Ha Long Bay Tours and Tickets

There are plenty of ways to experience Ha Long Bay. Looking at ratings and reviews previously given by customers, these are the best tours available right now:

• Featured: HALONG—LAN HA BAY All-Inclusive Overnight Cruises

• Full-Day Trip to Lan Ha—Ha Long Bay from Cat Ba, Avoid the Crowds

• Ha Long Bay Cruise Day Tour—Best Selling: Kayaking, Swimming, Hiking & Lunch

• Top Tier: Overnight Ha Long Bay Cruise 5-Star, Balcony Cabin—2D1N

• CozyBay Cruise—The Best Small Group 2D/1N in Halong—All inclusive

You’ll need to join a tour to visit Ha Long Bay; prices depend on group size, inclusions, and whether you want a day trip or an overnight experience. You can find basic day trips from US$13 per person, while premium day options with kayaking and lunch start at around US$50. Popular overnight trips cost from US$120, while 2-night tours begin around US$365. Longer, more luxurious experiences cost much more.

Yes, Ha Long Bay is worth visiting—the UNESCO–listed seascape of limestone karsts rising from the emerald water is genuinely spectacular, and getting out on the water is the only way to truly take it in. Tours cover logistics from start to finish: round-trip transportation from Hanoi, expert guides, kayaking through caves, island stops, and meals included. Whether you go for a day cruise or an overnight trip, it's a rewarding experience.

Per one customer who booked the Ha Long Bay Cruise Day Tour—Best Selling: Kayaking, Swimming, Hiking & Lunch, "One of the most beautiful places on earth! We had a yummy lunch on the boat and a super fun time on a speedboat. We visited Ti Top Mountain with a great view of Ha Long Bay! Our guide was very friendly and knowledgeable. I highly recommend this tour!"

October is generally the best month to visit Ha Long Bay, although climate change means weather patterns are less predictable than they were. The summer monsoon rains and humidity have passed, but the sea is still warm. Expect mellow temperatures, refreshing breezes, plenty of sunshine, and only light rainfall.

Not always. If you're after a specific ship, a luxury cruise, or an unusually long boat tour, you should book your Ha Long Bay ticket well in advance. Advance booking is also essential at peak times: around Christmas, the northern hemisphere New Year, and Tet, Vietnam's Lunar New Year, which falls in January or February.

Yes. A day cruise on a simple wooden boat, including meals, activities, and transfers from Hanoi, can cost just US$50. But your cheapest option is to travel to Cat Ba Island, where hostel beds cost US$10, explore by rented bicycle, and take a US$30 day cruise.

Yes, you can swim in Ha Long Bay—although temperatures can be chilly in winter (December through February). The waters are polluted and can have off-putting amounts of plastic trash, but you’re unlikely to get sick. The beaches where cruise boats stop for swimming do not have heavy currents.

There are tons of fun things to do when you're done visiting Ha Long Bay. According to travelers, these are some of the top attractions in Hanoi:

• Hanoi Old Quarter

• Ninh Binh

• Tam Coc

• Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre

• Hanoi Opera House (Nha Hat Lon)

View Viator's guide to all the best attractions in Hanoi.