Halong Travel Guide

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Before You Go 

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 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 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.

Do we have to bring passport for sleeping aboard ?

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…

Where does the boat anchor at night time?

Afternoon cruise to see the hidden wonders of Halong Bay, Paloma Cruise’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!


How many caves in Halong will we visit?

We will embark on the boat for a cruise amongst the islands and islets of this stunning Halong bay. We will visit ONE cave on our 1 or 2 day trip, however, if you wish to visit more than one cave, we have to plan this well prior to departure so that our captain know where to go and please be informed an extra fee for each additional cave you plan to see.

Note: If the weather turns bad, we all have to follow the captain’s instruction, cave visit or extra cruise can be canceled without prior notice.

Do you have life jackets on Cruise ?

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 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.