Halong Bay Travel Guide

Weather in Halong Bay

Halong Bay is situated in the Northeastern part of the country, its weather is different in 4 seasons (spring, summer, fall, winter) but it can be mainly divided into cold dry winter and hot humid summer.

• Summer (May – Aug): the whole region is quite hot, perfect for swimming and sun-bathing. There is light rain in some days and even unexpected typhoon at the end of the summer that might cancel your trip.
• Autumn (Sept – Oct): the weather is cooler with the chance of storms although they are short lived. The air is clear, perfect for photography and all our scheduled activities.
• Winter (Nov – Jan): Although the winter months from late November to January are quite cold and dry, it is the peak season for the bay. Early morning fog cloaks the islands of Halong in a mysterious beauty.
• Spring (Feb – Apr): is glorious, with clear skies and cool evening breezes. Flowers begin to bloom and trees and bushes sprout new foliage. There is still the possibility of rainy and foggy conditions during the spring months, but the fog is not as thick as it is in the winter.

The best time to visit Ha Long Bay is in the Autumn (from September to November) and in the Spring (from March to May). For those months, the temperature is pleasing, and the sky is clear with soft sunshine, this time will not be affected by bad weathers. There would be many fanstastic outdoor experience in this time. Summer is also a great time to enjoy the sea but the weather is hot and there would be tropical storms happening this time.  

In summer, there would be possibility for cruise cancellation by weather condition, check out Possible Scenarios and Refund Policy.

How to get to Halong Bay

Airport near Halong Bay

• Noi Bai Airport (Hanoi Airport): 165km to Halong Bay, 3,5 hour transfer by cars
• Cat Bi Airport (Hai Phong Airport): 40km to Halong Bay, 45 minutes – 1 hours driving time
• Van Don Airport (50 km from Halong Bay), 1 hour driving time 

Most tourists get to Halong Bay from Hanoi, the destination hub but there are many others visit Halong Bay from Ninh Binh or Hai Phong…

Hanoi to Halong Bay (160km – 2,5 hours)

• Shuttle bus and Private car: this the most popular mode of transport to Halong Bay from Hanoi which takes 2,5 – 3 hours. Most of cruise packages will include shuttle bus with pick up an drop off at hotel in Hanoi Old Quarter and nearby. The quality of shuttle bus has been changed a lot, the introduction of premium transfer service (Luxury van) provided a much better experience when you have better comfortable seat, free wifi, modern facility and very relaxing space on the bus, each has only 7 seats for a small group, it works well to ease the long driving time at a litter higher budget. The road system also has been changed to support better transfer to Halong.

• Local buses area also available to get pick up from My Dinh bus station at price of  7 – 10$, some local buses even pick up from Hanoi center (in front of Hanoi Opeara House) but they speak Vietnamese only and generally not convenient as tourists buses.

• Seaplane: the fastest mode of transport to Halong Bay, just 45 minutes to arrive in Halong Bay instead of 4 hours driving on bus. However, this still takes time to move from Hanoi center to Noi Bai Airport for check in including some waiting time as other flight, the cost is also higher than standard shuttle bus. You might want to try for one way then take shuttle bus for the other route.

• Train: this is not convenient for both tourists and local. We recommend you not to take this transfer, most used by locals to carry goods.

Ninh Binh to Halong Bay

Getting from Ninh Binh to Halong Bay can be easy by hiring a private car to arrive Halong Bay after 4 hours (200 km). There also shuttle bus,  from Ninh Binh to Halong depart at 06:00 – 07:00 and from Halong to Ninh Binh departs at 12:30 – 13:00, price at 350.000 – 400.00 VND (15$ – 17$), this bus schedule works well with overnight cruise time frame.

Hai Phong to Halong Bay

Getting from Hai Phong to Halong Bay by private car is the easiest option (40km, 1 hours transfer) or you can depart from Cat Ba Island on a ferry to Tuan Chau wharf then opt in for shuttle bus to back to Hanoi city.

More about Halong bay transportation:http://www.indochina-junk.com/luxury-van-transport/

Choose the cruise itinerary

There are some popular Halong Bay itinerary that you should consider before booking:

Cruise duration

• 1 day cruise ( 4 – 8 hours)
• 2 day 1 night cruise
• 3 day 2 night cruise
• 4 day 3 night cruise

1 day cruise is chosen by traveler who has very limited time to visit Halong Bay and back to Hanoi within 1 day only. This standard trip starts from Hanoi at 7:00 – 8:00 am to arrive Halong bay habor at 12:00 then enjoy 4 – 6 hour cruising with a set menu lunch and transfer back to Hanoi at 8:00 – 09:00 pm

• Activities: Kayaking, Cave visiting, Floating villages by bamboo boat
• Transfer and lunch will be included in the day trip
• 8 hours cruise is possible on a private boat hiring to cruise further

2 day 1 night cruise is the most popular choice, choosing this program you have less than 24 hours on cruise depending each cruise operators, plus 8 hours transfer to and from Halong Bay and Hanoi. The 2 day cruise let you experience kayaking, visiting cave or fishing village by bamboo boat, food served for dinner, lunch and breakfast.

• Activities: Kayaking, cave visiting, floating villages…
• Less than 24 hours cruising
• Breakfast, lunch and dinner included

3 day 2 night cruise provides another day and night to get further to the bay. Indochina Junk will offer a continuous cruise during 3 day while some other tour will break the second day and transfer you to a day boat excursion then back to the main boat, you are free to check with operator when make a reservation. In this longer cruise, you normally have longer time for kayaking, plus a BBQ on the beach or trekking in the island (Cat Ba Island) and fishing village…

• Activities: Kayaking, cave visiting, floating villages, BBQ on beach, biking…
• Less than 48 hours cruising
• Breakfast, lunch and dinner included

4 day 3 night cruise is for private tour only and be at the higher budget, this private tour could be a very nice experience for a couple on such a boat like L’amour Junk. The longer cruise than 4 days is not available.

More detail can be found here: http://www.indochina-junk.com/choosing-the-right-cruise-itinerary/

Tour itinerary

• Halong Bay 
• Bai Tu Long Bay
• Lan Ha Bay

Halong Bay center becomes more crowded while both Bai Tu Long Bay and Lan Ha bay cruise is a nice alternative experience.

Halong Bay 

• Halong bay center has the most famous attraction and easy to discover but keep overcrowded.
• Cruise departs from Tuan Chau habor
• The main visiting sites: Thien Cung cave, Amazing cave, Titop Island, Soi Sim Island, Cua Van floating village…

Bai Tu Long Bay 

• Depart from Halong International Port 
• The main visiting sites: Thien Canh Son cave, Vung Vieng fishing village, Cong Dam area…
• Less crowded than Halong bay center

Lan Ha Bay 

• Depart from Tuan Chau Marina or Cat Ba island ( Beo Pier)
• The new itinerary with less known attraction but great for kayaking…
• The transfer from Hanoi via Hai Phong national highway to embark cruise at harbor is just 2 hours

Video 3 day 2 night cruise on Bai Tu Long Bay: