Ha long bay question

[Boo37dog]

could someone let me know when you disembark at Ha Long Bay where do you pick up a junk boat excursion from and the distance to go along the bay or am I wasting my time as does the celebrity boat sail along Halong?? I'm confused

[ghstudio]

You will see part of Halong Bay as you sail in and dock. Hanoi is a difficult port of call.....because Hanoi itself is somewhere between a 3 and 4 hour drive over terrible roads with terrible drivers. Doing a one day tour of Hanoi from the ship will have you on the bus for 7-8 hours!!! We were fortunate to overnight so we stayed in a hotel in Hanoi overnight (which was outstanding because it happened to be the night of Tet that they do the fireworks). The Halong bay boats are another option and you will enjoy a day or half day sailing around some incredibly beautiful outcroppings and perhaps stopping and waiting a long time (due to all the other tourists) to see some caves (we skipped that part). We actually did a half day halong bay cruise and then had a pre-arranged private driver/guide take us and another couple into Hanoi to our hotel and guide us that night and the next day. It wasn't cheap, but it worked out perfectly. We used SmiletoursVietnam for all arrangements and were very pleased.

 

Before you decide to do an overnight on one of the Halong Bay boats which is a popular tourist thing....you might want to read about the safety of those boats. When we were there, the boats were old with little, if any, apparent safety gear. Part of your research should be on the boats that just seem to have sunk in the middle of the night with no warning. Not trying to scare you...just suggesting you do some research before you make any decisions. Having been there and following the news, we would not do an overnight on one of those boats...but lots of folks rave about the experience.

Edited October 30, 2017 by ghstudio

[GaryfmCol]

This junk boat excursion is fantastic. The meal they served was way beyond our expectations. Incredible shrimp.

Ha'noi cold frosty beer....I would love to do that junk boat excursion again. There is a dockage dedicated solely to those junks.

Great operation.

[Baatman]

A junk tour of Ha Long Bay is a must! If you take the ship's tour the junks pick you up right at the ship - just like the shuttle. (Ha Long Bay is a shuttle port). For some great pictures of Ha Long see Sailor Js review on this board.

[Boo37dog]

A junk tour of Ha Long Bay is a must! If you take the ship's tour the junks pick you up right at the ship - just like the shuttle. (Ha Long Bay is a shuttle port). For some great pictures of Ha Long see Sailor Js review on this board.

 

 

Thank you so much for helpful info