Ha Long Bay Day Trip From Hanoi: Day Cruises Compared

Return times are the ones each card states. Where the card gives none, the booking confirmation does.

The $39-$41 Cards

Four cards sit within $2 of each other. The 5-star buffet cruise at $39 boards about 11:15-11:45 and serves a buffet with Indian, Halal and Jain menus. The set-lunch cruise at $40 serves a set menu at 11:30 and ends with a sunset tea. The five-option cruise at $40 splits into harbour-only options 1 and 2 and pickup options 3 to 5. The luxury or standard cruise at $41 lets you pick the Luxury boat with a jacuzzi and buffet or the Standard boat with a set menu, and it holds the top rating at 4.9. The stops are the same on all four: Sung Sot Cave, Luon Cave and Titop Island.

The $57 and $75 Cards

The Ha Long and Lan Ha luxury cruise at $57 is the one that sails into Lan Ha Bay. It takes a luxury bus of about three hours each way, starts the cruise around 10:00, rides a bamboo boat through Dark and Bright Cave at 13:00 and kayaks at Ao Ech at 14:45. A spring roll demonstration and a sunset party close the day at 16:00-16:40. The Apollo cruise at $75 caps the group at 22 and gives a buffet, two caves and a sunset party on the return.

The Small-Group Cards

The Bai Tu Long day tour at $179 and the Amazing Sail cruise at $199 are Viator cards for up to 26 guests. The $179 tour runs 12-13 hours, visits the Vung Vieng floating fishing village and Thien Canh Son Cave and serves a set lunch at a private table. The $199 cruise is 7 hours on the water, starts at the Ha Long International Cruise Port at 10:00 and does not include a cabin. Both are priced for a quieter boat, not for a different route.

What each card includes against what it lists as extra. Port-only options are cheaper because the Hanoi bus is not in the price.

Where the Money Goes

The Ha Long Bay Management Board charges $9.72 (VND 250,000) per person for a day on routes 1 and 2, and $7.77 (VND 200,000) on routes 3 and 4. Route 2 starts at Tuan Chau and covers Sung Sot Cave, Ti Top Island and Luon Cave, the same stops the $40 card lists. On a $39-$41 card the bay fee takes about $9.72 and leaves roughly $29 to $31 for the bus, the boat, lunch and the guide, our sum from the official fee.

That is why a card under $40 is near the floor. A port-only card cuts the bus out, and the set-lunch cruise then adds $10 for transfers while the luxury or standard cruise adds a $15 shuttle, so the cheaper option is not always the cheaper day.

The July 2026 Pickup Rule

Since July 1, 2026, buses with more than 16 seats may not pick up in the Old Quarter from 6:00-9:00 and may not drop off from 16:00-19:30, according to the set-lunch cruise, which says the exact pickup point is confirmed within 24 hours of booking. The five-option cruise says the same and warns you may walk to a main road. Confirm the pickup point before you leave the hotel. The Hanoi stay guide compares the areas.

A Typical Day, Hour by Hour

The cards agree on the shape of the day. Pickup in the Old Quarter comes at 7:15-8:30 on most cards and 6:30 on the luxury bus, boarding at Tuan Chau or the Ha Long International Cruise Port at 11:15-11:45, then lunch on the boat and three stops. The 5-star buffet cruise prints a full timetable, which the table follows. Cards that start the cruise earlier or later shift every time by the same amount.

What You Walk and Climb

Sung Sot Cave is 40-60 minutes of walking with stairs, according to the luxury or standard cruise. The Titop Island summit is 420 steps on the 5-star buffet cruise and a 50-minute stop on the luxury or standard cruise, but it is optional: you can swim from the beach instead. Luon Cave is a kayak or bamboo boat ride with a speedboat extra paid on site. The 5-star buffet cruise is not wheelchair or stroller accessible, and the five-option cruise lists wheelchair access.

Pack swimwear, a towel, a hat and quick-dry clothes, as the set-lunch cruise advises, and leave plastic bottles on shore.

When the Bay Is Open

The Ha Long Bay Management Board sets the hours for the caves, the islands and the boats. A day cruise fits inside both timetables, since the port return on the cards is 17:15-18:15 and every boat must be back at the dock by 19:00 in winter and 20:00 in summer. Boats can leave from 5:00 or 5:30, but day cards board at midday, so the opening hours of the caves matter more than the dock hours.

The price bands on this page, with what moves a card from one band to the next. Prices are the ones each booking platform shows on its card.

Children are priced on the card. The set-lunch cruise charges children 4-8 the child rate and takes under 4 free. The five-option cruise charges 75 percent for ages 3-7 and nothing for under 3. The Bai Tu Long tour takes under 4 free (one per couple), charges ages 4-7 half and from age 8 the adult rate. Tips for the guide and driver are never in the price.

On the day trip, about five of your hours are on the road and the boat time is the afternoon. On an overnight cruise the road is the same but you sleep aboard and wake on the bay. The price moves from $39-$41 to $140-$179 on most overnight cards, and the extras are bigger, such as a VND 630,000 cash fee on one card.

Our overnight cruise comparison sets the cards side by side. A third choice is a package such as the Hanoi city and Ha Long package, which spends the night in a Hanoi hotel and the bay on day 2.