Halong Bay FAQs - frequently asked questions

The distance between Hanoi and Halong Bay is around 150km that often takes you around 3.5 - 4 hours of driving by the national roads to reach the ports in Halong Bay (Tuan Chau or Hon Gai harbor). However, recently the new expressways Hanoi – Haiphong – Halong have put into operation that helps to reduce the travel time from Hanoi – Halong to around 2.5 hours.

If you choose shuttle bus transfer, please kindly notice that the shuttle bus only picks up and drops off customers at hotels located in the Old Quarter at around 7.30 - 8.30 am with cruises in Tuan Chau/Hon Gai harbor and at around 9.00 - 9.30 am for Got Port – Haiphong. Outside this area, you are advised to take a taxi to a meeting point in the Old Quarter (maybe the cruise office) and wait for the shuttle bus to pick you up there. The pick-up time cannot be fixed as the bus has to move around to pick up several ones.

Pick up request at Hanoi Airport is not available with shuttle bus transportation. It can be handled by a private car only.

Pick up request at Hanoi train station (Sapa arrival) is not available because you arrive Hanoi early at about 5:00 AM from Sapa while the shuttle bus pick up time is at around 7.30 - 8.30 am with cruises in Tuan Chau/Hon Gai harbor and at around 9.00 - 9.30 am for Got Port - Haiphong.

You can choose to go to either the Opera House or the cruise office to be picked up. Normally, the cruise office will be the first pick-up point at about 7.30 am with cruises in Tuan Chau/Hon Gai harbor or at about 9.00 am with cruises in Got Port - Haiphong and the Opera House is the last pick-up point at 8.00 – 8.30 am with cruises in Tuan Chau/Hon Gai harbor or at about 9.30 am with cruises in Got Port - Haiphong.

If you book the shuttle bus Hanoi – Halong – Hanoi (Tuan Chau/Hon Gai harbor), the driver will drop you off at your hotel at around 4.30 - 5.00 pm if you travel via the national roads. While if you travel via the expressways or from Got Ferry Port, the shuttle bus will transfer you back to your hotel at around 2.30 - 3.00 pm.

There are 02 ways for you to get to Hanoi Airport after cruising:

If you book the shuttle bus, because it is impossible for you to be dropped off at Hanoi Airport by the shuttle bus, you will come back to your hotel in the Old Quarter at about 2.30 - 3.00 pm (Got Port) / 4.30 - 5.00 pm (Tuan Chau/ Hon Gai harbor). Then, please ask the hotel staff to book you a taxi to transfer you to Hanoi Airport which will take you one more hour.

If you book the private car, we can drop you off directly at Hanoi Airport on the way back. You are supposed to reach Hanoi Airport at about 3.00 - 3.30 pm.

There are 02 ways for you to get to Haiphong Airport from Got Ferry Port after cruising:

Most cruises disembark at around 12.00 noon at Got Port – Haiphong. Because it is impossible for you to be dropped off at Haiphong Airport by the shuttle bus, please ask the cruise lounge staff to book you a taxi to transfer you to the Airport which will take you one more hour.

If you book the private car, we can drop you off directly at Haiphong Airport in 45 minutes (1.00 pm).

It depends on your budget and your time. If you have enough time and can afford the longer option, we highly recommend you to book a 2-night cruise because of some reasons as below:

- It takes time to travel from Hanoi to Halong, if you do 3 days 2 nights program, you have more time to spend on the boat.

- The 3 days 2 nights itinerary allows you to explore further parts of the Bay and experience different activities like swimming, kayaking, boat rowing, trekking (in Cat Ba National Park), etc. that the 2 days 1 night itinerary cannot offer.

You are recommended to bring: sunglasses, sunblock, wide brim hat, insect repellents, swimming suites (in summer) or warm clothes (in winter), original passport and your camera to save your memorable time at Halong Bay.

Passengers are not allowed to bring on board things listed below:

You should bring with you the necessary ones as there is not much space on the shuttle bus and the cabin.

In case you stay the same hotel before and after the cruise, we highly recommend you leave your big suitcase at the hotel as you only travel to Halong Bay for 2 or 3 days.

If you are satisfied with the quotation we give you, we will send you the payment link to pay a deposit or pay full for the booking.

Normally, you just need to deposit 50% total of the price (easy and secure with One Pay payment system).

The remained balance will be paid by credit card via ONEPAY system 15 days prior to your departure date.

In case your departure date is so close, according to the policy for booking less than 15 days, full payment is required.

Using credit cards in Vietnam, you will be charged from 3% of the amount paid for the bank fee whether you pay online or present your credit cards in Vietnam.

After your payment, our system will send you an invoice immediately. Then, we will make a reservation for your booking. We will send you an email to confirm and ask for the passengers’ information to complete the booking for you.

We have alternative menus to suit your food requirements.

All meals onboard are included in the price.

All the boats in Halong Bay are well equipped with life vests in cabins and public areas. Not to mention, all of them are maintained every six months with technical supervision.

When checking in onboard, you will be guided carefully about safety instructions and equipment.

Halong Bay has a humid tropical climate. There are four seasons in a year. Winter’s temperatures can drop down to 12°C-17°C. Summer is mostly sunny but rain showers are frequent as the humidity is higher. Spring and Autumn are nicely warm.

Summer is a good time for Halong Bay because you can enjoy swimming and kayaking. However, summer is not the high season in Halong Bay because of its hot weather.

There are many exciting activities available onboard such as:

Smoking is not allowed in the cabins and inside the cruises.

Some cruises in Halong Bay offer you a triple room including a double bed and a single bed.

With 3 days 2 nights itinerary, you will be transferred into a day boat on the second day from about 8.30 am to 4.30 pm.

If you need to amend your departure date, please kindly contact our travel consultant as soon as possible to check the availability of the cabin.

Cruising and sailing in Halong Bay are strictly regulated by a local board: the Halong Bay Management Board (also known as Halong Bay Port Authority). Every morning, the Port Authority delivers a permit to each cruise company allowing them to sail in Halong Bay. Both day cruises and overnight cruises are regulated this way.

In case of bad weather conditions and risks of tropical storms, the Port Authority might limit the possibilities of cruising and even decide to cancel all cruises.

In those cases, we will inform you as soon as the information is available, which unfortunately might only be upon the guest's arrival at the harbor.

There are 02 ways for you to get the refund:

Refund by cash: we will come to your hotel to give you the refund by cash.

When you enter Vietnam, you will need the Vietnam Visa. There are 2 options for the visa to Vietnam.

Option 1: You get the visa stamp from your city by contacting the Vietnam Embassy in your country or your state.

If you choose option 1, you need to send us the passengers’ Passport Scans (if you do not have a scanner, you may use your camera and take a picture of your passport) + Vietnam Visa Expiry Date to complete the overnight procedure in Halong Bay.

Option 2: We will apply the Visa Letter for you – Single Entry for 01 Month (it is free) and you can get the visa stamp on arrival at the airport. The stamp fee will be 25.00 USD/person by cash. You may have to wait in line for about 45 to 90 minutes for the processing.

Please prepare some local currency because it is better for you to pay by VND rather than in USD when you stay in Vietnam.

There is no doctor available neither on board nor on the bay .

There is no doctor available neither on board nor on the bay.

However, all vessels are equipped with First Aid Kits and basic medicine supply.

After your cruising from Tuan Chau Marina, please ask the staff on the cruise to show you the place to buy tickets for the ferry to Cat Ba Island. It is only about 300 – 500m from your cruise to the ticket counter.

You can send us emails in the office hour.

We work from 8.00 am to 5.30 pm from Monday to Friday. At the weekend, the cruises’ offices are closed so we cannot check the availability for you. We could not check the availability of the cruise too during lunchtime from 12.00 noon until 1.30 pm every day.

Booking in advance is definitely better than late booking because you will have much time to check the prices of the cruises and select the best cruise for you.

Famous cruises are often fully booked far in advance so you will not have many choices in the last minutes.

Kayaking is a part of the itinerary. Kayaking is always included in the 3 days 2 nights program.