Like the Halong cruise is a must On many travelers’ lists, choosing a good boat makes a big difference in whether you come away delighted with your trip or whether you warn others not to make the mistakes you did.
Cruising is the best way to explore the charm of the imposing limestone rock formations, junk is very popular among travelers in Vietnam. Additionally, a cruise offers many interesting itineraries, transportation, accommodations, food, activities and other services.
Most travelers choose to take the cruise from Hanoi, which includes a shuttle transfer and a boat tour to explore the bay. Discover our advice for choosing the best company to enjoy your excursion.
To avoid unexpected experiences and disappointments from Halong Vietnam tour, follow our guide to choose the one that suits you best. Having worked as a cruise agency in Halong Bay for 10 years, I share my practical tips on how to choose the best cruise and other essential guides to cruising for first-time travelers.
1. Duration of your cruise
There are two main options of 3 days/2 nights and 2 days/1 night for the best junk. In fact, the 2 day cruise option is just one 24 hour experience since you board around noon on the first day and disembark around 11:30 a.m. on the second day. Meanwhile, the 3-day tour offers half-day on the first day, full-day on the second day, and half-day on the last day.
Therefore, if you do not have a tight budget or time constraint, you should be wise to choose a 3 day/2 night tour that allows you to not feel rushed and more relaxing with an extra night compared to to a 2-day/1-night option.
Actually, a 2 days/1 night Ha Long Bay cruise is more popular among tourists due to the short time and limited budget. If you are looking for a 3 day junk, opt for a room with a balcony to relax with more relaxing activities on board.
Recommended cruises for the 1 night or 2 night program:
| One night | 2 nights |
| Mon Chéri Cruise 2 days Heritage Cruise 2 days Peony Cruise 2 days | Scarlet Pearl Cruise 3 days Heritage Ylang Cruise 3 days Orchid Cruise 3 days |
2. Decide on your cruise itinerary
There are many options for travel itineraries while choosing a good boat cruise. While the majority of boats take the same routes to the most popular sites, others take alternative routes to less touristy destinations.
Generally, you can choose to visit 3 areas: Halong Bay, Lan Ha Bay or Bai Tu Long Bay. Normally a cruise only visits one of the 3 zones, some say they pass through 2 or all 3 zones; but in fact, the cruise always allows you to visit mainly one area, and with the others they only pass through, not go deep.
Halong Bay, Lan Ha Bay and Bai Tu Long Bay have the same natural geographical structure, so all 3 areas are beautiful. However, it’s not the same travel experience with all these 3 areas. See what each route has to offer before opting for the most suitable cruise for you.
Route 1: Main Halong Bay
If you like the lively atmosphere, just choose a cruise that allows you to spend the night around Halong Bay . This area is the most famous area in the Gulf of Tonkin, so there are many tourists and cruise passengers traveling every day.
This region also has the largest number of splendid ancient caves such as Sung Sot, Ti Top, Thien Cung, Dau Go, etc. If you are an active traveler, Halong Bay is for you!
As the region with the most cruises running, you have a wide range of overnight cruises to choose from. Some of the best 2-day cruise recommendations are:
- Ambassador Cruise
- Pelican Cruise
- Indochina Sails
Route 2: Lan Ha Bay and Cat Ba Island
Lan Ha Bay is said to be the most beautiful area here and it has been a trend of Halong Bay cruise for about 4 years. Lan Ha Bay is not as crowded as Halong Bay and is really suitable for people looking for a real best tour excursion.
Although Lan Ha Bay doesn’t have as many interesting caves and beaches to visit, you still get an adventure by booking a cruise that crosses Lan Ha Bay and visits Cat Ba Island. A trip to Cat Ba island normally allows you to enjoy a short cycling tour as well as a visit to Trung Trang Cave and Cat Ba National Park.
Opt for our top Lan Ha Bay cruise recommendations below:
Route 3: Bai Tu Long Bay
Compared to Halong Bay and Lan Ha Bay, Bai Tu Long Bay is the least touristy area. Therefore, if you need a few quiet days, don’t hesitate to book a Bai Tu Long Bay cruise.
As a lesser-known travel destination, Bai Tu Long Bay is a perfect place for kayaking and swimming with super clean wild beaches and crystal clear water that others cannot compare with.
Here are some recommendations for your cruises:
How do you know which region a cruise will take you to? It’s a piece of cake. Most junk tours provide a detailed itinerary of where they are going on their website, so take a look.
3. Budget
Among hundreds of boats in Halong Bay, you can absolutely choose the one that suits your budget.
By comparing different cruise price ranges, you can easily select the most suitable cruise standard. A good price should not be cheap but reasonable for the quality.
Normally, people opt to cruise from a 3 star standard for their overnight trip to ensure the quality of the cruise. We can give you almost exact price ranges (per person, per night) for different types of overnight cruises as below:
- 3-star cruise: €120 – €135
- 4-star cruise: €130 – €160
- 5-star cruise: €140 – €200
Besides the popular price ranges above, there are many special 5-star luxury Halong Bay cruises with amazing prices that normally start from around €300 per night, such as Emperor, Paradise Peak, Orchid Premium, Ginger Cruise, Violet Cruise, etc.
4. Activities on board
The most effective way to choose the best cruise in Halong is to see what activities they have to offer. Basically, night cruises offer passengers more diverse activities than day cruises. Instead of lounging with a good book or sightseeing around the bay, you can take part in a variety of onboard activities on a 2 or 3 day cruise.
- Kayak is one of the must-do activities in Halong. Most 2 and 3 day cruises mention kayaking in their itinerary and excursion. You will kayak among uplifting limestone karsts or through dark and bright caves to get closer to the charm of Halong Bay.
- Cycling: You can cycle on off-the-beaten-track routes and in some local villages. It’s the best thing to do when traveling with your family, friends and other half.
- Tai Chi exercise: Many overnight cruises offer Tai Chi as a morning exercise to start a new day on the rooftop terrace. Tai Chi is a gentle physical exercise providing relaxation and retreat beneficial to your health.
- Yoga classes: Instead of Tai Chi classes, some cruises offer yoga classes as an onboard fitness activity. It’s perfect for taking a meditation retreat while soaking up the refreshing air. As a yoga and meditation addict, you shouldn’t miss Scarlet Pearl Cruises And Dragon Legend Cruise.
- Cooking classes: For those who enjoy traditional Vietnamese cuisine, a cooking class is a great opportunity to learn basic Vietnamese cooking methods and demonstrations through instruction in rolling fresh/fried spring rolls. Actually, you don’t have to cook anyway. It’s an interesting way to socialize and relax.
- Night squid fishing: is such a fun nighttime activity during the cruise. You will be guided by the staff on how to catch fresh squid with a fishing rod.
- Sunbathing: A spacious terrace or balcony is an ideal place for sunbathing. All you have to do is put your feet up and lie down on a deck chair, sometimes a good book can be a great companion.
- Pool party: If you are traveling with a group of friends, you can consider choosing a cruise that has an outdoor swimming pool to enjoy an exciting pool party. Some jacuzzi boats you should try include Stella of the Sea, Jasmine Cruise, Orchid Cruise, Mon Cheri Cruise, etc.
- Spa and massages: are ways to exhilarate and relax on a cruise. If you’re a fan of spa treatments, book a tour of Ha Long Bay with a spa available on most cruise ships.
5. Check what’s included
In fact, most cruises can offer these basic services: fully equipped cabin with air conditioning, meals, sightseeing, kayaking, night fishing, cooking classes, spa and massage, swimming and tai chi classes. However, some cruises may offer different sightseeing itineraries than others.
For example, Mon Cheri Cruise takes you to Cat Ba Island and kayaking at Dark & Night Cave, Orchid Cruise also lets you visit Cat Ba Island, but it also takes you further into the less touristy area of Bai Tu Long Bay, and Swan Cruise gives you the chance to swim at Cap La Island and visit the incredible Thien Canh Son Cave. It is necessary to compare the best cruise lines with each other.
It’s also easy to see that the higher the cruise quality, the better the cabin. However, expensive 5-star cruises bring much more than you might expect. Some have a pool and jacuzzi on the deck like Jasmine Cruise and Orchid Cruise; Stella of the Sea Cruise has a mini-golf course on its 4 th bridge ; in particular, the Emperor Cruise offers a unique experience to its guests by offering them all-inclusive services with unlimited spa and massage services, food and drinks (including alcohol), each room is attended by different staff (24-hour service and 7 days a week), etc.
Just think about what you really want and need for your Halong Bay trip, and you can find the most suitable cruise that will definitely meet your requirements.
