Halong Bay vs. Hanoi

I would appreciate advice from someone who has been in both. We are arriving in Halong Bay in the morning and are leaving the following day at 2 PM.

We are debating whether to take a local cruise of the Bay or instead go to Hanoi.

I am thinking that I can see the Bay as we depart in the afternoon. I would appreciate your views.

Alex

It is a LONG boring bus ride. There were some beautiful spots we saw in the bay that were only accessible by small crafts....

If history is a priority and you can endure the bus ( how much time will you actually have in Hanoi) you should go to Hanoi. But if nature is priority stay and enjoy Halong Bay!

Halong Bay is spectacular- would not waste my time in a large city again:p

If nature and Unesco Hertitage sites are not your thing and big cities are then you answered the question.

If your cruise goes to Siagon as well then Hanoi is just another big city with motor bikes some history.

I agree with Trend. If they were both located the same distance from the port I would still prefer Halong Bay. Hanoi is a nice enough city. Choked with traffic but with an interesting vibe and a few historical attractions. Not hugely different from Saigon.

Halong Bay is one of the more spectacular natural settings in the world. If you can try and see some of it from a kayak so you can get up close to the caves and other attractions. If that doesn't work for you a junk tour is also great.

Thank you all for your insight. I live in NY City - cities are not as interesting as nature. In Bay we stay. Will look into overnight junk boat. Any recommendations?

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Thank you all for your insight. I live in NY City - cities are not as interesting as nature. In Bay we stay. Will look into overnight junk boat. Any recommendations?

 

 

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Our roll call organized an overnight charter of an Indochina Junk in November 2016. 8 couples chartered a 20 passenger junk - one of their three Dragon Pearl junks - for about $200 pp. They were very flexible about the timing to match up with the Millennium's arrival and departure times.

Note: much of their business is with customers arriving by bus from Hanoi so their standard rentals are approximately noon to noon and their standard pricing includes the bus trip. So you need to negotiate a little - our price included the use of two vans to transport 8 couples and associated overnight luggage from the cruise tender dock to the dock used by the junks.

Indochina Junk offers terrific food (they are pleased to adjust the menu for individuals with vegetarian or allergy needs) and offer a variety of activities during the 24 hour charter: cave tour, kayak paddling, pre-dinner swim off the boat, tour of a floating fishing village and cultured pearl farm.

Our roll call organized an overnight charter of an Indochina Junk in November 2016. 8 couples chartered a 20 passenger junk - one of their three Dragon Pearl junks - for about $200 pp. They were very flexible about the timing to match up with the Millennium's arrival and departure times.

 

Note: much of their business is with customers arriving by bus from Hanoi so their standard rentals are approximately noon to noon and their standard pricing includes the bus trip. So you need to negotiate a little - our price included the use of two vans to transport 8 couples and associated overnight luggage from the cruise tender dock to the dock used by the junks.

 

Indochina Junk offers terrific food (they are pleased to adjust the menu for individuals with vegetarian or allergy needs) and offer a variety of activities during the 24 hour charter: cave tour, kayak paddling, pre-dinner swim off the boat, tour of a floating fishing village and cultured pearl farm.

Not sure how easy it is to organize roll call charters. We are a couple of years away and I think we are going to just book with Bhaya. They return at 10:45 am on day 2 and we have to be back by 1pm. If our roll call does charter Indochina Junk, we'd be up for it. If not, I think Bhaya works well and they have small boats with lots of privacy on Bhaya Premium that are also around $200.