Ha Long, Vietnam Reviews and Ratings

Ha Long Bay (also “Halong Bay”) is in northern Vietnam 170 km east of Hanoi. The bay is famous for its scenic rock formations

If you thought the hideout in the James Bond film “The Man with the Golden Gun” was spectacular imagine a place where there are 3000 such limestone islands clustered together in the East Sea of Halong Bay. Paddle through caves into secret lagoons drift down channels surrounded by cliffs and forest and sail out into the open sea. Relax on the deck of our luxurious double-sailed junk and look forward to seafood bought straight from passing fishing craft. Swim alone amongst the limestone islets under the stars and take a breather at a floating village hidden amongst the islands. Our fiber glass sea kayaks make for satisfying travel whether you are an Olympic champion or first time enthusiast.

GETTING THERE

The best way to get to Ha Long Bay is to rent a car from Hanoi from a tour opganizer as ActiveTravelVietnam (ATV). It costs approximately US$100-US$120 return. There is also a tourist open bus service offered by travel agencies around the Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi. Cost is around US$8 net/person/way.

Public buses leave from Long Bien Station to the Bai Chay Station (other side of Red River 5km from Hoan Kiem Lake) every 30 minutes from 6AM to 6PM and cost 50000 dong/person each way. This is not recommended for foreign travelers as these buses are often crowded slow and unsafe.

WHEN TO KAYAK

You can do kayaking on the bay all year around but great time is between October and June. A typical kayaking day starts at about 8.00 am after breakfast. Lunch will be served on support boat. At the end of a kayaking day we would return to the junk by 5 pm or 5.30 pm.

TRAVEL GEARS

On this trip ATV use hard-cell tandem kayak. Paddle life-jacket and dry bag are available. We recommend you to bring some extra gears such as Sun block hat anti-insect repellent sunglasses rain coat... more at http://www.kayakhalongbay.com

Halong Bay (written by Paradissa Travel www.paradissa.com)Halong is a beautiful bay located 165km East of Hanoi. The bay has close to 2000 huge limestones formation jutting out of the sea making it a stunning place to be in. Recently the bay attracts million of tourists to visit every year.What is the best time if you're thinking of going to Vietnam to see it?The travel season in Vietnam: The international season (season of foreign travelers) starts from October and end in April. This period of time has Autumn Winter and Spring in it. When may comes the weather starts to be warmer and more humid. This is also the beginning of domestic travelers (Vietnamese)So what weather you prefer? Cool cold but dry? Come in the international season Hot and humid but ideal for beach break? Come in the domestic season.What do you can do when going to the bay.From Ha Noi it takes 3 hour to drive to Ha Long bay. You then can choose to do your Ha Long tour within 4 – 5 hour boat trip around the bay and then back to Ha Noi in the evening. You can choose to stay overnight on either a wooden boat or a hotel in the city of Ha Long bay. The city of Ha Long bay is a nice clean city on the coastline. But there's no much of a particular site that you can go to visit. Some coffee shops bars...open in the evening for hanging out. There's also a local market that people go for shopping that's worth having a look (Cho Hon Gai). In the evening near the beach people set up the “night market” offering some common local stuffs.But most westerners choose to stay overnight on a wooden junk/boat. It's spacious big with tens of cabins. Mostly they are for around 15 people/one over-night trip. This is a very much preferred option. While out on the bay you can swim do kayaking...there's no much ideal beaches of white sand and quietness that you can be lazy on. Most of those are far into the bay which the boat route doesn't pass due to the distance. So accept that