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Halong bay is the top destination in vietnam and Halong bay cruises is a must for all visitors. In this article
I would like to share some experience to arrange a trip
to Halong bay by yourself.
As there are a lot of cruises in Halong bay serving all
types of tourists, each cruiser has it's good points and
depending on your budget travelers can choose the most
suitable for your trip.
Most cruises in Halong bay have their own website and
you can make a booking online through the web. There are
some things you need to be aware:
Online booking - Booking the trip directly with the
cruiser via official website is more expensive than you
book through an online travel agent, this is a normal
practice in Vietnam tourism industry as the cruise
companies usually offer a better price for travel
agents. However not all travel agents are reliable and
passengers may find themselves end up on another cruiser
and not the one they have been confirmed. My advise is
book directly with the cruiser, price is higher however
your trip is secured and you will get what you paid for.
Transport to and from Halong bay: Most cruises offer bus
service roundtrip as part of the package, passengers
will be picked up from different hotels in Hanoi centre,
some high class cruises charge an additional cost for
the transfers, travelers can also arrange their
transport by themselves, it takes about 4 hours drive
each way with 30 minutes stop at a shopping centre, if
you are on a family trip with children we recommend that
you rent a private car, about 150 usd for a 2 day trip
and thus you can start at your convenience.
Cruising itinerary: Each cruise company built their own
itinerary however the programs are pretty similar, the
cruise will cover the best part of Halong bay such as
Fighting cock islet, Heavenly cave or Amazing cave, a
short visit to a fishing village and then to Titop
island beach for swimming. If you take a 3 day tour the
whole second day will be kayaking or other activities,
travelers will be sent to a smaller boat going further
out to different part of Halong bay for kayaking,
swimming or relax at an isolated island beach and return
to mother cruiser at the end of the day. Some companies
extend the itinerary to Lan Ha bay or Cat Ba island,
staying overnight at hotel in Cat Ba island and go
trekking the next day in Cat Ba national park. Visitors
can also choose to stay at a beach resort bungalow such
as Monkey island resort, Cat Ong resort or Suoi Goi eco
lodge resort. As Halong bay has become touristy in
recent years more cruisers have change their itinerary
to Bai Tu Long bay which is more natural and still
unspoilt by tourism.
Food and drinks: Halong is a sea bay and no wonder food
served on cruise ship is mostly seafood with fish, crabs
or sentinel, prawn, squid...The food on board is cooked
in Vietnamese style, you can also request other things
like beef, chicken or pork when you make a booking,
vegetarian food is also available. For cheap and
midrange cruises, food is served for the whole group on
a big table, food is nice but maybe not enough for all.
Some cruisers like Indochina arrange dinners in the cave
with candle light that is a very nice experience, other
boats organize BBQ lunch at a beach. Drinks on board are
not included and it is pretty expensive compared to
average price on shore. Wines and fizzy drinks are
available at bar on the cruiser and travelers are
recommended to check price before you order.
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