One night on the water, in the quieter bay
Two days and one night sailing out of Hai Phong into Lan Ha Bay, next door to Ha Long and with a fraction of the boats. The easiest trip we run, and the one most affected by the season.
At a glance
- Length
- 2 days, 1 night
- Group
- 2 to 12 guests
- Start
- Hanoi
- Finish
- Hanoi
- Effort
- Easy
- From
- USD 195 per person
Why Lan Ha rather than Ha Long
They are the same water. Lan Ha is the southern part of the same drowned limestone landscape, administratively separate, reached from Hai Phong instead of Ha Long City. The difference is traffic: the main Ha Long routes carry several hundred boats, and Lan Ha carries a fraction of that.
The honest trade-off is that Ha Long's most photographed formations are in Ha Long, not Lan Ha, and the drive from Hanoi is slightly longer. What you get instead is an anchorage at night where you can count the other boats on one hand, and swimming off the back of the boat without a queue.
Day by day
Hanoi to Lan Ha Bay, and the night at anchor
Pickup from your hotel in the Hanoi old quarter at 07:30, then two and a half hours on the expressway to Hai Phong with one stop. You board around 11:30 and lunch is served as the boat leaves the harbour, which is the point at which the trip starts being worth the early alarm.
The afternoon is kayaking through a cave into an enclosed lagoon, then swimming off the boat if the water is warm enough, which it is from April to October. The boat anchors for the night in a bay with two or three others. Dinner is seafood, cooked aboard, and afterwards there is squid fishing off the back deck for anyone still awake.
Cat Ba, the cave, and back to Hanoi
Sunrise on deck at around 05:45 if you want it, and it is worth wanting in autumn. Breakfast at 07:00, then the boat moves to a cave on the edge of Cat Ba island for an hour ashore, and a last swim.
Brunch aboard while sailing back, docking at Hai Phong around 12:30. Road to Hanoi with one stop, dropping at your hotel around 18:30. If you are connecting to a night bus or a flight, tell us in advance and we will drop you directly.
Price
| Group size | Standard cabin | Upper deck cabin |
|---|---|---|
| 2 guests | USD 285 | USD 330 |
| 3 - 4 guests | USD 235 | USD 280 |
| 5 - 6 guests | USD 210 | USD 255 |
| 7 - 12 guests | USD 195 | USD 240 |
The film package here is USD 240 for the full film plus vertical cut, or USD 130 for the vertical cut alone, per group. Two days produces a three to five minute film rather than a seven minute one, and the price reflects that.
What is included
What the price includes
- Return road transfer, Hanoi hotel to Hai Phong harbour
- One night aboard in a private cabin with bathroom and air conditioning
- English-speaking guide aboard for both days
- Four meals: lunch, dinner, breakfast and brunch
- Kayaking, cave entrance fees and bay permits
- Water and fruit aboard, and fishing gear on the night deck
What it does not include
- Travel insurance, which is compulsory
- Drinks aboard, including beer and soft drinks
- Tips for the crew and guide
- Hanoi accommodation before or after the trip
- The upper deck cabin supplement
Photographs from the bay
Who this trip is not for
- Anyone travelling between June and September who cannot lose the trip to weather. Tropical storms close the bay outright. Nobody sails, at any price, and we refund in full — but your two days are still gone.
- Travellers in December, January and February who care most about photographs. The bay does not cancel in winter, it just goes flat and white for days at a time.
- People who want a party boat. This is a small boat with a maximum of twelve guests and the deck is usually quiet by 22:00.
- Anyone who needs a lift or step-free access. Boarding is over a gangplank onto a moving boat, and the cave has uneven steps.
- Groups who want the famous Ha Long formations specifically. Those are in Ha Long, and we sail in Lan Ha.
Weather, and what happens if the bay closes
The harbour master, not the operator, decides whether boats sail. When the bay closes we tell you as early as we know, usually the evening before, and you choose: move the dates if you still have time, or take a full refund of the trip and the film package. We do not offer a partial credit note and we do not sail on a marginal call to save a booking.
Season detail is on the Ha Long Bay page and the when to go page.
Check the season with us
Send your dates and we will tell you honestly what the bay is likely to do, including when the answer is: pick a different week.
What people ask before booking
Is this Ha Long Bay or not?
It is the same limestone landscape, in the adjoining Lan Ha Bay, reached from Hai Phong. If your requirement is to say you were in Ha Long Bay specifically, this trip does not do that and we would rather tell you now.
How big is the boat?
Small. Maximum twelve guests in six or seven cabins, plus crew. Cabins have private bathrooms and air conditioning that runs on the generator, which is switched off for part of the night.
Can we swim?
From roughly April to October, off the back of the boat and in the lagoon. In winter the water is around 18°C and most people do not.
What if someone in the group gets seasick?
Lan Ha is sheltered and the water is usually flat. The two hours between the harbour and the anchorage is the only exposed part. Take something before boarding rather than after.
Read next
Tell us your dates and we will send a plan with a price
Dates, how many of you, and whether you want the film package. You get an itinerary and a total in writing, not a brochure.