Halong Bay how to get from Ho Chi Minh City. Floating Village and Pearl Farm. Return to Hanoi

| How to get to Halong Bay

How to get to Halong Bay

Most often, tourists get to Halong as part of an excursion, which, of course, is much easier than independent travel. But getting to Halong on your own and on a budget is possible, and it's not that difficult. And when you get to Halong and stay at the hotel, you can buy a boat tour of the islands, caves and other attractions. Excursions-walks in Ha Long go to the sea in the morning ( last boat at 13:00), therefore, when planning a route, keep this in mind if you do not want to waste a day on a useless hotel stay.

An independent trip to Halong makes sense only if you want to stay in Halong for a few days, and in addition to walking around the bay, you plan to walk around the city, sunbathe on the beach, maybe visit national reserve. If you are planning to visit Ha Long just for the sake of a boat trip, a special financial benefit and pleasure from such independent travel you won't get. Traveling alone can cost you even more than group tour from Hanoi, especially given the possible unforeseen costs of a taxi, it is unjustified high prices for a tour on the spot in case of bad bargaining on your part, etc. But the above is exclusively the personal opinion of the author, and it's up to you to decide.

The best starting point for both a sightseeing tour and an independent trip to Ha Long is Hanoi. For information on how to get to Hanoi, read the corresponding section. Not most of tourists also get here from Chinese Nanning (Nanning) by bus. If you want to visit Halong from Ho Chi Minh City, you can take an air flight to Haiphon (Haiphon). You can try to use a transfer directly from Hanoi Airport to Ha Long, but it is better to take care of this in advance, for example, by agreeing on this with the hotel that you are booking in Ha Long.

Hanoi to Halong by bus

The easiest way is to use a tourist bus, most often these are minibuses. They are convenient in that a ticket for them can be purchased at any travel company on the streets in the tourist area of ​​Hanoi, they also depart from the tourist area or include a transfer-collection of passengers from hotels to the place of departure big bus. To Halong, a tourist bus costs from $10 (2013) and takes about 3 hours. There are also multiple routes in one ticket to Cat Ba Island (Cat Ba), consisting of a trip to Ha Long, then by boat to Cat Ba and from the pier to resort area on the island. Cost from $12.

More cheap option- get on the flight intercity bus. These buses leave from the bus stations in Hanoi Long Bien, Gia Lam Station, My Dinh or Luong Yen to Ha Long City. Buses leave every 15-30 minutes and cost about VND 50,000. The buses are very slow and make a lot of stops, so don't expect to get there in less than 5 hours. In Halong, buses arrive at Bai Chay Bus Station.

There is also a bus from Luong Yen station compound route to Cat Ba Island at a cost of VND 210,000 (2011).

Wherever you are departing from Hanoi, if you are going on a boat cruise, your final destination should become a marina in Ha Long, where you can immediately upon arrival buy a tour and go sailing. Therefore, check with the carrier before buying tickets where the bus will take you, otherwise you will still have to spend money on a taxi to travel to the pier. The bulk of tourist buses and minibuses go exactly to the pier. And do not forget that the last boat on the cruise leaves at about 13 o'clock, and if you arrive later than this time, you will either have to return back or spend the night in Halong.

To Halong by train

Unfortunately, trains to Halong, despite the availability railway, from Hanoi no. You need to get through the city of Haiphong.

Daily between Hanoi and Haiphong runs 4 passenger trains. Travel time is about 2 hours. Departure from Hanoi Main Station or Hanoi Long Bien Station. It is better to buy tickets not from intermediaries, but directly at the station. There is no big need to book tickets in advance. they are always in stock. Just come to the station, buy a ticket and go.

You can see the train schedule on the websites: http://www.vietnamtrains.com, http://www.vietnamrailways.net or http://www.saigonrailway.com.vn/

From Hai Phong by ferry or boat you can take a bus to Halong, or a ferry or speedboat to about. Catba for 150,000 VND.

Ha Long Bay (Vietnam) is considered one of the must-see places, it is a must see! However, it is located in the north of the country, and with southern resorts getting there is difficult. But if you are still offered an excursion to Halong Bay or you want to visit it yourself, be sure to go on the road! You won't regret your trip!

How to get to Halong Bay?

The city of Ha Long on the map of Vietnam is located in the north, and you need to keep the path to it in order to then go on a tour of the bay of the same name. The easiest way to do this is from Hanoi. You can choose one of these options:

• Ride on public transport. Way on shuttle bus or minivan will take about 5 hours because there will be many stops. But this is the cheapest option, a ticket costs about $ 5.
• Hire a taxi. The trip will be quite expensive and will cost about $50.
• Buy sightseeing tour. Prices start from $50, the cost depends on the duration of the tour and its program.

Even though public transport seems to be more budget friendly, it is best to choose organized tour from Hanoi. The fact is that in Ha Long itself you still have to buy excursions around the bay, and the shortest (3 hours) will cost tourists 30 dollars. And during this time you won’t be able to see everything. Experienced travelers It is advised to buy two or even three-day tours from Hanoi, because during this time you can see much more sights.

One-day excursions to Halong Bay (Vietnam) from Hanoi follow one scenario: the bus brings tourists to the pier, where they transfer to a boat or boat and go for a walk around the bay. It will be short excursion, because you need to have time to return back on the same day. Tours in several days are different:

• Overnight at one of the hotels in Halong. Tourists are brought to the city, spent sea ​​excursions by boat or boat, and in the evening they are sent to the hotel. The following days are also spent on excursions around the bay.
• Mini cruise. Then tourists sail on a comfortable ship and spend the night in cabins. The cost of such a tour depends on the type of cabin and the class of the ship.

Halong Bay (Vietnam): how to get from Nha Trang?

Many tourists choose the popular Vietnamese resort Nha Trang. Halong Bay (this can be seen on the map) is located very far from it. And although you can get there by public bus (direct route, of course not), only those who have a lot of free time and energy can do this. It is best to fly from Nha Trang to Hanoi by plane. With this option, you can plan a tour of Hanoi,. And from there, go to Halong Bay on your own.


Organized tours (for 2-3 days) are also better to choose with a flight, and not with a bus transfer. True, they will cost from $ 300. But it will not be necessary to buy transport tickets on your own, book a hotel and arrange excursions around the bay. Often tours from Nha Trang to Ha Long are offered with a stop in Hanoi. And this is a convenient option to see the capital of Vietnam at the same time.

What to see in the bay?

Halong Bay is listed world heritage UNESCO, and this already says a lot. There magnificent nature: a bay with over 3,000 islands, mostly rocky. It is because of the beautiful views that tourists visit this bay. The name Halong means "dragon's teeth". The rocky islets really look a bit like dragon teeth sticking out of the water. The Vietnamese are trying to preserve the purity and pristine nature in this bay.
Most popular excursions and attractions in the bay:

• • Boat trips around many islands. Since there are thousands of islands in the bay, it takes a long time to just go around them. Therefore, sea excursions with landing on some islands and climbing to observation platforms are popular.

• Swim in the grottoes and visit the caves. These tours are amazing! On small boats (kayaks), tourists are transported under rocky vaults, and then landed near one of the caves and taken inside. The multi-colored illumination of the "insides" of the cave creates an amazing picture and allows you to take great pictures, despite the lack of sunlight.

• Excursion to a farm where pearls are grown. Vietnam is one of the world's leading pearl producers. And tourists will be able to see where pearls are cultivated and find out exactly how they do it.
• visit. This is the most big Island in the bay, and there are many interesting things on it. You can visit the national natural Park with lakes and caves, as well as a museum dedicated to military operations in Vietnam.

• Sea trips with diving. Snorkeling in the bay will give quite vivid impressions: you can see the underwater vegetation and the inhabitants of the bay, including sea urchins.
• Mini cruises. This is a great opportunity not only to see exotic nature and different interesting places but also to be in the present sea ​​cruise. On a comfortable ship, tourists will be offered a place in a cabin, entertainment, Tasty food and drinks. In addition, it is more pleasant to survey the surroundings if you lie in a sun lounger on the deck of a cruise ship!

Halong Bay is a place worth visiting for tourists from all over the world. A tour of the islands will give an unforgettable experience. Be sure to bring your camera to capture the beautiful views and your emotions!

Ha Long is very close, by our standards, from Hanoi. Getting to Vietnamese is a whole epic! My husband and I flew to Hanoi in the morning and did not want to stay overnight in the capital, I can see the noisy dusty city at home, but we arrived overseas! Now I'm talking about all the difficulties that we encountered on the way to Halong.

By bus

I'm talking about epic. Halong is not even 200 km away, but given that hellish hell is going on in Hanoi on the roads, cars drive much faster outside the city, right up to 50 km / h, the trip will take at least 4 hours if you drive without unnecessary stops.

Visitors, as a rule, try to use tourist buses. These are flights of travel agencies, which, in addition to one-day and multi-day tours provide passenger transportation services. Usually their signs are full of tourist areas, here, for example, The Sinhtourist even has a website with a schedule. Departure once a day, at 7:45. Here we have arrived! Once a day, early in the morning, and so on for everyone! You can't do without spending the night in Hanoi!

Buses leave from the representative office, in Hanoi it is at 64 Tran Nhat Duat St., they arrive at Bãi Cháy.

Here the question creeps in: how do the locals drive? Of course, on regular regular buses that depart from the bus station. But here it is not known what is even better: to leave on the same day by regular bus or still spend the night in Hanoi, because:

• Shuttle Buses travel often, but for a very long time. If the travel agency bus trudges for 4 hours, then this one, with a stop where possible along the way, all five or six!
• there are a lot of people, there is nothing to breathe in the bus;
• salons in buses of travel agencies are much cleaner;
• the only plus: cheap.

You can find the bus station in Hanoi here:

Flights to Halong arrive here:

Buying tickets

You can buy tickets for the tourist bus online at The Sinhtourist website or come to the company's office. On scheduled buses, they are sold before departure at the bus station.

Price

Directions to tourist bus it will cost 200,000 dong (7 euros), on a regular one - 90,000 dong (3 euros).

By train

Unfortunately, trains do not run to Halong, although in vain. At one time, they launched a line-up in this direction, but, probably, it was not in demand, since it was canceled.

By plane

I am sure that you can get to Halong by helicopter, only this method of transportation is more related not to transport, but to entertainment. Planes don't fly here.

By car

It is impossible to fly in, rent a car and drive in Vietnam. First you need to arrange temporary driver license and it will take a week. I am sure that without this red tape, 90% of drivers would return the car half an hour after the trip. The traffic is terrible, the complete absence road rules, only instinctive driving. In the same travel agencies you can take a car with a driver, well, no one forbade a taxi. A taxi in Vietnam deserves a separate article, scammers are everywhere, but they will ask for 50-60 euros for travel from Hanoi, no less.

Conclusion

It would seem that, popular place, and there are not so many options for travel. We had to spend the night in Hanoi and drive to Halong in the morning.

It turned out to be very simple. Selling in Hanoi single tickets to Cat Ba, including both a bus and a boat to Cat Ba, and another bus from the pier to the center of Cat Ba.

To buy a ticket to Cat Ba, you need to get to the bus station called Ben Xe Luong Yen (in Vietnamese Bến xe Lương Yên‎). It is located at: 1 Nguyễn Khoái, Bạch Đằng, Hà Nội, Việt Nam. Write it down and show it to the taxi driver. From the Lake of the Returned Sword Hoan Kiem Lake to this bus station to go only 10 minutes, because. it is 3.5 kilometers south. At the entrance to the bus station, there will be a cash desk of the HOANG LONG company immediately opposite. It looks like this:

There you need to buy a ticket for 190,000 VND per person. This is 277 rubles or a little less than $9. What does the Hanoi-Cat Ba ticket include:

1) The road by bus Hanoi-Haiphong (Ha Noi - Hai Phong) for 2 hours. Here you can change to another bus.

2) The journey by bus from Haiphong to the pier for 25 minutes.

3) Speedboat ride to Cat Ba Island Pier within 23 minutes.

4) Travel by bus for 40 minutes from Cat Ba Pier to central embankment Catba, where all the hotels are located, a fruit market, and where you can live in a room with gorgeous view to the archipelago.

In total, the road from Hanoi to Catba takes 4-4.5 hours. The trip is not exhausting at all, I must say.

Ticket to Catba.

Buses depart from this Ben Xe Luong Yen station at: 5:20, 7:20, 11:20 and 13:20. We chose the most convenient time for ourselves - 11:20. We arrived at the station at 11:00.

While we were waiting for the bus for 15 minutes, we saw how locals rush into the bus to Haiphong.

They also noticed that they sell bus tickets from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City. They cost almost as much as an air ticket - 920,000 VND, and the worst thing here is that the travel time is ... 40 hours! I don’t know where such crazy people come from who are ready to go this way!

By the way, here, at the Ben Xe Luong Yen bus station, the worst toilets ... I went there, but my grandmother wouldn’t let me in, yelling that I need to pay 2,000 dong, and I went without money. I tried to explain to her that I would go to the toilet first, and then I would cry. The Filipinos always rolled it, but it didn’t work out here. Grandma is in no way. Waving in front of me his two thousandth piece of paper! A Vietnamese woman (adult) comes up and pays 2,000 for me. We go into the toilet, and there is such a horror ... There are no toilet bowls, only wooden leg pieces ... against the walls ... and the bare asses of people going to the toilet. This Vietnamese who paid for me brought me toilet paper, and then she also filled a bucket of water and washed it off after me! ahead, so to speak. Well, you must! I thanked her and she quickly ran into her car and drove away.

Even at this bus station, we observed how the Vietnamese smoke bamboo.

And here is our bus. Very comfortable! Plenty of leg room comfortable chairs, you can fall apart from the heart.

Only now we got the driver, to put it mildly, a psycho ... He beeped like crazy every time we drove up to another transport. We laughed at his madness and thought that we ourselves would soon go crazy at this pace! removed short video his beeps.

2 hours we drove with this crazy before port city Hai Phong. Well, he's dirty! Everything is dug up everywhere, containers are standing, some factories ... In a word, tin! Then from Haiphong we drove for 25 minutes to the pier on another bus with a normal driver who never bleeped all the way.

Now a few photos of the pier, from where speedboats start to Cat Ba Island. We were shocked... factories, dirt! Everything is grey. Maybe the bad weather played a part. And what a disgusting brown water was in the sea! I even had the thought that what if there would be the same mud on Cat Ba and Halong Bay ?!

Speedboat to Catba. Swims really fast! 23 minutes on the way. Swim 35-40 km.

Then we were put on a bus and taken to the central embankment of Cat Ba Island - where all the hotels are concentrated, the view from which is very beautiful, to the archipelago, a fruit market, agencies where you can order boat tours of the archipelago, etc. We drove there for 40 minutes. Along the way, I took a few videos. The path was very beautiful! The views are wonderful! But it was raining and leaving drops of water on the glass of the bus, so the video quality is not the best. Sorry for this.

I liked Cat Ba Island from our very first appearance on it, even from the bus window. Nature is amazing!

On the way, I saw a lot of fruit places like this one. The first thing my eyes saw was this!

They dropped us off here.

This is what the center of Catba looks like. And right here we checked into the hotel.

Then I immediately looked at the map of the island. That's all the way to Catba!

If you need to get from Hanoi to Ha Long, and not to Cat Ba, then everything is done in the same way. It's just that the ticket will cost less, about 100,000 dong per person, and the road will be without a boat.

By the way, the distance from Hanoi to Ha Long is 165-170 km.

Read more

Halong Bay (Vịnh Ha Long) translated from Vietnamese means "where the dragon descended into the sea." According to legend, earlier in these places, in the mountains, there lived a dragon who once decided to descend. Descending, he beat the ground with his tail. Then the dragon plunged into sea ​​water and the water flooded the ground where the dragon walked. Thus, many islands of various shapes appeared.

Arriving in Halong Bay, you really begin to believe in the legend, as the place really resembles a fairy tale. In 1994, according to UNESCO, Halong Bay deserved a place on the list of World Heritage Sites.

The bay boasts an abundance of diverse flora and fauna on all the islands of the Bay (there are more than 3 thousand islands), rocks, cliffs and caves.

For tourists, this place is attractive first of all. excursion programs one of the most picturesque places on the planet. Usually tourists do not stay here for more than 2-3 days.

Halog Bay Video

How to get to Halong Bay

Plan to get to Halong Bay in the morning, as almost all excursion boats around the bay leave before lunch (until 13:00).

Halong bay how to get from Hanoi

How to get from Hanoi to Halong on the tourist bus. Tickets for such buses can be purchased at any travel agency. Many companies offering tourist buses are located near, in the tourist area.

Price: about 220.000 VND
Travel time: 3-4 h

Also go to Halong Bay Shuttle Buses from Hanoi. They depart from Long Bien, Gia Lam Station (Bến xe Gia Lâm), My Dinh Station or Luong Yen (Bến xe Lương Yên‎) bus stations to Ha Long City. The location of the bus stations are shown on the map below. Usually the final bus is Ha Long Pier, bus station Bai Chay Bus Station.

Price: about 90-100.000 VND
Travel time: 5-6 h

Bus stations from Hanoi to Ha Long on the map

How to get to Halong Bay from Hanoi by train through the city of Haiphong. ATTENTION! Buy tickets only at the railway station, and not from resellers and local agencies, as there is a risk of being left without a ticket and without money. Departure stations trains are shown on the map above.

Price: train ticket + about 150.000 VND transport (boat, ferry, bus) from Hai Phong to Cat Ba island.
Travel time: 2 hours by train to Hai Phong

How to get to Halong Bay from Nha Trang

Getting from Nha Trang to Ha Long is problematic, primarily because of the long distance between cities. Best to get to by plane from Nha Trang to Hanoi, and from the capital already by bus to the Bay.
Tourists also go to the Bay from Nha Trang. buses, Nha Trang tickets can be purchased from travel agencies, mostly firms are located along the coast.

Travel time: about 20-22 h by bus; 1.45 by plane, 5.5 h with transfer.

Buy a plane ticket from Nha Trang to Hanoi

Excursions to Halong Bay

Excursions in Halong Bay

It is easiest to visit and explore Halong Bay as part of a guided tour. If you got to the Bay on your own and want to buy an excursion, then do it better at the box office on the pier or at a serious travel agency. You should not buy tours from resellers who will start pestering you as soon as your foot steps into their field of vision. As a rule, tours from resellers are 3-4 times more expensive, and the quality is no better than at the box office, and sometimes even worse.

Standard tour includes:

Transfer from the travel agency to the pier and back, Boating, Kayaking, Snorkeling (with masks and fins).

Cost of excursions to Halong Bay

4-5 hour tour

Dinner; visiting Monkey Island (with individual tours can be changed to caves). For those who want to see Halong Bay properly, such an excursion is not suitable, since the main excursion area near about. catba Price: about $15 per person (in a group of up to 30 people); $45 per person (group 1-3 people). Tour time: 8:00 to 12:00 or 13:00

9 hour tour

Plus to standard tour: dinner, drinking water, visiting Monkey Island and floating fishing village, 1 cave. Price:$19 per person (group up to 20 people) + extra. cave $5; $26-29 per person (up to 5 people); $30 per person (up to 15 people); $80 per person (1-3 people) Tour time: from 8:00 to 17:00

2 days / 1 night on the ship

Plus to the standard tour: lunch, dinner, breakfast and lunch the next day, overnight in a cabin, visiting Monkey Island and a floating fishing village, one cave, fishing and rock climbing. If you want to visit more caves, then + $5-7 for each. Price:$50-70 per person (group of 5-8 people); $128 per person (1-4 people); Own ship $260 for 2 people. $35 for each additional passenger. Tour time: from 8:00 to 17:00 the next day.

Excursions to Halong Bay from Hanoi

It will not be difficult to buy an excursion to Halong Bay from Halong, tours to the bay are sold by almost any travel company cities, most of them are located near the lake, in the tourist area. They offer tours lasting from 1 day to 3-4. Approximate cost of excursions from Hanoi: One-day tour - from $ 25; Two-day tour - from $50; Three-day tour (two nights) - from $85.

Excursions to Halong Bay from Nha Trang

Due to the long distance from Nha Trang to Halong Bay, the minimum tour duration is 1.5 days (2 days, 1 night). The cost of the tour also depends on the type of transport that you choose to get by plane or bus (about 20 hours). Average tour starting price is from $250.

Halong Bay hotels - where to stay

If you intend to be long time in Halong Bay, it is better to choose a hotel on Cat Ba Island, since the island itself is beautiful place and has several beaches, a nature reserve. But if you stay in the bay for no more than 1-2 days, then you can choose a hotel in the city of Ha Long, the city is quite boring and there is nowhere to go, but it is close to the port, from which excursions around the bay begin.

Weather in Halong

The most favorable time for tourists is considered September, October, along with the spring months.
December to February the weather in the Bay is quite cool, during this period the bay is the most low temperatures and a cold wind blows. There is practically no precipitation at this time of the year. During the summer months, Halong suffers from a large number precipitation, especially in August.