Discover Ha Long Bay: Best One-Day Tour Packages & Experiences

The one-day tour to Halong Bay is generally divided into the following two types:

1️⃣ Called Tour 1 on Klook, locally known as the 4-hour tour
2️⃣ Called Tour 2 on Klook, locally known as the 6-hour tour

Then, based on the luxury level of the boat, they are categorized from 3-star to 5-star; and according to the departure location, they are divided into departures from Hanoi and departures from Halong Bay port.

We directly found a local travel agency in Halong Town and booked a [5-star 6-hour tour departing from Halong Bay port]. The price was negotiated down to 35 USD (860k VND/250 RMB) per person, which is lower than the quote on Klook. Our itinerary was as follows (the English version is shown in Figure 6):

Go to Tuan Chau Port in Halong Bay by ourselves, then board the boat (the so-called 5-star boat is shown in Figure 5, personally, I didn’t find it particularly luxurious, and it was a bit crowded 😅). After setting off, we started to enjoy a 30-dish buffet lunch while admiring the scenery along the way.

Then, we had the option to either go kayaking at Luon Cave or take a bamboo boat, or pay extra for a speedboat ride to enjoy the scenery (Figure 2). Next, we visited Sung Sot Cave to see the karst cave (Figure 3). After that, we went to Ti Top Island to enjoy the beach or climb to the top of the mountain to see the panoramic view of Halong Bay (Figure 4).

Finally, on the return trip, there was a sunset party to watch the sunset and have some fruit and snacks, ending the tour.

Overall, the scenery was just okay, feeling somewhat like leftovers from Guilin, but the overlapping mountains on the sea were still quite nice. It’s recommended to book a tour directly from Hanoi, although it might be more tiring, it’s the most hassle-free option, as there’s not much to do in Halong Town and you’d need to arrange your own transportation back and forth.