Ha Long Bay, Vietnam travel : how to reach

We took a one-day trip to Ha Long Bay from Hanoi on December 28 2022.

Ha Long Bay is a world UNESCO heritage site since 1994. Its about 2.5 hours by road from Hanoi, and is most of the most popular day trips. Its most famous for its many islands (over 1100)-  rugged, rocky and heavily wooded; the water really is emerald green (we thought this was just hyperbole, but it really was!) and there are some spectacular caves on some islands. Ha Long (which means the ‘descending dragon’) has become the symbol, the most recognized natural formation for Vietnam and with good reason! Over the years tourism has steadily increased here, and now the logistics seem well settled.

There are several options, from private buses to tours. Most visitors do a day trip but there are now hotels and cruise ships on which you can stay overnight as well, but expensive. We left our hotel Tirant in the old quarter around 845amm and returned to the hotel around 9 pm the same day. This was December 2022, and it was decently cold on the water- that’s a tip- wrap up warmly! Ha Long bay in December can have cold winds and mist like any European winter! 

Most options cost US$ 55-65 per head in December 2022 (please check latest prices); the one we finally booked was US$ 60 per head. 

Our tour operator, booked via Viator, was VietnamTonkin Travel and Cruises. The bus was quite nice and we were quite impressed with the organization of the trip- the coordinator Mr Trinh Tran was in good touch with us thru whatsapp (which seems the preferred method of communication in Vietnam). As expected, the bus stops at a oyster/ pearl shop and set up on the way for a quick break. The marina to Ha Long bay is quite like an airport terminal with a few shops and counters. The transfer from bus to boat at Ha Long bay shore was quite smooth, and the boat itself was clean and neat. But the most surprising part was the included food. It was quite good- simple, tasty and had good vegetarian options as well (noodles, rice, dimsum, and  local wine / beer/ soft drinks).

Everything was on time, and quite enjoyable. More surprising ( to Indians at least), which also shows how little visitors know about Vietnam, was the good quality of the roads from Hanoi to Ha Long Bay. Could be specially made for the tourist trade, but it was smooth and painless. There were no constant start-stop / grinding gear changes that are so common in India. 

Full details of the visit in next posting! 

All in all, good day trip and worth the effort and money.