Explore Ha Long Bay: Ultimate 2 Days 1 Night Itinerary & Travel Tips

We chose the Lan Ha Bay package from Venezia Cruise. It’s basically another bay right next to Halong Bay, with the same scenery but fewer tourists, and the cruise also goes through Halong Bay.

💰Cost
110 USD (2 days 1 night package) + 22 USD (round-trip bus transfer)
A total of 132 USD per person, which includes all expenses on the boat: accommodation, meals (1 breakfast, 2 lunches, 1 dinner), and activity fees. A partial deposit is required in advance, with the balance to be paid upon boarding.

🗺️ Itinerary

– Day 1 –

7:30 am
🚌 The bus will pick you up from your hotel and head to the pier.

12 pm
🚢 Take a speedboat to Cat Ba Island.

12:30 pm
🚌 Get on the bus for about 10 minutes to reach another pier.

1 pm
🚢 Board the Venezia Cruise, enjoy a simple welcome drink, and listen to the cruise manager introduce the upcoming itinerary. The boat starts sailing at this point! You might feel a bit seasick at first, but once the boat reaches the middle of the sea, the waves become relatively calm, and you’ll get used to the feeling of being at sea 🙂

1:30 pm
🍴 Lunch

2:30 pm
🚣‍♀️ The boat has reached the boundary of Halong Bay. You can freely choose whether to go into the sea. If you just want to lie on the deck on the third floor to sunbathe or rest in the room, that’s fine too! But we went kayaking~

5 pm
The cruise manager ensures everyone is back on board, and Happy Hour begins! Most alcoholic drinks are buy one get one free, but note that only these purchases require additional payment.

6 pm
🫔 Spring roll wrapping activity!

7 pm
🍴 Dinner

9 pm
🎣 Free time! You can choose to sing karaoke or go squid fishing at night~
What’s special is that the night squid fishing activity doesn’t provide any bait, but the local cruise manager caught 5 squids in a row like this! We didn’t catch anything… When tired, return to the room to rest~

– Day 2 –

7 am
🍴 Breakfast

8:30 am
🚴 Arrive at Viet Hai Village
You can choose to cycle around the island or take an electric cart that’s already prepared. No matter which option you choose, the itinerary is the same, and the cruise manager will accompany you throughout, explaining the stories of the island.

11 am
🍴 Return to the boat for lunch

11:45 am
Arrive at the pier to disembark and take the bus back to Hanoi in the same way as when you came.

In Hanoi, we also met other travelers who chose a one-day tour of Halong Bay, but everyone felt the schedule was too rushed. If you have enough time, the 2 days 1 night itinerary is really great~