Vietnam is an unforgettable country! For about 10 eventful days we visited many exotic destinations from south to north Vietnam, and our amazing 2 Days & 1 Night Cruise trip to Lan Ha Bay was a magical experience! Most of the tourists travel to Ha Long Bay, for it is more famous and geologically richer. Whereas Lan Ha Bay, being an extension of the very same Ha Long Bay is much less-cluttered, serene and clean. Here’s everything you need to know about choosing between the two.
If you haven’t read our last blog about the top 5 tips to know before travelling to Vietnam, check this link now –
- Local Language – Vietnamese. Every hosts in the cruise speak good english and are extremely friendly and caring. Being a prime tourist spot the locals in the nearby islands can communicate in english but it is advisable to keep a voice translator on your smartphone.
- Local Currency – Vietnamese Dong. The Cruise trips generally follow an all-inclusive (stay, fooding, activities and sightseeing) prepaid policy, but charge you for all the extra drinks that you have consumed during your stay. Cards are accepted but with an additional 2% charge. Better to keep cash instead (they also accept US Dollar in cash).
- Best time to Visit – Spring (February to April) or Autumn (September to October). Spring is the best. Upto March it can be sunny, rainy or cloudy, but very pleasant. If you want to experience blue-sky, then it is always April. But remember, April is also very hot and humid. Autumn is a peak season for domestic tourism, so expect a crowd of Vietnamese locals in September and October.
The iconic islets, Lan Ha Bay
Is There Any Difference Between The Two Bays?
Both Ha Long Bay and Lan Ha Bay lie in the Gulf of Tonkin, that surrounds the North-Eastern side of Vietnam. Ha Long is towards the northern side in the province of Quang Ninh; whereas Lan Ha Bay is an extension of Ha Long Bay towards the south that belongs to the Hai Phong province. There is no difference in between the two in terms of beauty and geographical appearance. Both are stunning with small limestone islets covered with tropical plants, surrounded by pristine blue water, fostering over 500 different protected marine species. However, Ha Long Bay, being a natural wonder of the world, is much more popular and crowded. The high seasons in Ha Long Bay experience a huge tourist traffic from all over the world. Lan Ha Bay however, is much unexplored and less-cluttered. You won’t find many cruise ships in Lan Ha Bay. Unlike Ha Long, which is far more rich geologically, having about 2000 exotic limestone islets, but no beaches; Lan Ha Bay have a combination of 400 islets and small islands with beaches which are ideal for swimming and Kayaking. I’ll come to that later in details.
A cloudy March morning, Lan Ha Bay
How To Get There?
Hanoi city is generally the base for all tourists travelling to Ha Long Bay or Lan Ha Bay. To get into your cruise to Ha Long Bay, you have to reach the Ha Long City ferry terminal. For Lan Ha Bay, you should reach the GOT ferry terminal at Hai Phong city. Almost all cruise companies pick and drop guests from and to their hotels in the Hanoi Old Quarter area at about USD 15 per person, per way. From Hanoi city, it takes approximately 2 and half hours to reach either of the Ferry terminals.
However, our plan was a bit different. We were in the Hoi An town before we visited the Lan Ha Bay, and we flew from Da Nang (nearest airport from Hoi An) to Hai Phong City, stayed overnight and next morning booked a taxi (costed about USD 35) from the city to the GOT Ferry terminal. It took about 45 minutes to reach the terminal. The next day, after we disembarked the cruise, we got transferred from the Ferry terminal to Hanoi city by a shared limousine shuttle. This was arranged by the cruise company at an added cost of USD 15 per head. Roads were pretty fine and we faced no congestions or delays. To get a clear visual experience about cruising at Lan Ha Bay check our vlog below 🙂
What To Do There?
As I told before, Ha Long Bay is a natural wonder! It has 2000 concentrated Limestone islets covered with exotic tropical flora. However, it is also excessively crowded, for obvious reasons! In high season, each day about 300 to 400 small or larger cruise ships sail there with tourist from all over the world. Because of the huge traffic, all ships need to maintain a strict time and route, and the travellers are not allowed to swim or dive and there aren’t any water sports activities. A few cruise companies with permission arrange kayaking though. So in the main activities while cruising at Ha Long Bay, one can mainly chill out on the deck, taking in the stunning scenery and take beautiful photographs and an unforgettable memory. Of course, also tick-off the bucket list.
However, Lan Ha Bay being an extension of the same geographical qualities of Ha Long Bay, is a bit different. There aren’t so many islets here like Ha Long Bay, but about 400 smaller islands and islets combined that are mostly not habitable but with rich flora and fauna and 1 large island named Cat Ba, which is a home to many hotels and resorts. Lan Ha Bay have quite a few serene beaches which are ideal for swimming and relaxing. Also, Lan Ha Bay is a Kayaking paradise. The sea water here is still, pristine and much cleaner, as well unlike the famous Ha Long, tourists are allowed to jump into the water from the cruise ships (of course with permission from the cruise manager) or take a speed boat to the nearest beach. The panoramic view of Lan Ha Bay is amazingly beautiful, secluded, calm and peaceful. We chose to visit Lan Ha Bay, over Ha Long Bay, because of this reason only. We wanted to be somewhere less-crowded but also experience the same stunning beauty of the Ha Long Bay. And Lan Ha Bay gave us more than what we wanted!
Panoramic view, Lan Ha Bay
Both Ha Long and Lan Ha Bay have multiple Limestone caves, where the tourists are taken for a short visit by the cruise companies. Also, both the bays have fishing villages, where the tourists are allowed to visit to mingle with the local people and know their culture.
Lan Ha bay has a floating village named Cai Beo where the locals stay in floating houses. Also it offers activities like rock climbing and hiking. All these activities are generally arranged by the cruise companies, but if you book your cruise for 2 nights and 3 days, only then you can be a part of all these activities. With a night and 2 days time, you would probably be able to swim and kayak on the first day, and visit one of a limestone cave on the second morning.
What is the Cost?
There are multiple options available in the internet and there are sites where you can compare rates of these cruise trips. Generally a mid-range cruise to Lan Ha Bay for 1 night and 2 days starts from about USD 250 for a couple with an added cost of car transfers as mentioned above. These cruises generally follow full-board policy, which means, all your breakfast, lunch and dinner are included in the package, and honestly, the food on-board was amazing! They charge you extra for any thing extra that you have taken like drinks, SPA and therapies etc. All activities like Kayaking, rock climbing or swimming are also all inclusive.
Amazing food & drinks on-board, Peony Cruise, Lan Ha Bay
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