Halong Bay on a Backpacker Budget: an Affordable Cruise in Lan Ha Bay
Scribbled by Claire ⬩ 09 Apr 2025
If you are planning a budget trip to Halong Bay, but are concerned by the prices, check out this alternative backpacker option to Lan Ha bay that is just as amazing but for a fraction of the cost!
The legendary Halong Bay (Bay of Descending Dragons) is at the forefront of most Vietnam tourist itineraries.
The issue for many budget travellers is that cruising Halong Bay is typically very expensive. Many backpackers and solo travellers visit Vietnam on a tighter budget, where multi-hundred dollar per person cruises are just not feasible.
As (mid-range) budget travellers, we spent a fair bit of time researching the best, most affordable Halong Bay budget cruise option. During our investigation, we also read that Halong Bay was rammed with tourists and quite dirty, neither of which (obviously!) appealed to us.
After much thought, our final decision was to take a slightly alternative cruise through Lan Ha Bay. This was affordable, void of trash, empty of tourists and, putting it simply, utterly perfect. We were so happy with our choice! This post details everything you need to know about getting a budget cruise in Halong Bay, what the alternatives are, how much things cost, where to stay and more.
IN THIS GUIDE //
Halong Bay on a Backpacker Budget
What is Halong Bay?
Why is Halong Bay so Expensive?
The Best Month to Visit Halong Bay
Budget Options for a Halong Bay Cruise
Which Bay is Best on a Budget?
– The Best Halong Bay Budget Option
– What is Cat Ba Island?
Are There Beaches in Halong Bay?
Is Halong Bay Touristy?
How to Plan a Cruise to Halong Bay
– How We Organised Our Cruise
What is a Day Cruise Like?
Where to Stay for a Budget Halong Bay Cruise?
Day Tour or Overnight Cruise?
Getting from Hanoi to Halong Bay
– Getting the Bus to Cat Ba Island
Final Thoughts: Halong Bay on a Budget
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What is Halong Bay?
Halong Bay is a spectacular UNESCO World Heritage Site, attracting 2.6 million visitors every year from all over the world.
This 1553 square kilometre ocean spectacle is scattered with more than 1600 towering limestone karsts, situated in the Gulf of Tonkin, in Northern Vietnam. This means a trip on the water is the only way to experience the awesome natural beauty of Halong Bay.
The UNESCO site is under three hours east by road of Hanoi, Vietnam’s distinctive colonial capital city. This ease of access has made the region even more appealing, as many day trippers and overnight travellers make the journey needing little spare time.
The nearest town is the tourist centre of Halong, with the larger town of Haiphong, home to Cat Bi International Airport, just inland.
Why are Cruises Around Halong Bay So Expensive?
Most visitors to Halong Bay opt for one- or two-night cruises in order to see the bay of karst rocks. The alternative option to this is a very rushed, less-than-ideal day trip from Hanoi that costs quite a lot and generally delivers very little (six hours of travelling by road will do that for a day out!).
If you are travelling to Halong Bay and are on a budget, many of the overnight cruise options are just a little steep, price-wise. This applies even more to solo travellers who have to pay for a double occupancy room-rate on a cruise ship.
Unrelated: these more expensive cruise ships (predominantly filled with high-paying couples), have minimal people interaction, which is especially noticeable if you are a sociable solo traveller.
Note: it’s well-known that getting a particularly low rate on a Halong Bay cruise usually reflects directly on the quality of your experience. Be aware if you find a price that seems to good to be true.
WHAT IS THE BEST MONTH TO VISIT HALONG BAY?
The best months to visit Halong Bay are during October and November, and March to May:
Summer: according to our tour guide, the summer months of July and August are very busy in Halong Bay with Vietnamese families taking full advantage of the school summer holidays. They said that tour capacities are at a maximum during this time due to domestic tourism.
Therefore, if you are intentionally avoiding the crowds, choose a different month! If you must travel during the summer, the end of the season has fewer visitors, however the weather is the least favourable.
June, July and August are also particularly hot (above 30 degrees C) and the area also receives a lot of rainfall and stormy weather, especially August. The water is also warmest during this season.
Fall: October and November have great weather. We chose to visit at the beginning of November, and there were glorious conditions with no rain for the entire five days we were in the area. This can be a busier season in Halong Bay itself due to the weather. However, other spots in the region such as Cat Ba Island and Lan Ha Bay were at way below half capacity according to our Lan Ha Bay cruise guide.
It was warm enough to swim and hang out at the beaches during the day, but not so hot that sitting on a boat was uncomfortable.
Spring: Halong Bay in March and April has similar weather to October and November, with mild temperatures and little rain.
Winter: winter in northern Vietnam can get a little cold (which comes as a surprise to some who picture the entire of the country as sweltering and steamy all year around). Water temperatures in December through February can be chilly, so do not plan to swim during this time. It can also be quite foggy. There is minimal rain though!
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RELATED | 11 ESSENTIAL THINGS TO DO IN HANOI
Budget Options for a Halong Bay Cruise
There are alternative options for a Halong Bay cruise, suitable for travellers and backpackers on a tighter budget.
If you’re looking to avoid the rushed Halong Bay day trips from Hanoi, then consider visiting a nearby bay that has exactly the same scenery, a fraction of the crowds, no six-hour drive and more affordable prices.
The area is actually home to three bays: Halong Bay, Lan Ha Bay and Bai Tu Long Bay. All three are geologically similar, showcasing remarkable limestone karsts dotting throughout the sea.
Sometimes Halong Bay is considered to encompass all three bays (they look exactly the same). This is because geologically, they are part of the same plateau. However, they are still split into clearly defined sections on a map.
Which Bay is Best to Visit on a Budget?
If you are researching a backpacker trip to Halong Bay, on a budget, the first thing to figure out is which bay to visit. The three bays mentioned above (Lan Ha, Halong and Bai Tu Long) all look near enough the same, so here is a little more detail:
Halong Bay: Halong Bay, itself, is the actual World Heritage Site and is by far the most popular choice of the three bays. It’s also the easiest option if you are very short on time, so has an extraordinary number of visitors. Many tourists visit as an extensive, rushed day trip from Hanoi – we do not recommend this at all (although you may have no choice with little time). This bay also has the most options for cruises of various lengths.
The excessive number of visitors also means that the waters are the busiest (think literally hundreds of boats, packed beaches and lots of trash).
Bai Tu Long Bay: this is the furthest away, and as such receives less tourists. It’s beautiful and a great option, but is not easily done as a shorter trip (often three-day, two-night minimums for cruises). This usually places it out of reach of most budget backpackers and travellers.
Lan Ha Bay: this bay is smaller (not that you can tell from a boat) with around 400 islets across 76 square kilometres. It’s slightly to the south, just off Cat Ba Island.
There are lots of beaches in Lan Ha; that last I read, there was around 140. It’s a far better location for swimming and snorkelling as the water is much cleaner and quieter than Halong Bay. Often, you might find a beach all to yourself if you head off in a kayak.
The Best Halong Bay Budget Backpacker Option
We think Lan Ha Bay is the best option for budget, backpacker and solo travellers:
⬩ Overnight and day tours are cheaper
⬩ Generally more sociable vibes
⬩ Less high-end, spendy travellers
⬩ Best beaches and least trash
⬩ Tours depart from Cat Ba Island, which has lots of budget food, hostel and accommodation options
What is Cat Ba Island?
Lan Ha Bay is accessed via Cat Ba Island, which has a fantastic, affordable selection of hotels and restaurants. It also had the cheapest scooter/motorbike rental we found in Vietnam and lots of affordable tour agencies offering budget day and overnight cruises.
Cat Ba Island is also home to Cai Beo fishing village, a fascinating opportunity to see a real, working village that minimal tourists ever visit (unlike the busy Halong Bay equivalent). They have solar panels to power their televisions and keep dogs to deter the birds from eating their fish. There are no hospitals or schools, so children go to school on the island, living away from their families. It’s all very interesting.
This makes Lan Ha Bay a fantastic, straightforward, ‘do-it-yourself’ budget option to see Halong Bay that will not stretch your wallet.
Are There Beaches in Halong Bay?
Yes, Halong, Bai Tu Long and Lan Ha Bay all have beaches! In most photos, there are just limestone karsts jutting out of the sea, but there are also small beaches, tide dependent.
From our research and our friends’ experiences, the beaches in Halong Bay can get extremely crowded, especially during peak season.
This entire region isn’t exactly an ideal location for beach lovers though. Although any boat tour, both overnight and day, will stop at some kind of beach and provide opportunities for swimming in the bay, the primary purpose of the trip is to see the karst rock formations.
In our opinion, the beaches in Lan Ha Bay and Cat Ba Island are amazing, clean and quiet if this is a priority for you.
Is Halong Bay Crowded?
Yes, Halong Bay can be very crowded.
The main Halong Bay area is extremely touristy all year round. It was voted one of the new Seven Wonders of the Natural World in 2011 and is a very well-known UNESCO World Heritage Site. This tends to attract the tourist hordes. Halong Bay is Vietnam’s most popular tourist destination.
This, plus the terrible stories of pollution and all the negatives of over-tourism, is why we opted to stay on Cat Ba Island and visit Lan Ha Bay instead.
PLANNING A VIETNAM TRIP?
Have a quick peek to see if any of our other northern Vietnam posts might be helpful.
Destination info:
Learn the truth about the Tam Coc Boat Tour
Explore the dramatic karst rocks of Ninh Binh
Don’t miss these 11 things off your first-time Hanoi itinerary
Read about how to ride the Ha Giang Loop independently
Why you should avoid Sapa’s Cat Cat Village
Planning guides:
Are you insured to ride a scooter in Vietnam?
An entire one Month Vietnam trip budget for backpackers
Three 7-day Vietnam itinerary routes, perfect for shorter trips
What to expect and how to book Vietnam sleeper buses
How to get scooter insurance if you can’t get a 1968 IDP
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How to Plan a Backpacker Budget Cruise to Halong Bay
If you are looking to do Halong Bay on a budget, consider a day trip to Lan Ha Bay and Halong Bay from Cat Ba Island.
Agencies in Cat Ba offer everything from day tours to multi-night cruises can be found all along the main seafront promenade and in almost every hotel. The best option for finding the most affordable tour is to visit a few of these agencies over the course of a morning. Check out what they offer and what they cost (we found that they were all similar in terms of price).
How We Organised Our Budget Halong Bay Backpacker Cruise
We checked six companies/hotels before settling with a full day tour of both bays with Cat Ba Ventures. This cost US$32 each, which, although we were unsure about initially, was outstandingly good value. The tour was a full day, leaving at 9am and getting back at 6pm, with a massive, quality meal and kayaking included.
Travel tip: we booked the day before and the tour wasn’t full the next morning, so there’s no need to book well in advance outside of high season.
It is also possible to book ahead of time if you are on a tight schedule or just like to have your plans sorted in advance. There are a lot of day cruises and overnight cruises around Lan Ha bay on Get Your Guide. Have a look at these cruises for trips like ours – it’s helpful since you can read the reviews.
Kayaking in Lan Ha Bay
Every tour we checked had the choice of kayaking in Lan Ha Bay. We opted for this (it cost a couple of extra dollars) and was pretty cool (even though I’m a shit kayaker and fully believe kayaking is the cause of most divorces). There are caves in Halong Bay that cut right through the limestone monoliths making it a particularly fun place to get out on the water.
We would fully recommend choosing this addition to your budget backpacker cruise.
What is a Budget Day Cruise to Lan Ha Bay Like?
Our Halong Bay budget experience went something like this:
The day started with a several-minute drive by bus from the promenade to the port, where we boarded the boat.
Capacity: our boat had a capacity of (I think) 42 – but the tour only had around 20 people that day.
Facilities: onboard, there were two western flushing toilets with showers (not the nicest but far from awful). The boat had two floors, the top with shade, loungers and seating and the bottom with panoramic windows and tables for lunch.
Morning: we started the journey by passing through a huge floating fishing village (Cai Beo) – our guide provided loads of useful information that made the area even more interesting. As we travelled onward through the impressive limestone landscape of Lan Ha Bay and Halong Bay, showing off the countless islets, the guide pointed out wildlife, cool geology facts and even some film locations.
Lunch: for lunch, vegetarian, meat and seafood options were available. With the vegetarian selection, we had rice, cabbage, tofu, omelette, mixed salad, papaya salad, peanuts with salt and sugar, various fruits, corn fritter things and spring rolls. It was surprisingly good and there was a lot of it.
Drinks: everyone was given a large bottle of water each (this seemed like a lot of plastic waste considering it would be possible to put a water dispenser onboard). Soft drinks and beers were offered throughout the day for a surcharge (30k VND for a beer, 20k VND for a soft drink).
Kayaking: after lunch, we cruised around and then kayaked through lagoons and caves in Halong Bay for 1-1.5 hours.
Afternoon: swimming near several beaches was offered mid-morning and late afternoon. The boat took us back during sunset to the pier, where we were driven back to the tour office at the Cat Ba seafront promenade.
Where to Stay for a Halong Bay Budget Cruise
Lan Ha Bay cruises leave from the port on the east side of Cat Ba Island.
Cat Ba Island is an excellent destination in its own right to spend a night or two (we spent five). There are superb quality, budget accommodation and hostel options and some of the nicest, most affordable food we found in Vietnam. The seafront promenade is so pretty and is perfect for sunsets. The traffic is extremely light, making it very easy and peaceful to ride a scooter around the island.
Things to do on Cat Bat Island
If you have a few spare days around your Lan Ha Bay Cruise, we thoroughly recommend hanging around for a while on Cat Ba Island.
Caves: Cat Ba Island is home to some fascinating caves, including Hospital Cave which was used during the Vietnam/American War.
Hiking: the national park has epic, sometimes challenging hikes with panoramic vistas as your reward.
Beaches: Cat Ba Island also has several absolutely pristine beaches that can be reached on foot from its main accommodation area – great for hanging out on a chill day off.
Scoot: rent a scooter (120-150K VND is the going daily rate) and explore this little island – there are viewpoints, small beaches, amazing scenery and empty roads.
WHERE TO STAY ON CAT BA ISLAND
Cat Ba Island accommodation and hostel recommendations:
Budget: Luna’s House Hostel. Great value, decent shared facilities, social, multi-lingual staff, very affordable, popular restaurant on-site – we spent most nights here, it’s the best vibes.
Mid-Range: Cat Ba Green Hotel. Comfortable and modern, with clean rooms at a fantastic price, well-priced motorbike rental, excellent breakfast, exceptionally friendly staff. We’d happily stay here again.
Upper Range: Hotel Perle d’Orient Cat Ba. Super-posh, private location, beachfront, incredible views, beautiful architecture and great price-point for the quality. We visited and wished we could stay here!
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Day or Overnight Cruise to Halong Bay?
If you are on a slightly less strict backpacker budget, consider doing an overnight cruise from Cat Ba Island through Lan Ha Bay and Halong Bay. You would still get the benefit of the reduced crowds and cleaner environment, whilst getting more time on the water than a day tour.
The tour operators that offer day trips also have overnight options, so inquire if this is something you are interested in. Prices we saw were around US$140 per person for two people sharing.
For perspective, a decent, private room in a seafront hotel on Cat Ba Island is around US$30-40, so we felt that for us, a day tour was far more economical. We also loved the restaurants, vibe and things to do on Cat Ba Island, so were happy spend our time there.
However, we understand the appeal of spending a night out on the water surrounded by the incredible karsts – so we’d encourage that if you’re keen!
As mentioned above, we also considered a day trip directly from Hanoi, but the typical Halong Bay day trip from Hanoi seemed genuinely horrific. It costs a little more (US$40-50) and you spend most of the day travelling and only a few hours on the water. Personally, we would not recommend this option unless that is your only choice.
Check out this one day Halong Bay cruise as an example.
How to Get From from Hanoi to Halong Bay
The best way to get from Hanoi to Halong Bay is by road. The distance from Hanoi to Halong is about 125 kilometres, which takes around 2.5 hours by car or motorbike.
Around 40 kilometres before reaching Halong, there is a turn off for Cat Ba Island.
To reach Cat Ba Island, there is a long bridge and then a short car ferry or speedboat.
Getting the Bus to Cat Ba Island
Tickets: the journey from Hanoi to Cat Ba Island is easiest and cheapest to organise online or through a tour operator in Hanoi (or other city in Vietnam by sleeper bus), as it involves a short ferry or speedboat ride. It is worth getting a ‘package deal’ to save hassle – although it is possible to do by public transport if you prefer (but you probably won’t save much money).
The buses generally pick you up at your hotel in Hanoi and drop you off at the promenade in Cat Ba Island.
Bus price: the route from Hanoi to Cat Ba Island costs around US$13 (from agencies in Hanoi) and takes three hours.
If you like to book ahead of time, are travelling during a busy season or are on a tight schedule, book your bus to Cat Ba Island online through 12GoAsia, a reliable booking aggregator. Our recent search found the journey for about US$11.
We actually got the bus from Sapa to Cat Ba Island, then Cat Ba Island to Ha Giang, so only passed through Hanoi (had to change bus there though). Those were some seriously long days and a very illogical route!
Final Thoughts: Halong Bay Cruise on a Backpacker Budget
A cruise in Halong Bay should unquestionably be included on your Vietnam backpacking trip, even if you are on a tight budget. The spectacular scenery is (almost) unmatched and it’s unthinkable to miss a trip here (although we actually did miss it on our first two backpacking trips to Vietnam because of our meagre budget).
If you are still craving more karst rock scenery after your Halong trip, check out the ‘Halong Bay on land’ – Ninh Binh. It’s one of our favourite regions in Vietnam.
There are lots of options for a budget or backpacking trip, but we believe that Lan Ha Bay combined with Cat Ba Island is perfect.
We hope this helps your planning and that you have a fantastic trip to Vietnam!
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Thank you, Claire + Nick
Really interesting and well written! Thank you for sharing and giving some inspiration!
We planned originally 2 days but now we are considering 3 days 🙂
Thank you so much! I hope you have an amazing trip – it’s definitely worth three days 🙂