Ha Long Bay cruises compared: 20 boats, real prices

The three bays belong to the same limestone seascape in the Gulf of Tonkin. Ha Long Bay, off Ha Long City in Quang Ninh province, is the UNESCO World Heritage core; since 2023 the listing also covers the Cat Ba archipelago, to which Lan Ha Bay belongs. Bai Tu Long Bay lies north-east of Ha Long Bay. Most cruises cross more than one of them: the cards below give the main bay first.

Ha Long Bay is the classic route. Most boats leave from Tuan Chau International Marina and visit the same sights: Sung Sot (Surprise) Cave, Ti Top Island and its viewpoint, and Luon Cave by kayak or bamboo boat. It is the busiest area, especially around midday, but it has the widest choice of boats and prices.

Lan Ha Bay lies south-east of Cat Ba Island, in Hai Phong province. Fewer boats sail there, and the scenery adds small beaches and lagoons. Typical stops are the Dark and Bright Cave (by kayak or bamboo boat), the Tra Bau area, Ba Trai Dao beach and, on longer cruises, Viet Hai village by bicycle. Many Lan Ha cruises still board at Tuan Chau and cross part of Ha Long Bay first; others leave from Got pier on Cat Hai, or from Cat Ba town for day boats. 11 cruises in our list sail mainly or partly in Lan Ha Bay.

Bai Tu Long Bay is the quietest of the three, with stops such as Thien Canh Son Cave, the Vung Vieng floating village and kayaking around Cong Do and Cap La. Few boats sail there, so few offers reach our review threshold: the 2 Bai Tu Long cruises in our list are sold by agencies that do not name the boat on Viator. Ask which boat you will be on before you pay.

A day cruise from Hanoi is a long day. Pick-up is between 7 and 8:30 am, the drive takes about 2.5 to 3.5 hours each way on the expressway, the boat spends 5 to 7 hours on the water and you are back in Hanoi around 8 to 9 pm. You see one cave, one island and a kayak or bamboo boat stop. In our list, day cruises cost $38 to $95 per person on the survey date.

With one night on board (2 days / 1 night), you board around noon, spend the afternoon on activities, watch the sunset, sleep on the bay and use the early morning, before the day boats arrive, for Tai Chi on deck or a second visit. You are back in Hanoi in the afternoon of the second day. It is the best balance for a first visit: $140 to $404 per person in our list.

Two nights (3 days / 2 nights) give you a full middle day further out, often by a smaller day boat or speedboat: Lan Ha Bay, Viet Hai village, Bai Tu Long Bay or extra kayaking, while the main boat stays at anchor. Choose it if the quieter bays matter more to you than a stop elsewhere in northern Vietnam: $309 to $998 per person in our list.

The prices on the cards are the real price of the option described: per adult, for two adults sharing a double cabin, the lowest price over the next 30 days, converted into USD. They are not the "from" price shown in Viator's search results, which is the product's cheapest option (often a port departure without transfer or the smallest cabin) and is sometimes a price per cabin rather than per person.

The transfer from Hanoi is the main difference between two offers that look alike. Some options include a shuttle or limousine, others leave you at the port: on the survey date, round-trip shuttles sold on top cost $25 to $45 per person. Each card says whether the option we price includes the transfer.

Bay entrance fees and kayaking are included on most cruises, but not always on budget day tours: one of the day cruises in our list charges the entrance fee on top (about $14 per person) and rents kayaks for 80,000 VND. When Viator lists mandatory fees for a cruise, we show them under the price.

Drinks are almost never included. Expect surcharges on Christmas Eve, New Year's Eve, Tết and national holidays; some agencies also add a peak-season supplement from October to April. Solo travellers usually pay a single supplement or have to book a cabin on their own.

On overnight cruises, the cabin is the second biggest price factor after the transfer. In our list, 9 of the 14 overnight cruises are priced with a balcony cabin; the others have a large window. A balcony matters most if you want to watch the bay from the cabin at dawn; for a single night, a window cabin on a well-reviewed boat is often the better deal.

Cruises depend on the weather: the port authorities suspend departures when a storm is forecast, mainly during the typhoon season, roughly June to October. The cruise company then moves or refunds the booking under its own terms, so check the cancellation policy on Viator before paying. Winter, from December to March, is cooler and often misty, which softens the views but rarely stops the boats.