Halong Bay is located on the west coast of the Gulf of Tonkin in the Northeast Sea of Vietnam. This place is famous for thousands of magnificent islands and beautiful wild caves that have been recognized by UNESCO many times as a natural heritage of the world. Therefore, this place always has a strong attraction and attracts millions of tourists from all over the world every year.
Table of Contents
When should you travel to Ha Long?
Ha Long is located in the North, so it will have a typical climate of 4 seasons. The peak season usually falls in the summer from June to August or from September to November when the weather is autumn and cooler. Perhaps, the most ideal time to travel to Halong is from May to August because at this time the summer weather should be sunny, suitable for swimming. The sky is clear so the boat to the bay will also be more beautiful. In addition, you can also come to Ha Long on the occasion of April 30 every year because there is often a Carnaval festival with many exciting activities and events.
Means of transportation when traveling to Ha Long
To come to Ha Long, you can travel by private vehicle or public transport such as bus, train or plane.
By private vehicle
This way has the advantage that you will be proactive in time and save costs. If traveling by car, it will take about 3 hours to go from Hanoi to Halong via the Hanoi – Hai Phong – Ha Long highway system. If you want to ride a motorbike, you can follow road 1A to Bac Ninh and then turn along Highway 18 to go to Uong Bi – Ha Long. And of course, the time it takes to ride a motorbike will be longer as well as good health to be able to go on a long trip.
By public transport
- Coach / Limousine: Buses to Ha Long usually depart from My Dinh bus station with a time of about 4-5 hours if traveling on the old route by bus. If you want to save time and go faster, you can choose a 9-seat limousine with spacious and comfortable seats. Moreover, this vehicle only takes about 3 hours to go to Hanoi – Hai Phong highway.
- Train: Currently, there is a train running from Yen Vien station to HaLong station every day. However, this is a market train with only hard seats and the travel time takes up to 7-8 hours, not to mention the time to travel to the center of Ha Long city is quite far. Therefore, not many people choose this way.
- Airplane: If you are in the central and southern provinces of Vietnam, you can travel to Ha Long by plane to save time. Currently, there are 2 airports closest to Ha Long: Cat Bi airport of Hai Phong and Van Don airport of Quang Ninh.
What to prepare for Ha Long tourism?
If you travel to Ha Long in the summer, you should prepare swimwear, thin and light clothes that can absorb sweat; Sunscreen, hats/caps, and sunglasses to avoid heatstroke. Besides, this is a sea with many beautiful scenes, so you can bring cool and soft beach clothes such as maxi skirts for beautiful photos and flip flops, sandals to walk comfortably. without worrying about foot pain.
In addition, before departing to Ha Long, you need to find out in advance some information such as whether the places you plan to go have to buy tickets and how much it costs to prepare cash, or if you plan to go there. If the train goes to the island, you should also find out before the train time to arrange a reasonable time.
Where to stay when traveling to Ha Long?
In Ha Long, there are many different types of accommodation, suitable for many types of customers. If you travel to Ha Long for the purpose of relaxation, you can choose resorts, high-class hotels, or yachts to have a comfortable space and come with care services such as swimming pool, spa, massage,… very suitable for rest and relaxation. If you like to experience and explore travel, you can choose homestays and apartments for rent to have a private space.
Hotel/Resort
In Ha Long, there are many high-class resorts and hotels, but if you want to experience a luxurious living space with 5-star standard services, you cannot ignore Vinpearl Resort & Spa Ha Long. This is an isolated resort on Reu island with 4 sides surrounded by the sea, so 100% of the rooms have views of the sea and beautiful Ha Long Bay.
Homestay
Besides hotels, homestay in Ha Long is also chosen by many people, especially for those who want to save money. Currently, there are many beautifully designed homestays with private spaces that can be used to take photos of “virtual living”, so it is not surprising that this is a form of accommodation chosen by many young people.
What places should you go when traveling to Ha Long?
In Ha Long, there are many famous places for tourists to visit. It Maybe mentioned as:
- Ha Long Bay: Taking a boat through the small islands and caves in Halong Bay is an experience that every visitor should try. Because you will be overwhelmed by the majestic beauty of caves such as Thien Cung Cave, Dau Go Cave, Me Cung Cave, Drum Cave, Trinh Nu Cave, Sung Sot Cave,…
- Tuan Chau Island is the most beautiful island among 1,969 islands in Halong Bay and is also the only island inhabited. It has the largest artificial beach in Vietnam and many activities for visitors to enjoy and relax.
- Bai Chay: Bai Chay resort is located along the shore of Ha Long Bay, suitable for resting and swimming. This is also considered one of the most beautiful beaches in Ha Long.
- Bai Tho Mountain: Located in the middle of Ha Long City and is a place that many tourists love to explore and conquer. If you have climbed to the top of the mountain, you will find the effort is worth it because from here you can zoom out to see most of the main roads of Ha Long city as well as the world’s natural heritage of Ha Long Bay.
- Quang Ninh Museum: Not only a place to visit, Quang Ninh museum – the library is also a familiar check-in place thanks to its unique artistic architecture. The museum is open on weekdays except for Monday, from 8 am to 5 pm. Ticket price to visit is 30,000 VND/time/person for adults; 15,000 VND/time/person for students and 10,000 VND/time/person for children.ư
What to eat when traveling to Ha Long?
- Sticky rice with fried squid: A dish consisting of white sticky rice made from fragrant sticky rice served with fried squid and dipped in delicious fish sauce. This delicious dish will make you remember forever when traveling to Ha Long but the price is from 15,000 to 20,000 VND/ capacity.
- Squid roll cake: Bánh cuốn served with squid cake can probably only be found in Ha Long. The place to enjoy this dish is a street specializing in making squid rolls next to Bach Dang cinema.
- Pearl yogurt: Ha Long is the origin of the legendary pearl yogurt dish. Self-cooled, soft, and fragrant yogurt served with warm, soft coconut milk-white pearls is a dish that makes many people passionate. The most famous place where you can enjoy this dish is Tuan Lien Pearl Yogurt in the area of the sea.
- Seafood: Coming to Ha Long without enjoying seafood is a mistake. Here you can enjoy familiar seafood dishes such as shrimps, crabs, crabs,…
Related Article: Traveling to Quang Ninh for the First Time (Tips & Tricks)
These are something that you should know before taking a trip to Halong Bay. Vietnam Reviewer hopes that all of you will have a nice trip here. If you have any feedback or need help, please send an email through vietnamreviewer.contact@gmail.com!
