Visit Halong Bay

Hello Sumitha,

In order to give much more light to your post, i have created a new topic with it on the Hanoi forum.

Thanks

Priscilla 

Thanks, Priscilla !

Priscilla wrote:

In order to give much more light to your post, i have created a new topic with it on the Hanoi forum.

Ha Long Bay is next to Hai Phong - a new forum!

Any update on what you saw or did?  I was also in Hanoi and Halong Bay in December but I didn't see this then, and the timing probably wouldn't have worked out to give advice.

We went for a day-trip, which is a bit rough since it's about a 3 hour van trip there from Hanoi, and 6 hours of travel in a day.  An afternoon on the Bay in a boat is enough to get a general feel for it but of course I later considered more time would've been nice given how amazing it is there.

Another tourist told us an interesting story about staying overnight on a longer boat cruise tour, but that the tour operator took them to shore and put them up in a hotel because of alleged problems with the boat.  They later discovered that only passengers that weren't drinking alcohol, and not spending extra money on the tour, were removed in that way, and that others had stayed on.

My experiences with tour operators and activities were generally positive but we did have a few exceptions.  On one van ride the bus was completely packed, fold-out seats allowing for around 20 people to fit in a van, and on one guided temple tour even more people were assigned to one tour guide.  I'm not sure how someone could evaluate a trip provider before the actual experience though.

I know it's an old topic but want to give my opinion here just in case:
Tour packages to Ha Long Bay are available in single day trip, or longer (overnight, two nights, etc.)

While an afternoon is enough for touring the bay, the long drive can be tough (3-4 hours drive depending on traffic). You have to leave early, arrive around noon, get on the boat, have lunch, do activities, and then hustle back to the bus for another 4 hour ride. Not very comfortable for seniors or families with kids.

So there are two options:
- Opt for a two day trip or longer with the same tour operator
- Get to/from Halong on your own and catch the tour at the dock. This is what we did because we happened to be in Halong already with our family. We contacted the tour, and meet up with the rest of the group at the dock. While everyone cramped up in the bus, bracing for another rough drive after a long day, we just went back to our hotel and take some rest.

I agree that you need to do your research to find a good tour op. It's not just about the van ride, but also about your safety on the boat trip. There are tour ops who save cost by sending you on old/cheap boats without proper life vests or emergency equipment. We found ours through tripadvisors.

su1901 wrote:

Hi all,

We are coming for a family trip in December to Hanoi. We would also like to visit Halong Bay. Look forward to any advice or suggestions on that we must not miss in Hanoi/Halong Bay.

Best Regards,
Sumitha

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