Halong Bay Small Group Adventure Tour including Cruise, from Hanoi

Hanoi, Vietnam

Discover the striking beauty of World Heritage-listed Halong Bay on this Halong Bay small group adventure tour from Hanoi. Drive through the rural villages of northern Vietnam, board a private Chinese junk and set sail through turquoise waters dotted with over 2,000 magnificent limestone islands. Explore the many karsts and enjoy a seafood buffet while taking in the bay's mystical scenery.

Your Halong Bay tour begins with a 3.5-hour drive from the hectic pace in Vietnam's capital city, Hanoi, to the tranquil and beautiful Halong Bay. En route stop at the Hong Ngoc Humanity Center, developed to provide support to communities in the area. The handicrafts made at the center are available for you to purchase.

On arrival in Halong City board the Chinese junk for your cruise on Halong Bay, famous for its lime karsts jutting out of the green waters creating a spectacular vista as nearly 2000 islands fill the bay. A UNESCO listed World Heritage site since 1994, Halong Bay means "Bay of the Descending Dragon".  Legend has it that a long time ago when the Vietnamese were fighting off foreign invaders, the gods sent a family of dragons to assist in the fight. During the battle the dragons spat out jewels that would later become the islands that now are scattered around the bay.

The private 5-hour cruise explores some of the grottos or caves that have formed in many of the islands that fill Halong Bay. Visit a fishing village where you learn about the culture and customs of the local inhabitants. Providing the weather is warm enough there is a chance to stop and swim in the emerald waters of the bay. For those not wanting to swim, relax on board and soak up the atmosphere. Enjoy a scrumptious seafood lunch on board the boat before returning  to Hanoi.

USD $79.00

Review by: Tara R	April 2012
Unfortunately the weather on 30th March was so windy the boat could not go out. We travelled for 2hrs to get to the port then waited for 2hrs at the port and then got a no. Quite disapointed i didn't get to see the islands but better to be safe.

Review by: Susan M	March 2012
HaLong Bay itself was a real treat, even if the day was misty and we got enveloped in fog. Our tourguide was a disappointment - obviously not a professional, offering very little commentaries during the 3hr drive THEN slept for 2hrs on the way home ! She also was not cleanly dressed (looked like she was the tourist), altho she did smile to us a lot. More importantly, when we got trapped in the fog for 30min, we were practically lost at sea ... it appeared the boat did not carry a compass (at the very least). We missed a barge or two by metres only. It was myself and another tourist, who was able to activate his Blackberry GPS apps showing our location to be heading straight North, when I said my little knowledge tells me we should be turning West !!! Nothing wrong with the UNESCO attraction we went to see; perhaps Viator should do a serious enquiry on this incident, and re-train our tourguide.

Review by: Sanjay B	February 2012
Fantastic!

Review by: michael h	February 2012
Great. The bay and the cave was excellent. the food was great. Highly recommended. The only down side was the uncomfortable seats in the mercedes mini van. Apart from that a great day

Review by: RENATE G	February 2012
Great experience!! Let down only by the weather nevertheless so worth it!

Review by: j a f	January 2012
this trip was really enjoyable and informative. the group was small - only 6 people and the guide really knew his stuff! shame it was raining............

Review by: Sihan Y	January 2012
Tour guide has very good command of English. Food on board the boat was nice. Lovely trip and group size is small (only 5 of us) but a price kinda on the high side.

Review by: Swati	December 2011
The trip was very beautiful and started without any delays or hassles with hotel pick up. The food on board could have been better though, in both quality and quantity.

Review by: Erik L	December 2011
very beautiful trip

Review by: Deena N	November 2011
Highly Recommend this tour.. A long drive but well worth the trip, excellent tour guide great explainations (very Funny). Had the boat to ourselves, our group had 4 people in it... Thanks

Review by: David D	November 2011
Throughly enjoyable trip with one exception. The visit to the limestone cave was chaotic with too many people in a small space.

Review by: Ron J	November 2011
A great day, excellent guide and driver, only three of us, so we had the boat etc to ourselves, Lovely freshly cooked lunch, We enjoyed the day very much.

Review by: Pamela D	November 2011
It was an excellent tour. Our guide was personable, knowledgeable and lots of fun. He made the tour outstanding.

Review by: David H K S	November 2011
Halong Bay is a lot nicer than imagined. Will be staying on the overnight junk tour next time around.

Review by: Grace C	September 2011
Other than the following observations, the trip was wonderful and the place deserves everyone to visit for at least once:

Review by: Melissa B	August 2011
lovely tour

Review by: Sharon L	August 2011
Worth the visit and 3 hr drive from Hanoi. Also great to meet other people in the group.

Review by: Lisa	June 2011
We were lucky - we were the only 2 on the tour so we had a private guide. Halong bay is amazing and our guide was excellent. We had a wonderful time. Thank you

Review by: Catherine S	June 2011
Great day out, however it is a long day as the drive to and from is long, 6 hours in total! We were lucky as we had a huge Boat for 6 of us, so plenty of room and a chance to move around the boat. Well worth seeing.

Review by: William F	May 2011
Excellent tour, great tour guide very efficient spoke English very well. lots of knowledge. Excellent lunch on the cruise Great great great!!!

Review by: Gerard L G	April 2011
Everything went well as planned. The bay was spectacular as described. There were only 5 people on our trip but we still got a full size bus and boat.The food was excellent and plentiful. The young tour guide was extremely informative and helpful, way beyond belief and the cave was a very worthwhile surprise. From our experience, I completely recommend this trip. If we had more time i would have stayed overnight certainly, to enhance the balance overall

Review by: David W	April 2011
Not long enough on the Bay itself. Could have easily left earlier and come back a little later to get an extra hour or so

Review by: Veronica C	April 2011
The four hour road trip (one way) to Halong Bay was very tedious. The actual Cruise was relaxing and the lunch provided was quite adequate. The stop on the fish farm and the cave was interesting. Did not like the pressure put on us to purchase items from the locals while on the cruise as tourists endure this on the streets throughout Vietnam._br/_ I would recommend this cruise but you need to be aware of the long trip there and back.

Review by: travel seniors	March 2011
FIRSTLY A VERY LONG DAY--3.5 HOURS EACH WAY._br/_ ON ARRIVAL ,OUR GROUP OF FOUR PUT ON A SAMPAN WHICH WAS VERY CLEAN AND STURDY. THE DAY WAS OVER CAST, WHICH I UNDERSTAND IS COMMON AND WE CRUISED TO AN ISLAND WITH THE MAJOR BAY ATTRACTION BEING THE HEAVENLY GROTTO CAVERNS. THESE WERE THE LARGEST AND BEST WE HAVE EVER SEEN, A REAL EXPERIENCE.THEN A CRUISE AROUND THE ISLANDS WHICH WE CONSIDERED AVERAGE. VISIBILITY IS LIMITED AND HAZY PHOTOS THE RESULT._br/_ HAVING TOURED ASIA TO DEATH WE WERE A LITTLE DISAPPOINTED CONSIDERING THE LONG DAY._br/_ OTHER OPTION IS AN OVERNIGHT STAY ON THE BOAT--SOME FELLOW TRAVELERS WHO DID THIS STATED SLEEPLESS NIGHT WITH BOAT NOISE AND ROCKING._br/_ A LONG DAY FOR SO LITTLE?

Review by: Diane	March 2011
Although a long dive, the stops on the way were most welcome and a surprise to see all the crafts by hanicapped people. The Bay was a realy eye opener and very atmsopheric. . The visit to the caves and fish farm was terrific. Lunch on board the boat was a real treat. A trip not to be missed

Review by: Jackie D	March 2011
The driver and guide showed up quite promptly. Only 2 of us booked this tour on our day, but everything went on as if we had a full group. I quite enjoyed having an almost private tour :) Just know that the drive is long from Hanoi, about 4 hours each way. The driver was good at stopping every 2 hours or so for a stretch and bathroom break. When we made it to the boat, we also found we had the whole boat to ourselves. The lunch was awesome!! This is a beautiful site that should not be missed.

Review by: Warren	February 2011
Top notch, excellent guide. Bus getting there was spacious. Food on the boat was also good. I couldn't recommend Indochina tours enough.

Review by: Claire M	February 2011
The cruise was ok lasted 3 hours when should of lasted 5 hours as listed in their description. Takes 3.5hours to get there and get back so long way to go for 3 hrs.

Review by: Victor	January 2011
It was kinda long drive but the beauty and serenity of Halong Bay is amazing. The cave we went into was breathtaking. My wife and I really enjoyed and given the chance to go back we'll stay over a night or two. Thanks to our guide.

Review by: wendy	January 2011
It was great wish it was longer.Great team every one of them ._br/_ Regards Wendy fischer

Review by: Zeca	January 2011
This particularly tour in one day makes you tired and a little bored and the road from Hanoi to Halong is not the best....and besides you have to be lucky with the weather, if you are not sure about the sunshine dont do it is a bit disappointed; lunch insuficcient.

Review by: MARY P	December 2010
Halong is stunning and an absolute must, but, as with HCM Hanoi trip, guide was inexperienced and had little offer in the way of promptness, information or organization. If you choose this trip be aware that only a limited time is spent amongst the pillars of limestone and that the ship idles for a prolonged period on the far side of the pillars waiting to go forward to dock. this is understandable given the amount of traffic, but being summonsed to eat lunch in the 'salon' of the junk during the short period of time amongst the pillars is not the best way to make the most of a limited time available to view the best scenery on offer.

Review by: Kenneth B	December 2010
The food was excellent and the scenery gorgeous. Shame there was only 3 hours sailing in the Bay

Review by: CARMEN G	November 2010
The Halong Bay is very nice, although in Autumn the sea waters are not so clear, as a result of the Red River flow. The trip from Hanoi and back takes around 7 hours due to the bad traffic and it is a bit too much. The service ( driver, guide, boat, food) was impecable.

Review by: Osman A	November 2010
It was just a couple of us on this trip which collected us form the hotel in Hanoi and took us for a journey up to Halong Bay. The tour guide was very friendly and made sure to keep us informed throughout the trip on various Vietnamese customs and history. The Halong Bay tour itself is well organized. The boat is more than sufficient and food delicious. It's a simple trip and perfect if you have a short stay in Hanoi and only want to do a quick day trip to Halong Bay itself. The tour operator is professional. We had a private car for the journey but they also do minibuses if there are more people booked. The tour guide and driver never suggested we pay for tips as is the case on some other such trips which made the whole trip a much more pleasant and hassle free experience. Would I recommend this trip to anyone else? Absolutely - if a quick day trip and tour is what you want then this is the tour for you!

Review by: rhiannon b, Australia	June 2010
Great trip! Nice day and loverly food!

Review by: Anonymous, France	June 2010
Amazing! Very friendly tour guide, highly recommeded to use VIATOR!

Review by: Dianne E, United States of America	June 2010
It was a good trip, although it would have been better in a group. I booked a group tour, but was the only one on the tour. The guide and driver were friendly. The weather was overcast with sprinkles and I imagine much more scenic with better weather. The food on the boat was quite good.

Review by: Susan M, Australia	March 2010
Wonderful day, absolutely beautiful and the tour guide was excellent.

Review by: Frances W, United Kingdom	March 2010
We were picked up promptly from our hotel and driven approx. 3 hours to Halong Bay with a stop half way, going and coming back. The guide spoke excellent english and had a good sense of humour. She took us onto our junk which we had to ourselves and for the next 3 hours we sailed around the islands. We also had lunch on-board which was included and it was cooked fresh and dish after dish kept coming to the table. We were full afterwards and enjoyed the scenery for the rest of the cruise.

Review by: Julie T, United States of America	February 2010
I would have loved for it to be longer, but for a one day trip it was an amazing experience and made me want to come back for more. The boat and staff were very nice, and the guide very friendly and informative. The driver was very nice about stopping for photo ops!

Review by: Robert A, United States of America	February 2010
Halong Bay was amazing...really the only thing I liked in Hanoi area! Bad weather which couldn't be helped, but still beautiful. Great to do in a group.

Review by: Anonymous, South Korea	January 2010
The guide was good and the total trip was very satisfactory.

Review by: Andrew G, United States of America	November 2009
This trip would be better to stay overnight. It takes 3 hours each way to go back and forth to Hanoi.

Review by: Anonymous, United States of America	October 2009
As a single traveler I had booked the shared day trip rather than the private one, simply for social reasons, but I ended up on a private tour anyway since no one else had booked the shared one. Even though that wasn't my first choice I cannot complain about that of course. I had high expectations of Halong Bay and even though I enjoyed the day I cannot say that it was amazing, but certainly worth while. Part of it was maybe that it was a hazy day as a result of which the scenary may not have been as spectacular as on a clear day. Lunch on board was more than adequate and tasty but was surprised to hear that some of the rolls contained fried dog meat. For most travelers probably an usual dish but I was happy that at least I asked. For me, a day trip to Halong was enough but talked to several people who spent a few days and absolutely loved it.

Review by: Anonymous, Australia	October 2009
Excellent.