Halong Bay (Ha Long Bay) is one of the most famous travel destinations in northeastern Vietnam. It is located within Quang Ninh Province along the Gulf of Tonkin.
Well-known for its unique landscape, Halong Bay features hundreds of limestone islands, caves, cliffs and rock formations rising from the emerald waters.
It is also listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of its exceptional natural beauty.
We visited Halong Bay on a day trip from Hanoi and it was an amazing experience. In this travel guide, we will share everything you need to know to plan your one-day trip to Halong Bay.
How To Get There From Hanoi
The Tuan Chau International Marina is the largest and busiest port in Halong Bay. Most Halong Bay day trip cruises depart from this harbour.
From Hanoi Old Quarters to Tuan Chau Harbour, it took us roughly 3 hours by a luxury tour bus. Usually, all tour operators offer hotel pickup from Hanoi Old Quarters.
In case your hotel is not accessible by bus, they send map location of the nearest pickup point. So, you need to be there before the pickup time.
Apart from the tour buses, you can also travel between Hanoi and Halong Bay by a limousine van or a private car. It’s just that these packages will cost more.
Is Halong Bay Day Trip Worth It?
We had a tightly packed Vietnam itinerary and couldn’t squeez more than a day for Halong Bay, so we decided to go for a day trip.
It was totally worth and we enjoyed every moment of it. Plus, it was cheaper compared to overnight cruise options.
Most day-time activities are common in day trip and overnight cruises. The additional activities are usually cooking classes and morning Taichi sessions on board.
If you are short on time or travelling on a budget, a day trip from Hanoi is a great way to explore Halong Bay.
Listed below is the list of activities we managed to do on our Halong Bay day trip.
Halong Bay Day Trip Itinerary
We boarded the bus from Hanoi Old quarters at around 8:45 am. There were several pickups on the way and it wasn’t before 9:15 am that we actually left Hanoi.
Out tour guide briefed us about the tour and the activities that were part of the daylong itinerary.
After reaching the Tuan Chau Harbour at 11:30 am, he collected our passports for completing formalities. Once that was done, we were led to our cruise where everything was impeccably set to welcome us aboard.
As soon as we got into the cruise, we were assigned a table and greeted with smiles and a welcome drink. By then, the cruise began sailing through the iconic Halong Bay.
The landscape was incredibly beautiful with numerous limestone karsts majestically emerging from the water.
After sometime, they served an elaborate lunch buffet featuring Vietnamese seafood dishes, salads, pasta and much more. The choices for vegetarians were limited but it was nice.
The activities started soon after lunch and they made announcements whenever the cruise reached an activity point. Our tour guide escorted us for all the activities.
Here is our list of best things to do on a day trip to Halong Bay.
Marvel At The Rock Formations
The natural forces have shaped the landscape of Halong Bay over millions of years. Interestingly, some of the rock formations resemble creatures and objects from day-to-day life.
Few of the famous formations to look out for:
Kissing Rocks/Kissing Cocks (Trong Mai Rock): The two rocks look like a rooster and a hen kissing each other.
Incense Burner Islet (Dinh Huong Islet): This limestone formation is uniquely shaped like an incense burner.
Stone Dog Islet (Hon Cho Da): It resembles a giant dog in the sitting posture.
Visit Sung Sot Cave (Surprise Cave)
Famous for its stunning limestone formations and enormous chambers, Sung Sot Cave is a must-visit site in Halong Bay.
The cave entrance is narrow but it opens into a huge chamber dotted with stalactites and stalagmites. Due to its unique structure, Sung Sot Cave is also called – the Cave of Surprises.
It was first discovered in 1901 by a group of French explorers. However, tourists weren’t allowed to visit this cave until 1993.
Explore Titov Island (Ti Top Island)
It is a small island mainly popular for its gorgeous crescent-shaped beach and a panoramic hilltop viewpoint. You need to climb roughly 400 steps uphill to get to the summit.
The island is named after Soviet cosmonaut Gherman Titov who visited this place in 1962.
Our cruise stopped here for about an hour giving us just enough time to hike to the viewpoint and soak up the exquisite landscapes of Halong Bay.
If you don’t feel like climbing so many steps, you can just relax by the beach or swim.
Enjoy Kayaking or Bamboo Boat Ride
This is an optional activity and is usually included in the day tour package. You can spend about an hour kayaking or bamboo boat rowing to see limestone karsts up-close.
On our cruise, they also gave an option to explore the bay on a speed boat at an extra cost. We paid little extra and chose speed boat and it was totally worth.
If you don’t want to do either of these, you can stay back on the cruise and relax.
By 5:00-5:30 pm, the cruise returned to the harbour where our bus was waiting to take us back to Hanoi.
Travel Tips For Halong By Day Trip
- Things you must carry: Sunscreen, a hat, sunglasses, and a change of clothes for kayaking.
- Wear comfortable footwear like walking shoes for climbing stairs in Sung Sot Cave and hiking the Titop Island viewpoint.
- Stay hydrated during outdoor activities. Bring a reusable water bottle preferably steel or glass. Plastic water bottles are not allowed on the cruise.
- You need to be moderately fit to be able to hike Titop summit. Hiking is optional, so you can decide for yourself.
Halong Bay Day Tours To Choose From
Here are some Halong Bay tour options to cosider.
Day Cruise
Halong Bay 5 Star Day Cruise, All inclusive
Pamela Cruise 5star Halong Bay Day Trip
Overnight Cruise
Athena Premium Halong Bay Cruise
Further Reading
For more Vietnam travel inspiration, please read some of these blogposts.
Things To Do in Sapa, Vietnam: 3-Day Itinerary
The Ultimate Guide To Fansipan, Sapa
Best Things To Do in Ninh Binh in 1-2 Days
Over to You Now…
We hope our Halong Bay Day trip has given you fair idea of what to expect when you visit this popular destination in Vietnam.
Have you been to Halong Bay already? Let us know in the comments below.
