Ha Long Bay: What to do with half day before Junk Cruise

We will arrive at Ha Long Bay at noon on day 1 and leave at 6:00 pm on day 2.

Our current plan is to take a full day Junk Tour on day 2.

Would appreciate suggestions / recommendations regarding what to do with the half day we'll have on day 1. The reading that I've done so far suggests that the 5 - 6 hour round trip drive time to Hanoi does not make it an attractive afternoon destination.

Thanks for any help.

We will arrive at Ha Long Bay at noon on day 1 and leave at 6:00 pm on day 2.

Our current plan is to take a full day Junk Tour on day 2.

Would appreciate suggestions / recommendations regarding what to do with the half day we'll have on day 1. The reading that I've done so far suggests that the 5 - 6 hour round trip drive time to Hanoi does not make it an attractive afternoon destination.

Thanks for any help.

IMHO, you will have a better time taking an OVERNIGHT junk cruise than a short day one. It is truly a great experience to charter a junk (get people from your roll call) and spend the night out in Halong Bay. You will go further and see more of the "out of the way" places.

The other option worthwhile IMHO is driving into Hanoi, SPENDING the night in Hanoi and forget about the Halong Bay cruise.

There is VERY little to do in and around Halong City for a few hours-the market, there is a temple (not very interesting) and just absorbing the area. NOT a real tourist place other than in the Bay.

Our plan was to spend 6-8 hrs on day 2 cruising Ha Long Bay.

Does one really get to see that much more doing an overnight Junk cruise instead of "just" an 8 hr day cruise.

If you do go for the overnight.... what do you do between sun down and sun up when it's too dark to see anything?

What is the accommodation / experience / meals like on board the typical junk ?

Any insights will be appreciated.

Thanks

Our plan was to spend 6-8 hrs on day 2 cruising Ha Long Bay.

Does one really get to see that much more doing an overnight Junk cruise instead of "just" an 8 hr day cruise.

If you do go for the overnight.... what do you do between sun down and sun up when it's too dark to see anything?

What is the accommodation / experience / meals like on board the typical junk ?

Any insights will be appreciated.

Thanks

6 to 8 hours is ideal for a day cruise, you will visit the same places as on an overniter since they moor-up at sundown.

Over-niting is very much for the experience, to get away from it all. May not suit everyone, I guess it depends a lot on the junk, the crew, and your companions.

There's the added disadvantage that the overnite junks all sail about mid-day - probably too early for your arrival time. But since they will want to be back for the next day's trade around 11.30am, you'd need to

either:-

end up with the same 6-hour route as a 6-hour day cruise, spread from when you get aboard (2.30pm?) to 11.30 next morning

or :-

pay for an extra day, which means you can get back as late as you like on the second day.

You can fix up a day-trip when you get there, preferably set it up on day 1 for day 2.

We hired a junk for $90 for a 6-hour day cruise, spread between 8 of us (junk could have carried 12 to 15). Another group hired a junk for $60 for 4 hours.

Via e-mails for an 8-hour day cruise we'd been quoted $95 per person !!!!!!!!!!!!!

4 hours is the minimum you should consider, we rated 6 hours, others might prefer 8 hrs.

Ours were no-frills prices but it was all very adequate.

You may have to also pay (peanuts) for a taxi if your cruise-ship is not moored off Halong City.

Our visit was late January this year, I have no idea of seasonal price differences.

Soft drinks available on board, food can be pre-arranged, or you can buy fish (over-priced) at a fishing village on your cruise & the crew will cook it for you.

We all rated the junk cruise highly, it's surreal amongst the karsts.

A single-night junk can be pre-booked for about $60 pp upwards. Again, probably a lot cheaper if you barter on-the-spot but your arrival time won't permit this.

Like Greatham, can't really suggest anything for your first afternoon.

- We took a private tour of Halong City at a cost of $50 for the two of us. OK, cheap enough, but a waste of money. The city has an indoor market, a grubby fishmarket and an uninspiring temple. And that's about it.

- For our first afternoon, our ship offered a waste-of-time 2-hour cruise in well-packed junks at an excruciating cost of £40 thats about $60 per person

- Hanoi is not possible on your first afternoon, a one-way drive takes about 3.5 hours.

You're really faced with either a junk cruise or a visit to Hanoi,

Junk cruise, either a shortened over-niter or a day cruise on Day 2

Hanoi, either overniter (hotels are cheap, give yourself plenty of time for the return to the ship) or day trip on Day 2 (despite the cost, I'd strongly advise against an independent day-trip & suggest ship's excursion - but then I rate a Hanoi day-trip by far the least fun of all your options)

John Bull

Many thanks for your insights. At this stage of the game I'd choose touring Ha Long Bay over a trip to Hanoi.

And as far as touring Ha Long Bay... it seems that the typical overnight cruise and an 8 hour day cruise will give you approx. the same amount of daylight cruising time. So the major difference would be the "sleeping on the junk" experience.

And both options leave us with a half day of dead time.

I really like your idea of using the afternoon of day 1 to make arrangements in person for cruising on day 2. But won't most of the Junks be conducting one type of cruise or another during the afternoon and therefore be unavailable to discuss tomorrow's booking? :confused:

Do you have any tips on what to look for in a junk or a captain before you even begin the bargaining process ? I imagine there are hundreds of junks all moored in the same general area...how do you select one? :confused:

Or...is a junk a junk and the real issue is price?:confused:

Any guidance will be appreciated. Thanks,

But won't most of the Junks be conducting one type of cruise or another during the afternoon and therefore be unavailable to discuss tomorrow's booking? :confused:

Do you have any tips on what to look for in a junk or a captain before you even begin the bargaining process ? I imagine there are hundreds of junks all moored in the same general area...how do you select one? :confused:

Or...is a junk a junk and the real issue is price?:confused:

Any guidance will be appreciated. Thanks,

The strong probability is that you won't be dealing with the junk captain, or even see him - as you say, he'll be out on the water.

Ergo, you probably won't see the actual junk. The quality varies, divided into standard & deluxe - I don't think there's a specific dividing line, just a means of differentiating between the best/newest and poorest/oldest. Ours wasn't the best - perhaps cos of price - but perfectly adequate. They all have a WC, they all have indoor seating & roof seats/beds, the size will depend on the size of your group, but with plenty of room so you can add a few to your party if you want to.

You'll be dealing with a suited & booted middle-man, an agent - you negotiate a price & timespan with him (timespan determines itinerary).

No need to go looking for an agent - they'll find you ;)

Negotiation/payment in USD.

So best bet is to hammer the price as low as poss, & if you can't close the gap then agree his price if he ups it to a deluxe. Confirm that the price includes transport to the junk if neccessary.

He'll write out an order ticket with the price on it, keep it safe so you can show it to him in case of dispute about the figure.

He'll aim to get money from you in advance, you'll stick to your guns & he'll agree to you paying him (not the captain) at the end of the cruise. I think wanting cash up front is about mis-trusting the punter (will you show? will you find a cheaper deal? etc), & the need to meet the junk on its return, rather than wanting to run away with your money.

You'll meet him at your berth or tender jetty next morning & he'll take you to the junk.

The crew will have a limited command of english, but good enough.

Take plenty of ones & fives for purchases on the junk and perhaps at the2/3/4 stops, pay as you go to avoid disputes at the end.

By the way, be sure to be on deck when your cruise ship takes the wide channel between karsts on its way into Halong Bay, it won't be so up-close & personal but will give you an idea of what your junk cruise will be like. You may also see junks on their way to the karsts.

JB

when i was there with costa last fall '09, i was able to see a water puppet show and a cultural dance show. i got the distinct feeling these were specially arranged for our excursion. had a good lunch, but i forget the name of the place. some hotel on a hill. sorry i can't be more helpful.

Again, many thanks for your detailed response. You've provided just the kind of step by step information that makes the process clear. Appreciate your willingness to share.

We recently returned from a land/river cruise trip to Vietnam and Cambodia. Because we had 3 1/2 days in Hanoi, we did the overnight junk trip on Halong Bay which was great. I agree with GreatAm's suggestions. I would skip the 6 or 8 hour junk trip and go to Hanoi as soon as you arrive and spend the night there. There are wonderful hotels and you will get to see some sights your first afternoon in Hanoi (it's about a 3 hour drive) and can tour for a good part of Day 2 before returning to the ship. A good local guide and driver will make this a wonderful experience for you. IMHO, it would be a mistake to travel this far and not visit Hanoi. If you decide you do want to do the overnight trip on Halong Bay, I can tell you what our experience was like.

IMHO, it would be a mistake to travel this far and not visit Hanoi. If you decide you do want to do the overnight trip on Halong Bay, I can tell you what our experience was like.

Well, I would certainly be interested in hearing about it! We are in the same boat (so to speak). We will be in Halong Bay overnight (arrive 7am day one and depart 4pm day 2) and the decision is, do an overnight junk cruise and miss Hanoi, or do an overnight Hanoi tour and miss Halong Bay. Doing a one-day trip to Hanoi just seems daunting and rushed. I would say we are more outdoor/nature types so my instinct is to do the more relaxing cruise, but I've never been there, maybe Halong Bay is over-commercialized and disappointing?

Thanks!

Chris

Just a heads up about hiring a junk at the pier.

In the last 4 years, it seems like everyone and their brother has gotten into the junk business. I spend quite a bit of time in Vietnam for business (especially around the ports in Haiphong/CaiPhong and Saigon) and have seen the junk business simply explode.

Some of these boats are VERY unsafe. Overloading is VERY common for all types of transport in Vietnam and especially in water craft. They hire kids off the street for crew, they hire someone who was a local fisherman for the Captain. They have little or no experience in a maritime accident. They have little or no training. The companies and boat owners have little or no insurance IF something happens. And there is no such thing as a lawsuit in Vietnam if you are injured (the problems just trying to collect money for our freight transport are monumental, let alone a personal injury lawsuit)

Are they cheaper??? Sure. And definitely cheaper than the ship excursions (which will check for insurance and proper maritime safety.) This is truly an example of you get what you pay for.

If it was my trip (and I have done the trip a few times-overnight on a private junk charter for DH and I only, with a group of friends overnight and the day trip), I would only book with one of the reputable agencies/boats-Huong Hai, Dragon Pearl, IndoChina Sails, the Bai Tho junks, etc. etc.

Round up a few friends from CC or your cruise (there are boats with as few as 4 cabins) and CHARTER the boat. You can leave when YOU want to leave (works very well for the ODD port times some of these ships are coming up with). Gives you a little bit of sightseeing the first afternoon, a lovely dinner that evening, relaxation, relaxation, then a trip to the cave and probably Cat Ba Island. You can ask to go further into the bay than the average tourist trip and it will be accommodated.

You are NOT in the USA/Canada/Europe where there is accountability for accidents. JMHO from someone who has spent quite a bit of time in Vietnam/Cambodia.

Again, many thanks for your detailed response. You've provided just the kind of step by step information that makes the process clear. Appreciate your willingness to share.

No prob, KG, that's what these pages are all about.

RR has the advantage over both of us in that he was able to fit in Halong Bay and Hanoi.

You'll have to choose between them.

Those from our ship who'd gone to Hanoi reckoned they'd enjoyed their time too, though they did look drained & admitted it was a long & slow drive to Hanoi.

We chose the Bay because it's pretty unique, because we didn't rate 7 hours in a bus for a couple of hours sight-seeing, & because our itinerary also included stops at Saigon, Da Nang & Nha Trang.

And we're glad we did, we had a great day - despite the number of junks you see going to/from its very easy to get lost from the rest of the world amongst the karsts. Tends to be misty too - and far from spoiling the experience it adds an eerie mystique.

Just to confirm re Greatam's comments, we hired/chartered a junk for our group of 8, but it had seating inside for mebbe 24 plus deck/roof space - we only used the roof. The ship's excursion junks were well-filled though I couldn't say whether they were overcrowded. Our captain knew what he was doing, we didn't see/hear of anything unsafe, though of course that's based on a single day's experience. The bay is calm, never cuts rough according to the locals, and folk only sail in daylight.

But yes, its all a bit rough&ready and there's a little clambering to do to get on/off.

Greatam's certainly right about tourism being in its infancy, same as elsewhere in Vietnam, & a lot of folk are getting into tourism in many many ways & they simply don't know their stuff.

For both this trip & a Saigon River speedboat trip we struggled with e-mails due to inadequate information, inadequate understanding & inadequate language, and there's no way we were going to part with money or even card details before job-done.

Like Greatam, I'd be very wary of the standard of junk for an overniter, you could be lumbered with dodgy food & accommodation.

JB

With your schedule, you have plenty of time to travel to Hanoi, see the main sights, spend the night and return to the ship without being rushed. If you're off the ship by 8:00 you should be in Hanoi by 11:30. The drive to Hanoi is interesting the first time but a little boring on the return trip. Check in to your hotel, have lunch and start your tour. You can take in the Water Puppet show in the evening which we enjoyed. If, on the other hand, you really want to do the junk on Halong Bay, then I would take Greatam's advice and find fellow travelers to charter one. Our junk trip left around noon and we returned the following day around 11:30. This is pretty standard for the overnight trips. This schedule would leave you too much down time in Halong City with nothing much to see. I think a charter with your own schedule would work better for you.

It's possible to kayak and swim in Halong Bay if you're there when the weather is good. We were there at the beginning of March and it was cool and misty with a few showers which is what we were told to expect. The mist only makes the karsts seem even more mysterious. It was raining the morning of day 2 so we didn't climb to the top of the island that provides a spectacular view of the bay. Not much to see in the rain & mist.

There are loads of junks of all sizes and descriptions on the bay but I wouldn't say the experience is over-commercialized yet.

Our plan was to spend 6-8 hrs on day 2 cruising Ha Long Bay.

Does one really get to see that much more doing an overnight Junk cruise instead of "just" an 8 hr day cruise.

If you do go for the overnight.... what do you do between sun down and sun up when it's too dark to see anything?

What is the accommodation / experience / meals like on board the typical junk ?

Any insights will be appreciated.

Thanks

My opinion is, 6-8h is enough. Thats the time we spent on the junkboat. The night is verly lonely, nothing to see and to do.

We took a taxitrip out to the country and it was very interesting. 3-4h to see the countryside is enough aswell.

You can see how they work on the fields with the buffalo.

We hired the junkboat from a popular vietnamese agency with a guide. But he told us this was very silly, because for much less money you take a taxi from the ship to the port.

There is a sales-office to informe you. You can hire a great big junkboat, with the food incl. (not drinks) and the tripulacion, a guide for much less.

If you do the reservation with the shipexcursions, you pay the same, but you are on the same ship with 100 people.

The day we went (2º) there was no one, the day de shipexcursion went the water was packed full with 500 ships, a nightmear.:eek:

The strong probability is that you won't be dealing with the junk captain, or even see him - as you say, he'll be out on the water.

Ergo, you probably won't see the actual junk. The quality varies, divided into standard & deluxe - I don't think there's a specific dividing line, just a means of differentiating between the best/newest and poorest/oldest. Ours wasn't the best - perhaps cos of price - but perfectly adequate. They all have a WC, they all have indoor seating & roof seats/beds, the size will depend on the size of your group, but with plenty of room so you can add a few to your party if you want to.

 

You'll be dealing with a suited & booted middle-man, an agent - you negotiate a price & timespan with him (timespan determines itinerary).

No need to go looking for an agent - they'll find you ;)

Negotiation/payment in USD.

So best bet is to hammer the price as low as poss, & if you can't close the gap then agree his price if he ups it to a deluxe. Confirm that the price includes transport to the junk if neccessary.

He'll write out an order ticket with the price on it, keep it safe so you can show it to him in case of dispute about the figure.

He'll aim to get money from you in advance, you'll stick to your guns & he'll agree to you paying him (not the captain) at the end of the cruise. I think wanting cash up front is about mis-trusting the punter (will you show? will you find a cheaper deal? etc), & the need to meet the junk on its return, rather than wanting to run away with your money.

 

You'll meet him at your berth or tender jetty next morning & he'll take you to the junk.

The crew will have a limited command of english, but good enough.

Take plenty of ones & fives for purchases on the junk and perhaps at the2/3/4 stops, pay as you go to avoid disputes at the end.

Hi JB,

I realise this post is years old, but I read all your posts re Asia and greatly appreciate your input.

Do you have any recent knowledge re hiring a 6 hour junk please ?

The agents would still be the tender pier ( Bay Chay ?) and the actual junks leave from Tuan Chau Island ?

Also. do you know anything about ferries from Tuan Chau to Cat Ba Island.

We are in the Bay from 11am till 6pm the next day.

Thanks.

Hi JB,

I realise this post is years old, but I read all your posts re Asia and greatly appreciate your input.

 

Do you have any recent knowledge re hiring a 6 hour junk please ?

The agents would still be the tender pier ( Bay Chay ?) and the actual junks leave from Tuan Chau Island ?

 

Also. do you know anything about ferries from Tuan Chau to Cat Ba Island.

 

We are in the Bay from 11am till 6pm the next day.

 

Thanks.

Hi,

Sorry, long time since we've been to Vietnam so I don't know whether the same arrangements are possible.

You'll certainly save a lot of money by negotiating on-the-fly - if that's still possible.- rather than pre-booking over the 'net. Because you have that first afternoon to fix up something for the next day you're well-placed to do so, but you really need more up-to-date info than I can give you. cos it'd be a great shame to go all that way and find it impossible on-the-fly.

I don't know whether it's worth asking about it on RollCalls for cruises that have recently ended (folk are generally still subscribed to their RollCalls after their cruise) or mebbe ask on RollCalls for folk cruising there in the next few weeks to let you know how they get on - the cruise line is pretty irrelevant.

Sorry, also can't help with that ferry.

And be warned, getting info on the 'net about Vietnam / Cambodia is hard work. :(

But worth it. :)

JB :)

Thanks JB,

Yes we have a small roll call group who are interested, and having the previous afternoon to try to sort something will hopefully help.

Will report back whether it worked or not.