Halong Bay, Bai Tu Long Bay or Lan Ha Bay?
When traveling to Vietnam, a cruise to Halong Bay comes to everyone’s mind. Halong Bay, Hanoi, Sapa and Ninh Binh are the places in North Vietnam which attract the most visitors. But when looking for information for the trip to Vietnam, some have found that one can make cruises to Halong Bay, Bai Tu Long Bay and Lan Ha Bay too. What are the differences between these?
1. Location of Halong Bay, Bai Tu Long Bay and Lan Ha Bay
Few boats sail in Bai Tu Long Bay, because the bay is further away from the ports. It takes more fuel and more money. Halong Bay is located closest to Halong City. Bai Tu Long Bay is further away, and to enter this bay, boats must pass through part of Halong Bay. Lan Ha Bay is accessible from Cat Ba Island, or a 3 day 2 night Halong cruise can also take you to Lan Ha Bay.
So, firstly, you can distinguish these thanks to their situation.
2. Landscapes of Halong Bay, Bai Tu Long Bay and Lan Ha Bay
The landscape of all these bays is marked by karstic islands emerging on the turquoise water. The landscapes of these bays are quite similar.
There are also a few different points: a multitude of islands and islets are concentrated in Halong Bay (1,969 islands and islets), Bai Tu Long Bay and Lan Ha Bay also have hundreds of islands and islets each.
Regarding the caves: we discovered several beautiful caves in Halong Bay (Surprises Cave, Thien Cung Cave, Dau Go cave), the caves of Bai Tu Long Bay and Lan Ha Bay are less beautiful and smaller.
In fact, the particularity of these bays is their multitude of rocky peaks, the largest marine karst in the world. You can visit any bay, they are all beautiful and worth a visit.
3. A less touristy cruise in Halong?
Because Halong Bay is closer to Halong City and many of the islands and islets here are concentrated, most boats offer cruises to Halong Bay
Cruises during the day often take you to visit the Thien Cung and Dau Go caves and the boats cannot go further. A cruise for a day is not recommended. Imagine, you will spend 8 hours on the road (round trip) and then, 4-6 hours by boat to cross some islands and visit some caves. The bay is worth more than that.
If you have more time, a 3-day, 2-night cruise is recommended, but if you have to spend time at other sites, a 2-day, 1-night cruise is sufficient. After 4 hours drive, you arrive at one of 4 boarding ports around noon. Boarding a cruise, you’ll sail in Halong Bay and cross several islands and islets. The boat will stop at a beach on Titov Island or Soi Sim for swimming and kayaking. The next day, continue the cruise and visit the Surprise Cave, then the boat returns to the port and you disembark around 11:30.
For 3-day cruises, the boat will go further, in Lan Ha Bay for a bike ride on Cat Ba Island, or in Bai Tu Long Bay, to visit the fishing village of Vung Vieng.
There are now about 500 tourist boats in Halong Bay, so during the cruise, you won’t be alone in the bay. For people who first travel to the bay, the wonderful scenery makes them forget about other travellers in other boats. But after the second, or third time, it might bother you.
As a result, at present, enough travelers prefer cruises in less touristy bays such as Bai Tu Long Bay and Lan Ha Bay.
In general, boats sailing in Lan Ha Bay and Bai Tu Long Bay are less beautiful and less luxurious than those in Halong Bay.
4. What to see and do in Halong Bay, Bai Tu Long Bay and Lan Ha Bay?
+ The landscape is picturesque. Enjoy the breathtaking scenery on the deck of a night junk and enjoy a drink
+ Kayaking trips to discover islets and circuses. Kayaking trips are feasible in Halong Bay, Bai Tu Long Bay and Lan Ha Bay.
+ Swim in turquoise water. Note that the sea is not swimmable during the winter which is during end of October – March.
If you would like to visit the floating villages, Lan Ha Bay will be a good choice.
+ To make their cruises more interesting, several boats also offer other activities: cooking classes, Tai Chi, culinary demonstration, spa & beauty service, and more.