How to get Halong Bay

To get Halong Bay, tourists have several options to choose: by road way, water way or air way. In general, transport of Halong Bay is easy but you had better concern some factors of health, time and budget before travelling.

By Bus & boat

For more on tour to Halong Bay, see the boxed text below. It is hard to do it any cheaper on your own, but some travellers prefer to steer their own course. Traveling independently allows you to take more or less time in places, depending on the weather. The downside is that it is hard to arrange an overnight on a boat this way.

You can take a bus to Halong Cityfrom Hanoi (80, 000d, 3½ hours) and book a passage on a Cat Ba tourist boat (130, 000d including entry ticket, six hours). This boat takes in the main sites and drops you at Ben Beo harbour. Then chill out on Cat Ba before taking a hydrofoil to Haiphong and a bus to Hanoi. Alternatively, run the route in reverse and try and hook up with a tour boat in Cat Ba.
You can take a bus from Hanoi (Luong Yen station or My Dinh Station) to get to Halong City Bus station. and them take a taxi (5 minutes )to get to tourist wharf for Halong Alova Cruise.

By Air - Gia Lam Airport - Helicopter to Halong Bay, Hanoi Helicopter
Northern Airport Flight Service Company (04-827 4409; fax 827 2780; 173 Pho Truong Chinh, Hanoi) offers a helicopter charter service from Gia Lam in Hanoi to Halong Bay on Saturday from 8am. Free transfers are available from the Sofitel Metropole Hotel. The cost for the charter service is US$175 per person, but it only runs with a minimum of six guests. The same helicopters can be privately chartered for US$3995 round trip. Helicopter to Halong Bay, Halong bay Helicopter, Helicopter Hanoi, Vietnam Helicopter Tours

Getting around

You won't see much unless you take a boat tour of the islands and their grottoes. For those travelling independently, life has gotten much easier under the watch of Halong Bay Management Department (846 592; halong.org.vn/; 166  Le Thanh Tong). It regulates pricing for cruises on the bay and has a published list in its office at the Bai Chay tourist dock. Some of the staff speak English and can usually hook you up with other people. Be aware that the tourist boat dock is a bit of a circus, as dozens of boats unload one set of passengers and welcome another. There are usually hundreds of people milling about around midday.
There is no need to rent a whole boat for yourself, as there are plenty of other travellers, Vietnamese and foreign, to share with. The official prices are ridiculously reasonable at 30, 000/40, 000d for a four-/six-hour cruise. Whole boats can be chartered starting from 100, 000/140, 000/160, 000/220, 000d per hour for a no-star/1-star/2-star/3-star boat respectively – an affordable indulgence for those wanting some privacy. Boats to Cat Ba Island cost 100, 000d per person or from 1, 000, 000d for a charter.
International Cruises to Halong bay Vietnam
You can get on International Cruise Line for Balong bay visit from Singapore, EU,...