Hanoi to Halong Bay Day Trip
Halong Bay is usually visited overnight on a two or three day cruise. It's more relaxing and more enjoyable for those visitors to Vietnam who have a couple of days spare. Those who enjoy a few drinks on the rooftop watching the night sky in the bay is a sight to see. But, if you do not have time. This is the perfect way to see Halong Bay in one day from hanoi.
Introduction
Halong Bay is located in Quang Ninh Province just 150 - 160 km from Hanoi in the north east of Vietnam. Since the new expressway was built in 2016, the travel time has been cut down from 3 - 4 hours to just 2 - 2.5 hours. A significant drop in journey time, which is more beneficial for the day trippers short on time.
A day trip to Halong Bay from Hanoi these days can be done a few different ways. From the very low budget to Halong Bay, or high end luxury which visits the less populated Lan Ha Bay.
There are also varying times on the bay for either five or six hours, along with different modes of transport from Hanoi too.
It all depends on what you wish to get out of this day. If you are not too worried about quality, you can go for a budget trip. But if you want to have a memorable experience, this is where we can help at Travel Agent Hanoi.
Check out the full details of what is available on a Halong Bay Day trip from Hanoi below.
One-day Halong Bay Trip Guide
The mode of transport!
There a few ways you can get to Halong Bay from Hanoi and I will go through the different modes of transport below.
- Shared bus - this is usually on the low quality day trips. You will share a 16 seater bus or larger and usually in large groups. Not so comfortable for a two hour journey to Halong Bay, but still fine.
- Shared Limousine Bus - this is the way to travel. It is usually put on by the cruise themselves & can either be a larger limousine bus with around 35 seats. Or, there are the smaller limousine buses, which are generally around 8 or 9 seats. This is usually offered by the high quality Halong Bay day cruises and more personal.
- Private Transport - If you are a family or group of friends heading to Halong Bay on a day trip, we might suggest booking your own private car or bus. We can organise the private limousine bus for guests if they wish.
Places to See!
There are a couple of routes for this day trip to Halong Bay and it all depends on your budget and time available.
Six Hour Route
This is the classic version and visits the core elements of Halong Bay. Such places will be Sung Sot (Surprise) Cave, Titop Island and Luon Cave. As these are the most popular places to see, you should expect very large crowds when you visit. It's not only the day trips which visit these locations, but the overnight cruises too...you can imagine the amount of people!!
Sung Sot Cave
This cave is the largest & most famous of the caves in Halong Bay at 10,000 sqm. This is the cave most cruises will visit on a day trip to Halong Bay.
Sung Sot cave is located on Bo Hon Island and is also named "Surprise" cave. It is aptly named because when visitors go through the tiny entrance, they are shocked when presented with a massive cave interior.
The three chambers inside this cave are as follows;
Waiting Room - this chamber feels like a ballroom with sparkling chandeliers, or stalactites hanging from a 30 metre high ceiling.
Main Hall (Serene Castle) - a huge space which can house thousands of people, there literally are when you visit! There are rock formations which are shaped like flowers, horses and sea creatures with giant stone pillars.
The Royal Garden - close to the exit of the cave, at the highest level, you will see a lake with clear freshwater & green shrubbery which are often visited by the monkeys of the island.
Titop Island
Also known as Titov island. A small island in Halong Bay which is a very popular spot for tourists on a day trip from Hanoi. The island itself offers 360º panoramic views around the bay & a crescent moon shaped beach. As you can imagine, the crowds to this attraction will be immense, especially during the summer.
The Name - you may wonder why its named Titop or Titov island. In 1962, president Ho Chi Minh honoured the visiting Russian Cosmonaut Gherman Titov by naming the island after him. A monument was also erected on the island, near the beach in 2015.
The Viewpoint - there are around 450 steps up to the peak of the island. It can be quite challenging for some, but once you are up there, the views around Halong Bay are well worth it.
The Beach - a crescent shaped beach with beautiful white sand with gentle calm waves lapping at shore. This is a serene spot to sit and chill out during your day trip to Halong Bay. Because of its shape and location, its probably one of the very few beaches which allow easy swimming.
The Activities - there are some water sports which you can get involved in while you are here. Generally the stop here is for one to two hours. But do check with your guide (you don't want to be left behind) and then perhaps hire out a kayak, SUP board or a jet ski while you are here.
The Time - as you can imagine, during the day tours and overnight cruises, around 10am - 3pm is very busy. If you are on a private charter perhaps, you could visit much earlier or later to avoid huge crowds.
Luon Cave
A natural cave located on Bo Hon Island and unlike Sung Sot Cave, this is simply a cave on water. You can only access this by kayak or bamboo raft. Of which, is usually supplied by the day cruise for your pleasure. Its an iconic image seeing people in bamboo rafts riding through the tunnel like cave and emerging the other side in to a gorgeous hidden lagoon.
Take a kayak from the cruise and paddle your way through the 80 metre long tunnel and see the intricate shapes of the cave above your heads. When you come out the other side you are in for a real treat. It is a stunning view on the other side and well worth paying for the kayak. There can usually be seen a troupe of 50 or so Golden Monkeys in and around this cave. Along with orchids, ferns and fig trees.
Eight Hour Route
On the eight hour day cruise to Halong Bay, it tends to be the more luxurious of the cruises. An 8 hour Lan Ha Bay luxury day cruise generally visit different locations. To keep away from the crowds they tend to visit Lan Ha Bay. Here are some of the locations visited on an eight hour luxury cruise.
Dark & Bright Cave
Known in Vietnamese as Hang Sang Toi is very similar to Luon Cave in that its a water based cave. Kayaking and bamboo rafting through this tunnel of a cave is another highlight on your day trip to Halong Bay. Located just on the edge of Halong Bay & Lan Ha Bay, which is just far enough away to keep the hordes of visitors at bay.
There are two sections of this cave as the name suggests and are as follows;
Dark Cave - this cave is very narrow and approximately 200m long with very little light because of the low ceiling. It isn't visited as often due to high tides and safety concerns.
Bright Cave - this cave is wider and shorter at around 100m long. Rays of light shine through gaps in the limestone, lighting up the cave. As you exit the cave, you are presented with a stunning blue lagoon with rising limestone karsts all around. A stunning view to be had on this kayak journey on a day cruise to Lan Ha Bay.
Ao Ech (Frog Pond)
This is a premier spot located in Lan Ha Bay & is visited by the more luxurious of day cruises. The best spot for kayaking and swimming in crystal clear waters of this tranquil lagoon is the main attraction here. If there is one reason why you shouldn't skimp on your day cruise to Lan Ha Bay, this is one of them.
Ba Trai Dao Beach (Three Peaches)
A group of three islets with pristine white sandy beaches is the next reason why you should choose a luxury day cruise. The soft sandy beaches which are crescent shaped are the perfect locations for a romantic trip with very few people visiting. Swimming and sunbathing are the best things to do here, so complete relaxation is the key.
Other key areas usually visited on an eight hour long cruise.
Tra Bau - quiet lagoon for kayaking & visiting floating fishing villages, learn all about local life in a floating house.
Da Chong Islet - home to the 100 year old French lighthouse.
If you are interested in the 8 hour day trip to Lan Ha Bay, contact us now. In the text box, mention "Lan Ha Bay kayaking and Dark and Bright Cave tour". Simon will get back to you.
Cai Beo Fishing Village - Some luxury cruises will visit this floating village which is close to Cat Ba Island. It is said to be the oldest and largest of them all.
Viet Hai Village - Situated in Cat Ba National Park on Cat Ba Island is this quaint little village. Most extended tours, or overnight cruises will visit this spot. You can usually take a bicycle ride or electric car through the jungle to visit this traditional village.
