Ha Long Bay travel guide

Limestone karsts and overnight cruises. Most people stay 1–2 nights. Best months: Oct, Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr.

Highlights

• Overnight cruise
• Kayak / caves
• Karst seascape

Things to do in Ha Long Bay

• Ha Long / Lan Ha Bay overnight cruise · Full day · about ₹14,000 per person. Lan Ha routes are quieter; pick free cancellation in Aug–Oct typhoon season.
• Ha Long day cruise with Hanoi transfer · Full day · about ₹4,500 per person. Long day (~3h road each way) — skip if you already do an overnight.
• Kayaking & Sung Sot cave · 2 h · free. Usually included on cruises — confirm before paying extra.
• Ti Top Island viewpoint · 1.5 h · free
• Sun World Ha Long Queen cable car · 2 h · about ₹1,200 per person

Where to stay in Ha Long Bay

• On-board cruise cabin (Lan Ha / Ha Long) (mid, ₹0–₹0 a night): Your cruise ticket includes the cabin night.
• Bai Chay waterfront (budget, ₹2,500–₹4,500 a night): If you day-cruise instead of sleeping on board.
• Cat Ba town (budget, ₹1,800–₹3,500 a night): Base for Lan Ha kayaking on a budget.

Getting there

• ~2.5–3.5h from Hanoi by road
• Tuan Chau / Bai Chay piers

Good to know

• Typhoon risk Aug–Oct — check cruise cancellations

Vietnam itineraries with Ha Long Bay

• 5 days in the north: Hanoi, a Ha Long cruise night and Ninh Binh · 5 days, Hanoi → Ha Long Bay → Ninh Binh · from ₹33,825 per person, base estimate before flights. A long-weekend-plus-two for first-timers: Hanoi's Old Quarter, one night sleeping on the bay and a karst-and-rice-paddy finish, with no domestic flights.
• Express north · 5 days · 5 days, Hanoi ↔ Ha Long · from ₹35,400 per person, base estimate before flights. Minimum viable Vietnam: capital + overnight cruise.
• 6 days in northern Vietnam: Hanoi, Sapa's peaks and a Ha Long cruise · 6 days, Hanoi → Sapa → Ha Long Bay · from ₹36,900 per person, base estimate before flights. Mountains and sea in under a week: a quick Hanoi taste, two Sapa nights with Cat Cat and Fansipan, then a night in Ha Long before your cruise.
• 6 days in Vietnam from Kolkata: Hanoi, a Ha Long cruise and Saigon · 6 days, Hanoi → Ha Long Bay → Ho Chi Minh City → Mekong Delta day trip · from ₹42,600 per person, base estimate before flights. A short-break Vietnam built for travellers from eastern India: fly into Hanoi, take a cruise, then spend three Saigon nights with Cu Chi and the Mekong.
• 6 romantic days in Vietnam: Hanoi, a bay cruise and Hoi An · 6 days, Hanoi → Ha Long Bay → Hoi An → Da Nang · from ₹41,350 per person, base estimate before flights. A short couples' trip with three big moments: sunset on a Ha Long cruise deck, lantern boats in Hoi An, and the Golden Bridge above the clouds.
• 7 days for couples from Saigon to Ha Long Bay · 7 days, Ho Chi Minh City → Mekong Delta day trip → Hoi An → Da Nang → Hanoi → Ha Long Bay · from ₹48,025 per person, base estimate before flights. A one-week romantic sprint up Vietnam: a Saigon river dinner, the Mekong, a single magical Hoi An night, Ba Na Hills, Hanoi and a sunset cruise.
• 7 days from Hanoi to Hoi An: Ninh Binh, a bay cruise and lantern nights · 7 days, Hanoi → Ninh Binh → Ha Long Bay → Hoi An → Da Nang · from ₹47,275 per person, base estimate before flights. North-to-centre in one week: Hanoi, a night among Ninh Binh's karsts, a cruise, then Hoi An's lanterns and Ba Na Hills before flying home from Da Nang.
• 7 days in northern Vietnam: Ninh Binh, a bay cruise and Sapa's rice terraces · 7 days, Hanoi → Ninh Binh → Ha Long Bay → Sapa · from ₹46,325 per person, base estimate before flights. The north's three big landscapes in one week (limestone rivers, the bay and the terraces), ending with a proper day of trekking rather than a drive-by viewpoint.
• 7 days in the north at an easy pace: Hanoi, Ha Long, Sapa and Ninh Binh · 7 days, Hanoi → Ha Long Bay → Sapa → Ninh Binh · from ₹46,050 per person, base estimate before flights. A gentler take on the northern loop: a cooking class, a cruise, a herbal-bath morning in Sapa and two unhurried nights among Ninh Binh's paddies to finish.
• 7 days in the north: Ninh Binh first, then the bay, Sapa and a final Hanoi night · 7 days, Ninh Binh → Ha Long Bay → Sapa → Hanoi · from ₹45,950 per person, base estimate before flights. Fly in and go straight to the countryside: two Ninh Binh nights, a cruise, a trek in Sapa and a last evening in Hanoi's Old Quarter before you fly home.