What to do for half a day following full day Halong Bay cruise?

[sjf]

Next March, at Halong Bay, we have one and a half days. I was originally thinking of doing a one-day trip to Hanoi and then a half-day junk sail in Halong Bay the next (half-)day.

But as Hanoi is so far from the port, we are now thinking of avoiding it altogether and doing a full-day Halong Bay cruise. Does anyone have any suggestions of what we could do just for the morning the following daY???

Thanks.

[John Bull]

The town is uninteresting, a waste of time.

I've seen threads about a worthwhile tour of the countryside

 

JB :)

[greatam]

I would do an overnight junk cruise. There are MANY companies, some very luxurious where you can charter a junk with only 4-6 VERY luxurious cabins. Might be worth it to find others on your roll call and plan something like that.

 

There is NOTHING to do and the area around Halong City is crap.

 

I think the cruise lines are really doing their passengers a disservice by this 1.5 day trip to Halong Bay/Hanoi. I know I won't be taking a cruise with a limited time frame and the odd hours of arrival and departure like they are now doing.

[Keith1010]

Hanoi would be great but it is a very long day so I might not recommend the Halong Bay cruise the next day.

 

If you do the Halong Bay for the day then just take it easy the next morning.

 

We like to do a lot of things but also balance this off with some quiet hours or you can burn yourself out.

 

Keith

[sjf]

Thanks all. Seems from what you say like there is not much to do in the vicinity on day 2, especially if we have to be back at the ship for mid-day and can't go far afield.

 

Just seems a pity to stay on the ship, as we have a few sea days anyway to enjoy that, and would have liked to experience a bit more of the country. Maybe I will look into an overnight junk trip, though I think the full-day might be enough for us.

[Bottomshelfhockey]

Thanks all. Seems from what you say like there is not much to do in the vicinity on day 2, especially if we have to be back at the ship for mid-day and can't go far afield.

 

Just seems a pity to stay on the ship, as we have a few sea days anyway to enjoy that, and would have liked to experience a bit more of the country. Maybe I will look into an overnight junk trip, though I think the full-day might be enough for us.

 

Hi,

We are in Halong Bay day 1 at 7:00 AM and departing next day at 1:00 PM.

We are in the process of a booking tour. Here is a proposal from "Asia Top Travel":

 

Itinerary #1. Halong in Depth

Day 1: Hon Gai port – Yen Duc village full day trip

07h30: Our tour guide and driver will pick you up at the port, heading to Dong Trieu.

09h00: Arrive Yen Duc village

 Admire the charming fields, small lanes as well as the amazing tranquility in Yen Duc village.

 Visit a vegetable garden and a typical family house. Meet and talk with the friendly villagers. Stop by a local kindergarten and talk with the lovely children

 Pass through the fields to visit Canh Huong Pagoda with its views of poetry inspiring scenery

 Enjoy amazing water puppet show in the village fields, presented by village artists.

Lunch will be served at the Vietnam rural village atmosphere.

Afternoon, we start to joining as a farmer with fishing and gardening :

 Fishing: Fishing activity gives you a unique experience. you will be guided to a local house with colorful garden and fish ponds where the rural people help you to use fishing-tackle, a common tool used to catch fish in the pond. The locals help you catch fish; it is not only an interesting activity but also chance to have better understanding of rural life.

 Gardening: Besides the charming rice fields, the image of a vegetable garden sticks with Vietnamese villages. This is an important part of the house in the countryside, provide vegetables and improve living environment; creating open space for the house.

In the garden, locals plant many kinds of vegetables, herbs … which is extremely close and practical for the daily life of local people such as: Water spinach, Gourd espalier, Corn (changeable by seasons) . Local people will explain to you about kind of plants in their garden and guide you to do gardening as a true farmer. Enjoy it and get your own experience in our village.

15h30 – 16h00: We depart Yen Duc village back to Halong city.

17h00 – 17h30: Arrive at the port. See you tomorrow.

 

Day 2: Hon Gai port – Halong Bay on cruise

07h30: Our tour guide and drive will pick you up at the Hon Gai port, transfer to Halong Bay.

08h00: Upon arrival Halong, you are boarding a private traditional junk for a 4 hour cruise, explore the magnificent bay are a, the junk cruises through the calm emerald water and magnificent scenery of the bay.

You then get off the junk to an islet, you enjoy an exciting guided tour, exploring the famous Thien Cung grotto – Heavenly Palace grotto, view the picturesque stalactites, stala ctites at all different formations, and hear the legend of Cloud princess and Dragon prince’s wedding which lasted 7 days and nights in this legendary grotto. Continuing with the exploration of the second best-known limestone cave of Dau Go – the cave to hide the wooden stakes its name was derived from a historical story in 13 th century, relate to the thunderous victory of General Tran Hung Dao to defeat the Mongolian invader.

Lunch will be served along the cruising time.

Off the islet, the cruise is going back to harbor. Our tour guide and driver is waiting to take you back to the Pier at around 12h00.

 

ASIA TOP TRAVEL OFFER:

Number of person

04 persons, 05 persons, 06 persons, 07 persons, 08 persons

Price - (quote in USD per person) 235 205 180 165 155

 

Trip inclusion

Full transportation by deluxe air -conditioned car as tour program indicated (30 sea t van)

Private deluxe boat trip to visit Halong Bay (4 hours cruising)

Lunch at Yen Duc village

Excellent English- speaking guide along the trip

Complementary mineral water during the trip

Entrance fees per the sites indicated in the itinerary

Port fee, tour guide and van to pick you u p

Water puppet show by the local villagers , Fishing, gardening fee

Government tax and service charge

 

Trip exclusion

Personal travel insurance (compulsory)

Expenditure of a personal nature, such as drinks, souvenirs, emergency transfers & etc.

Tip and gratuities

Sea food lunch: 16 USD/person

Bank/transferring fee

 

We are still deciding whether Day 1 is worthwhile versus a longer Halong Bay cruise - 8 hours for day 1 and shorter village visit on day 2? It's quite possible tour company can adjust tour itinerary to suit your needs and cruise departure time. Better yet you can email any tour company for ideas.

Hope that helps.

If you come across any suitable 1/2 day tours, please post to this thread.

Thanks.

[We're The Groupnors]

We did the Halong Countryside and Shopping Tour, in addition to a Junk Cruise. The Countryside tour was nice, but the first stop, which is a Buddhist meditation centre, is quite a long drive. There was a market near the ship tender that was interesting, with some good deals on silks and inlaid wood, but that would be an hour of entertainment at most.

[sjf]

We did the Halong Countryside and Shopping Tour' date=' in addition to a Junk Cruise. The Countryside tour was nice, but the first stop, which is a Buddhist meditation centre, is quite a long drive. There was a market near the ship tender that was interesting, with some good deals on silks and inlaid wood, but that would be an hour of entertainment at most.[/quote']

 

Thanks for posting. We are now considering a countryside tour as a possible for the first day, then do the junk trip via the ship the following morning, though I think I'd really prefer a full-day junk trip. Was the market easy to find/walk tofrom the ship?

[Bottomshelfhockey]

We did the Halong Countryside and Shopping Tour' date=' in addition to a Junk Cruise. The Countryside tour was nice, but the first stop, which is a Buddhist meditation centre, is quite a long drive. There was a market near the ship tender that was interesting, with some good deals on silks and inlaid wood, but that would be an hour of entertainment at most.[/quote']

 

Hi Groupnors,

 

Can you please provide more details:

 

• time of the year for your trip and the cruise line
  
• length of stay in Halong Bay
  
• number of hours for Halong countryside & shopping tour and if you don't mind the cost of the tour(s)
  
• name of tour guide
  
• would you recommend the shopping and countryside tour?
  
• anything you would do differently
  
• length of junk cruise and if you don't mind, the cost
  

As previously stated, we will in Halong Bay from 7:00 AM and leaving at 1:00 PM on day 2.

 

 

 

We have never been to Asia, so if you can provide any tips, recommendations for tours and sites to see in Saigon and Da Nang (Hoi An) that would greatly appreciated.

 

 

 

Thanks in advance!:)

 

 

Harry E.

[sjf]

For those who are also looking to fill a half-day, I found this link which has some ideas:

http://www.wildjunket.com/2010/09/24/5-essential-things-to-do-around-halong-bay-vietnam/

[We're The Groupnors]

Thanks for posting. We are now considering a countryside tour as a possible for the first day, then do the junk trip via the ship the following morning, though I think I'd really prefer a full-day junk trip. Was the market easy to find/walk tofrom the ship?

 

It was maybe a 10 minute walk back to the tenders from the marketplace. Be prepared to haggle.

[We're The Groupnors]

Hi Groupnors,

 

Can you please provide more details:

 

• time of the year for your trip and the cruise line
  
• length of stay in Halong Bay
  
• number of hours for Halong countryside & shopping tour and if you don't mind the cost of the tour(s)
  
• name of tour guide
  
• would you recommend the shopping and countryside tour?
  
• anything you would do differently
  
• length of junk cruise and if you don't mind, the cost
  

As previously stated, we will in Halong Bay from 7:00 AM and leaving at 1:00 PM on day 2.

 

We have never been to Asia, so if you can provide any tips, recommendations for tours and sites to see in Saigon and Da Nang (Hoi An) that would greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks in advance!:)

Harry E.

 

Sure:

• time of the year for your trip and the cruise line - Celebrity in March 2013
  
• length of stay in Halong Bay - arrived just before lunch on the first day, and left around dinnertime on the second day
  
• number of hours for Halong countryside & shopping tour and if you don't mind the cost of the tour(s) - about 5-1/2 hours, and $70 pp. We booked through the cruisline. Note, though, to take snacks if you do this tour as it leaves after breakfast and gets back mid-afternoon with no stop for lunch.
  
• name of tour guide - couldn't say; as mentioned we booked thorugh Celebrity, not privately
  
• would you recommend the shopping and countryside tour? - yes, our party of 6 enjoyed it.
  
• anything you would do differently - no, there wasn't a lot else to do other than the long trip to Hanoi
  
• length of junk cruise and if you don't mind, the cost - 4 hours and $60 pp, which included entrance to the caves and bottled water on board the junk