How far is that from Hanoi to Halong Bay?
HaLong Bay is located 170 km away from Hanoi, this would take you about 3 – 3.5 hours on bus transfer to Halong city, bus trip normally leaves Hanoi by 8.30 am.
We will be hitting the road for Halong Bay through the rich farmlands of the Red River Delta and the scenery of rice fields, water buffalo and everyday Vietnamese village life.
What do we have to bring with us to the boat?
- Passport
- Sun cream, insect repellent
- Small changes for buying drinks on boat
- Swim-suit and changes
- Your own towels (though we have towels available)
- Good camera with lots of films or memory space
- A sense of adventures
When is the best time to visit Halong?
Summer is a good time to cruise on Halong Bay but the best time of year is during the spring or fall. Because the bay is situated in the northern part of the country, it can get colder in the fall and winter, and though you won’t see extremes such as blizzards, it’s still a lousy place to be when it gets cold.
Tip: You should bring a swim suit with you, night’s swim in the phosphorescent water is also very nice (must be before your drinks)
How if the weather turns very bad?
Origin Travel often see the weather forecast, if the weather turns bad, we have to call our clients to inform the situation whether it’s safe to go. Same with Halong Bay, we work closely with our captains and will inform you before you leave Hanoi to Halong Bay so that you do not waste the day traveling on road.
If the weather turns bad while you are cruising, we could anchor our junk at the hidden places, this is normally safe and Origin has not witnessed any bad weather that we have to hide in a cave.
Is one day trip to Halong Bay worth to visit?
Halong Bay is so beautiful that one could not miss; though 3 hours drive each way is a bit long for somebody. You will get about 4 hours on Original cruise, which is just enough for you to get an overview of what is Halong. We suggest that you drive to Halong city and sleep in the hotel the night before, so you would have a longer time on the Bay, more cruise, more caves, and more swimming.
Tip: To see Halong and its all, you should plan a 2 days trip with Origin Vietnam. Please contact Origin Vietnam travel consultants to know more about this.
Can we travel from Hai Phong to Halong?
Yes, you can! If you are already there in Hai Phong, you can call Originvietnam to have a car and guide pick you up from there and drive to , which should be less than 1,5 hours.
Or you can plan a trip with Origin from Hanoi to Hai Phong city, do the sightseeing, spend the night there then move onto Halong on the next morning.
Tip: There is a good road linking Hai Phong and Cat Ba island (South of Halong Bay), you could also travel with Original Vietnam via this way, then have our junk welcome you on Cat Ba port to visit Lan Ha bay and Halong Bay.
Do you have life jackets on boat?
Yes, that is one requirement for any boat/junk in Halong Bay.
Tip: If you do not see this when boarding the junk, please ask for the instruction from the crew member or our captain.
What do we have to bring with us to the boat?
Yes you do have to bring it with you on boat and please provide us your full names, gender, passport number, visa expire date before your departure to Halong Bay.
Tip: Each boat/junk has it own safety box, please do leave your valuable belongings in this safety box so that you can have more fun visiting cave, swimming…
What kind of boat do you use?
There are many types of boats/junks in Halong Bay, we often use the small Chinese wooden junks for your private tours that combine classic beauty with modern comfort. These junks for overnight trip is often with very fine cabins, one restaurant and a very spacious top deck area with reclining chairs for you to enjoy Halong and the sound of silence.
What kind of food on boat in Halong Bay?
Most of the meals offered with seafood as Halong Bay specialty is seafood; there is lots of sea dishes combined with traditional Vietnamese food, I’m sure you will like the food on boat, if you are allergic with seafood, please inform your meal preference to our tour operator before your departure to Halong Bay.
How about seasick on boat?
If you look on Vietnam map, you will see Halong lies on the Tonkin Gulf with lots of island that made up Halong Bay. With its calm water, Halong Bay really acts as a shield that stops all the violent wave, so it’s hard to get sea sick in Halong Bay.
Only some of the routes that the junks cruise can be close to open sea that the junk was swinging up and down. But once the junk was surrounded by Halong Bay unique limestone islands, it became stable again.
Tip: When the junk gets swinging, do not walk around on boat to avoid seasick.
Where does the boat anchor at night time?
Afternoon cruise to see the hidden wonders of Halong Bay, Origin ’s captain will find a suitable place (within the allowance areas) to anchor for the night, this place is normally inside the very calm bay surrounded by the islands.
Tip: Before we drop the anchor for the night, you will probably see the sunset so get your camera ready to take these wonderful moments.
Can we sleep outside on the top deck of the boat?
Yes, it is very nice to sleep outside there on the top-deck but please check this with our tour guide or the junk’s captain if the weather is fine to sleep outside. To note that we have very fine cabins designed with comforts of everything needed for a good sleep: natural rubber mattress, blanket, feather pillows and mosquito net and we can not bring this outside for you.
Tip: That night we all stayed up drinking talking about home and watching the shooting stars from the top deck. It was a wonderful time!
if you have any further question please mail us, We will answer to you by email then we’ll up date for the other travellers.
Ha Long is literally translated as "Bay of Descending Dragons." Prior to the 19th century, this name was not recorded in any document or archive. When mentioning the present-day Quang Ninh Sea or Ha Long Bay, 
