Getting there and away
Bus: In Ha Long bay, you can
catch Hanoi-bound buses from
Mien Tay bus station in Bai Chay,
close to the Bai Chay bridge,
every 15 minutes.
Buses to Hai Phong take you 2
hours and leave every 20 minutes
from a bus station across the
road from Mien Tay. Buses to
NorthEasten destination leave
from Hon Gai bus station.
Car and motorbike: Ha Long city
is 170km from Hanoi, 55km from
Hai Phong and 45 km from Cam Pha.
The one way trip from Hanoi to
Ha Long bay takes about 3 hours
and a half by car.
Boat: There are daily slow boats
connecting with Hai Phong (about
three hours). There is also a
daily boat connecting Hon Gai
and Cat Hai Island but its
departure times depend on the
season and the number of
visitors. There are occasional
direct boats from Hon Gai to Cat
Ba Island.
There are also services from Hon
Gai and Bai Chay to Mong Cai
(Chinese border) by hydrofoil.
Current types of tourism
- Travelling by boat: tourists
can go to Ha Long Bay to view
the landscape, visit the caves
and grottoes and relax and go
swimming on the sandy beaches of
the limestone islands.
- Kayaking: a romantic and
adventurous kind of tourism. A
large boat carries small
inflatable canoes or kayaks to
deserted, almost unknown areas
of the Bay. Visitors can paddle
by themselves to explore remote
wild islands and caves.
- Cultural-historical tourism:
tours for people interested in
culture and archaeology. They
stay a longer time in Ha Long to
visit archaeological remains,
study tangible and intangible
culture and experience the
beautiful land and seascapes,
along with the outstanding
geological and historical sites.
- Eco-tourism on Ha Long Bay:
visitors can visit isolated
ecosystems with beautiful sandy
beaches, tidal flats, mangroves,
coastal wetlands and coral
reefs.
Routes on the Bay
There is a variety of different
and attractive tours on the Bay.
Tourists can choose their
favorite tour to visit popular
caves, grottoes and beautiful
islands.
+ Tour Routes and their
duration:
- Route 1: Tourist Wharf, Thien
Cung Grotto, Dau Go Cave, Dinh
Huong Islet, Ga Choi Islet (3-4
hours)
- Route 2: Tourist Wharf, Thien
Cung Grotto, Dau Go Cave, Dinh
Huong Islet, Ga Choi Islet, Sung
Sot Grotto, Ti Tov Beach (7-8
hours).
- Route 3: Tourist Wharf, Me
Cung Cave, Sung Sot Grotto, Ti
Tov Beach (7-8 hours).
- Route 4: Tourist Wharf, Tam
Cung Cave, Sung Sot Cave, Luon
Cave (7-8 hours).
- Route 5: Tourist Wharf, Bai Tu
Long, Ngoc Vung Island, Quan Lan
Island (2days/ 1 night).
+ Timetable for tourists
visiting caves and grottoes on
the Bay:
Name of cave(s)Summer
From April 1-Sep. 30Winter
From Oct. 1-March 31
Thien Cung-Dau
Go7:30a.m-5:00p.m8:00a.m-4:30p.m.
Sung Sot-Ti Top-Tam
Cung8:00a.m-5:00p.m.8:30a.m-4:30p.m.
Me
Cung8:30a.m-4:30p.m.9:00a.m-4:30p.m.
Restaurants
In Ha Long, there is a wide
range of restaurants including
budget restaurants, seafood
restaurants, as well as good
European and Chinese
restaurants. In the center of
Baichay tourist area, superior
restaurants are often located
around the beach area and in the
large hotels. Along Ha Long
Street are many clean
restaurants
European restaurants
1. Hoang Gia
In the area of the park, Ha Long
Street, Bai Chay
Tel: 033.845.913
2. Heritage Ha Long Restaurant
in the Heritage Hotel
Ha Long Street, Bai Chay
Tel: 033.845.020
3. Ha Long Plaza Restaurant in
the Ha Long Plaza Hotel
Tel: 033. 845.810
4. Ha Long Restaurant in the Ha
Long Hotel
Tel: 033. 846.321
Chinese Restaurants
Quan Hai Lau Next to Bai Chay
Tourist Wharf
Tel: 033.847.037
The restaurant has 250 seats,
(in different rooms aurants,
offering seafood specialties and
Vietnamese dishes)
Seafood specialty restaurants
1. Sea Food Restaurant in Ha
Long Street, Bai Chay
Tel: 033.845.822
2. Thu Huong Restaurant, in Ha
Long Street, Bai Chay
Tel: 033.845.142
Cafes
Apart from bars and cafes in the
larger hotels, there are many
other cafes:
- Trung Nguyen Cafe No 1, Nguyen
Van Cu Street, Ha Long City.
- Trung Nguyen cafe No 2, Cong
Doan Hotel, Ha Long Street, Bai
Chay.
- House on Stilts cafe, "ruou
can" (rice wine drunk out of a
jar through pipes)in Thang Long
hotel.
Tel: 033.847276
- Noinho Cafe, 10 Tran Hung Dao
Road, Ha Long City
Tel: 033.628027, 033.629128.
There are numerous cafes and
refreshment locations in Ha Long
Street (Bai Chay) and Le Thanh
Tong Street (Hon Gai).