My Halong Bay Cruise Experience in Vietnam

The big excursion of my Vietnam trip was a two night Halong Bay cruise. I had been dreaming of getting out on the water amongst 2000 limestone islands for weeks before we went!

Did it live up to the hype? I think so!

Before our cruise, I had done a bit of research about the different kinds of boats and cruises available.

I knew I wanted a two night cruise so we could get farther into the bay and away from other boats. I also knew I wanted a mid-range boat – something between drunk backpackers and luxury honeymooners.

That was exactly what my friend Emilie and I found on our cruise of Halong Bay in 2016. By staying the extra night and choosing a mid-budget cruise, we were able to really enjoy ourselves.

But is a Halong Bay cruise still worth it almost a decade later? Let’s find out! Below I’m sharing my cruise experience plus alternatives if you want to book a cruise today.

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning if you click through and make a purchase, I will earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thanks for your support!

Is a Halong Bay cruise still worth it?

I really loved our Halong Bay cruise. But a lot has changed since 2016. If I was going to Vietnam today, I’m not sure I would still cruise on Halong Bay.

Many travellers report Halong Bay being covered in trash with tons of garbage floating in the water. They say it’s overtouristed with too many people and boats around.

If I were to return to Halong Bay, I would only do it on a very reputable cruise. I would want to make sure I’m not contributing to the problems the area is facing.

I would also want to stay at least two nights, so I’m not spending all of my time with the day trippers in the same overcrowded section of Halong Bay.

Alternatives to Halong Bay

If today’s Halong Bay makes you a little nervous, I don’t blame you. I wish I could transport you back to the Halong Bay of 2016 (or even earlier!).

Luckily, there are some great alternatives to Halong Bay nearby that still offer beautiful cruises out on the water – just with fewer people and less trash.

Lan Ha Bay and Bai Tu Long Bay are both connected to the same body of water as Halong Bay, but much less touristed. That means their waters are more pristine.

You’re not going totally off the beaten path; tourists do visit these other bays. But just not as many tourists as flock to Halong Bay.

Many of the best Halong Bay tours now also include time spent in Bai Tu Long Bay and Lan Ha Bay – so you can get the best of both worlds!

There’s also Ninh Binh and the Tam Coc River, another area in Vietnam known for its gorgeous waterways. This is a completely different experience from Halong Bay, and tourism is definitely picking up, but it looks like a beautiful place to discover.

My Halong Bay cruise experience

If you’re still considering a cruise along Halong Bay, I’ll share my experience to give you a taste of what you have in store.

Keep in mind, I went on this cruise in 2016 and every cruise line is different. Depending on what cruise you choose, you may follow this itinerary or something similar.

Getting to Halong Bay from Hanoi

We booked our Halong Bay cruise through our hotel in Hanoi. They had a binder full of cruise options, ranging from budget to luxury.

We paid $110 USD/person for the two night cruise, which was about middle-ground for cruising prices. That included transportation to/from Hanoi, accommodation (one night on the boat and one night on an island), activities and food. 

To get to Halong Bay, we joined our tour group and started out on the four hour drive to the Halong Marina. Google Maps tells me this is only a 2.5 hour drive, but we did have to pick up a few people and stop for snacks/shopping on the way.

Keep in mind that most cruises to Halong Bay leave from Hanoi and do include a shopping/snack break.

Once at the port, we were directed onto a smaller boat that would then take us out to our larger cruise boat.

After cruising for only a few minutes, we were already in the middle of something pretty special. It was so peaceful to be out on the blue water and taking in all of these gorgeous limestone islands jutting out at random throughout the bay.

The food onboard our cruise

Emilie and I were pretty nervous about the food onboard our cruise. Emilie especially, being a vegan, was worried they wouldn’t be able to cater to her needs. But were we ever wrong!

The food on the boat was AMAZING! We ate family style, seated across from a lovely Spanish couple, and had so many delicious dishes hit the table.

I was amazed with the variety of dishes and the quantity. The fresh seafood was definitely a highlight!

And Emilie ended up lucking out as well: she received at least 3-4 special veggie dishes just for her at each meal. It got to the point that she was sharing them with the whole table because it was way too much food for one person.

And I’m glad she did because they made her an awesome veggie curry one night! Vegetarian food in Vietnam is pretty awesome.

The accommodation on our Halong Bay cruise

I was also really nervous about where we would be sleeping during our cruise. After our disastrous hotel on our last overnight tour in the Mekong Delta, I had very low expectations for this cruise.

Luckily, I was wrong.

Our cabin on the boat was small but quite clean and nice. We docked overnight so it wasn’t too rocky, which my seasick-prone self really appreciated.

It wasn’t as luxurious as some other Halong Bay boats that I’ve seen with private balconies, wraparound windows and soaker tubs, but it was well worth what we paid.

On the second night, we stayed at a hotel on Cat Ba Island. Our room was spacious, clean and made it hard to return to our less-awesome hotel in Hanoi.

The activities on our cruise

On our first day of cruising, we stopped to visit the Surprise Caves. I don’t think that was their official name but it’s what our tour guide, Popeye, told us to call them. (Though he probably shouldn’t be the authority on real names…).

We walked up some steps and then inside a series of three caves. And yes, it was surprising!

Every time we walked into the next cave, we were blown away by how big the space was and the cool features along the walls. Our guide liked pointing out different shapes in the rocks, which Emilie and I decided to try our hand at as well.

After the caves, we cruised to a quieter spot on the bay and were invited to go kayaking. I decided to pass on kayaking (I had fallen in the summer before and was scared). But Emilie really enjoyed it and even got to see some local monkeys!

The next day we started off early to get to Ti Top Island – a lookout point for Halong Bay that is 535 treacherous steps up. I was not feeling those steps and really struggled getting up them but I did make it!

And I’m really glad I did. The view was beautiful! It was cool having an overhead shot of Halong Bay and seeing all of the limestone islands and boats beneath.

Our tour guide had arranged for us to arrive at Ti Top Island at 7:45am, which made the walk up the stairs even more painful since I was already tired, but I was grateful for his choice. We were the first group to arrive, so had the lookout to ourselves for a while.

There was only one set of stairs to get up and down, so as we were walking down, the stairs were getting crowded with people coming up. I would not have wanted to try climbing up those stairs with tons of people coming down at the same time and stealing my railing, so I’m glad we arrived early.

Other activities included beach time, hiking in a national park on Cat Ba Island, visiting Monkey Island and free time around Cat Ba.

Wrapping up my Halong Bay experience

The best part of Halong Bay is Halong Bay! This was definitely one of my most favourite experiences from our Vietnam trip and I would recommend a cruise in Halong (or a nearby bay) to everyone.

My favourite part of our Halong Bay cruise was just hanging out on the top deck and being in awe of the impressive scenery. I could’ve spent the entire cruise just sitting up there getting whiplash trying to take in everything around us.

Despite Halong Bay being very popular, it never felt like our area was crowded with boats. I think that’s because we opted for the two night cruise, which allowed us to sail farther, and because we visited in 2016.

I know I was very lucky to experience Halong Bay like I did. But I still think there’s lots in this region to discover and appreciate, even if you have to share it with a few more people.

I’d love to know: Is a Halong Bay cruise on your bucket list?

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