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Ha Long Bay and the northern seaboard | Ha Long City | Bai Chay | Accommodation |

Boat tours and charters

While touts will accost you all over town offering boat tours, the safest option is to go to Bai Chay tourist wharf two kilometres west of town along Ha Long Avenue. All tourist boats now depart from here and while it’s a lot more organized than it used to be, it’s still pretty confusing.

There are several day-trips on offer, costing 50,000–60,000đ per person. The four-hour tour takes you to Thien Cung and Dau Go caves; six-hour tours usually include Sung Sot and Titop Island; while eight-hour tours head south to Me Cung and Ho Ba Ham. These tours all depart at around 7am, but if there’s enough demand, another four-hour tour may leave at 1pm. The size of the boat will also depend on demand, with the biggest carrying up to 45 passengers. Once you’ve purchased your tour ticket, you need to buy an entry ticket for the bay (30,000đ), as well as tickets to the caves (10,000–40,000đ) from an adjacent booth.

Bai Chay tourist wharf is also the departure point for tourist boats to Cat Ba (4hr; 100,000đ), taking a leisurely amble through the bay en route. Since these boats don’t usually stop for sightseeing, you shouldn’t need a ticket for the caves. In theory, boats leave around noon, having come up from Cat Ba in the morning. There may, however, be something heading south earlier in the day, so it’s worth asking around.

If you’re travelling in a group or want greater independence, you can always charter your own boat. Prices start at 700,000đ, excluding cave entry, for a 25-seater for four hours. Meals on board cost extra, but can be excellent. Drinks tend to be pricey – it’s best to take your own.

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Ha Long Bay and the northern seaboard | Ha Long City | Bai Chay |

Restaurants

Fresh seafood is the natural speciality of Ha Long Bay, with excellent lobster, crab and freshly caught fish on offer. Despite the onslaught of passing traffic and souvenir-vendors at the throbbing epicentre of Ha Long’s tourist mecca, the most popular place to eat in Bai Chay remains the strip of restaurants on Ha Long Avenue between the post office and the Heritage hotel. There’s nothing much to choose between them, but the Lavender is worth trying for an unusually varied menu and good-value meals. Alternatively, head for one of the cheaper, local eating houses round the corner on Vuon Dao – the Anh Tuyet is clean and friendly. For basic com pho outlets, head up Vuon Dao towards the market; there’s a good choice of food stalls in the market itself.

Ha Long Bay and the northern seaboard | Ha Long City |

Hong Gai

In contrast to Bai Chay, HONG GAI has a compelling, raw vitality plus an attractive harbour to the east, crowded with scurrying coracles. It’s worth spending an hour or so wandering the harbourside paths where a picturesque village lies strung out under the limestone knuckle of Nui Bai Tho. This mountain is named after a collection of poems (bai tho) carved into the rock, that detail Ha Long Bay’s beauty, kicking off with King Le Thanh Tong’s in 1468. Nowadays most are hidden behind houses clinging to the cliff edge, but keep an eye open as you follow Ben Tau lane from Long Tien, winding through the fishing village, and you might spot one or two of the weathered inscriptions; no one seems quite sure which are the royal verses.

Also worth a look is the small but colourful Long Tien Pagoda on Long Tien. There are frequently ceremonies taking place in its small courtyard, offering fascinating glimpses into local rituals.

Ha Long Bay and the northern seaboard | Ha Long City | Hong Gai |

Arrival and information

Buses to and from Mong Cai operate out of Hong Gai bus station on the west side of town; from here, it’s around 30,000đ into town by xe om. Ferries to and from Cat Ba and Quan Lan use Ben Tau pier, on the east side of Nui Bai Tho. Incombank, 120 Le Thanh Tong, provides