 and 21:00, depending on traffic on the expressway.

is the transfer from hanoi included?

Only in the Hanoi round-trip option, which picks up at hotels in the Old Quarter. Staying elsewhere, you join the last pickup at 160 Tran Quang Khai Street between 8:00 and 8:10. The Tuan Chau option has no transfer: you meet the boat at the marina at 11:30. The operator can add a shuttle from the Old Quarter for USD 15 per person if you ask in advance.

can children kayak on this cruise?

Only if they are over 10 years old and taller than 130 cm, both conditions together, and paddle with a parent. Adults must weigh under 100 kg. Everyone else can take the bamboo boat through Luon Cave, which carries 10 to 12 people, or stay on board; the kayak and the bamboo boat are both included in the price.

are drinks included on the boat?

No. Drinks are sold on board, with a happy hour where the third drink is free after you buy two. There is no water refill on the boat and plastic bottles are not allowed in Ha Long Bay, so bring your own water in a reusable bottle. One bottle of water is handed out on the bus from Hanoi.

is there a vegetarian or gluten-free lunch?

Yes. The listing offers vegetarian and gluten-free lunches on request, on both the buffet of the luxury cruise and the set menu of the standard cruise. Ask when you book; the operator confirms the tour and your details through GetYourGuide messages and WhatsApp, so check both before the day of the cruise.

can I cancel this day trip?

Yes, free of charge up to 24 hours before the start, with a full refund, and you can reserve now and pay later. When the Quang Ninh port authority issues a storm warning, no tourist boat is allowed out until the final bulletin. From late May to early November keep a spare day in Hanoi in case your date is stopped.

Your date, luxury or standard

Hanoi: Ha Long Bay Day Trip - Luxury Cruise & Buffet Lunch
$43from, per person
on the water
4.9· 5,818 reviews
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Pickup: Hanoi Old Quarter

Hanoi: Ha Long Bay Day Trip - Luxury Cruise & Buffet Lunch$43 · ★ 4.9 · 5,818 reviews
Check dates