The vast majority of Vietnamese tourists to Ha Long Bay arrive there by booking a tour from one of the many Hanoi-based travel agencies. These companies are primarily clustered around Hoan Kiem Lake and the Old Town, offering services ranging from budget to luxurious.
It is difficult to say definitively which agencies count as “accredited”, given Vietnam’s Wild West of a tourism industry. We go into more detail in this article: Dos and Don’ts for Hiring a Hanoi Travel Agency. You can also try to cut out the middle man and take a tour of Ha Long Bay yourself.
Choosing a Ha Long Bay tour package
Tourists to Ha Long Bay have many options; They can do anything from a few-hour cruise in the bay to a multi-night stay, including a sofa bed in a cabin on a sightseeing boat, outdoor activities in the vicinity of the bay, and accommodation at a resort in Cat Ba Island. Your options are only limited by your budget.
Low End: Going through the range of $ 30- $ 50 (per person), you can get a day trip to Ha Long Bay that can include the following:
- A round trip by minibus or bus between Hanoi and Ha Long Bay;
- A four-hour sightseeing boat tour of Ha Long Bay;
- Optional kayaks (about $ 5 extra);
- Lunch on board the tourist boat; Y
- Detours to a fishing village and a cave on an island in Ha Long Bay.
High End: overnight or multi-night cruises can be yours starting at $ 100 per person. This should make you:
- Pick up and drop off from your hotel in Hanoi;
- One night aboard a luxury tourist boat, which includes meals;
- Outdoor activities like kayaking, cave tours, and bike rides (ask your travel agent for specific inclusions); Y
- The services of an English-speaking guide.
- If staying more than 1 night, accommodation at a resort on Cat Ba Island will be included.
As with everything else in life, you get what you pay for . The more money you pay, the meatier the tour package you will get. Prices will also vary by season – Ha Long Bay’s peak season occurs between July and August, so prices are expected to be at their peak during this period. Ha Long Bay tours are cheapest during the low season, from November to March.
Booking a tour of your hotel: advantages and disadvantages
Almost every hotel in Hanoi, from the fleabag hostel to the posh French Quarter hotel, offers tours of Ha Long Bay. The same rules above apply, but with less certainty: Since hotels tend to outsource these services to third-party travel agents, you have less control over what you get and pay more for their services.
So choose wisely – the end product tends to be as professional as the hotel you hire the tour from, so you’ll get better results (though not guaranteed) from three-star hotels and up. You are also more likely to be picked up and dropped off in the lobby if you book at the hotel.
If you look at your budget, you’d better go directly to the tour company and book your trip on your own.
- Compare prices on hotels in Hanoi, Vietnam with TripAdvisor.
Book your trip to Ha Long Bay – Tips
Here’s the key rule of thumb to remember: ask about inclusions before you pay, not after . Don’t assume something is part of the package because you paid the highest ticket on the tour. An unscheduled kayak tour, if not part of the itinerary, can cost more than $ 50 per person.
- Ask about food and drinks. Drinks can also be quite expensive aboard the tour boat, like the equivalent of $ 2 for a bottle of beer. And the meals they serve as part of the trip may not be enough for your tastes. Find out which meals are part of the tour package and see how much you will have to pay for additional food or drink if the inclusions don’t meet your needs.
- Ask about pickup and drop-off. Does the tour include pick up at your hotel? On the contrary, will the tour include the return to the hotel? Some tours offer hotel pickup, but only in the Hoan Kiem district.
- Tours are not subject to refund. If the weather makes the tour unsustainable, travel agencies generally won’t give you your money back. You have been warned.
