Asia - Halong Bay - comfortable "executive" day trip from Hanoi?

I am on a tight schedule in Vietnam and I was wondering whether it makes sense to see the Halong Bay without staying overnight on one of the boats or - given my time restriction - to skip Halong Bay completely (not my preference...).

The idea is to leave early in the morning (am staying at the Sofitel Hanoi) and come back to Hanoi late evening/night. Am basically looking for a good driver and a nice boat without standing in a line or waiting for other passengers etc. All of the tours I have seen online are with one overnight stay. Any input highly appreciated. Thanks

I don't see why not. I'm sure any decent agent in Hanoi could arrange it on a bespoke basis. Leave 7am, arrive 11am. 4 hours boat ride to 3pm. Return Hanoi 7pm.

Take care not to fall asleep on the boat and miss everything!

4 hour car ride allows time for a brief stop.

You can also do a helicopter tour!

Sorry - can't really recommended a travel agent in Hanoi. Must be 10 yrs since I used one there...

Yes there are one day tours which pick you up from your hotel early in the morning and take you back after dinner. (as of 02/11)

As others say, this is totally doable. It's a long day, but if you get a comfortable car it's not that bad. The good hotels in Hanoi can help you get a high quality driver. As for the rest, you can either do a bit of research to find the boat yourself or just try to get the hotel to help you find one. We took the former approach (used trip advisor which seemed to have a fair number of boats written up), but that was for an overnight trip. I know there are a few day boats, but not sure how to find them. I'd suggest going VERY early in the morning and then returning well after dinner, so you get maximum time and you'll have lighter traffic.

I did it as a day trip arranged thru my hotel. I found it very satisfying. Halong Bay is ethereally beautiful and not to be missed.

As others say, this is totally doable. It's a long day, but if you get a comfortable car it's not that bad. The good hotels in Hanoi can help you get a high quality driver. As for the rest, you can either do a bit of research to find the boat yourself or just try to get the hotel to help you find one. We took the former approach (used trip advisor which seemed to have a fair number of boats written up), but that was for an overnight trip. I know there are a few day boats, but not sure how to find them. I'd suggest going VERY early in the morning and then returning well after dinner, so you get maximum time and you'll have lighter traffic.

Agree with this. I'd even go so far as to say if you can get on the road at 6 am or just after, you'll do yourself a lot of favors. It takes 3 hours by road to get to the boat harbor--with a brief "comfort break" enroute. Most of the tourists groups won't leave Hanoi until about 7:30 or 8:00 am and won't get to the harbor until about 11 am, so by getting to the harbor earlier, you can avoid some of the circus. As for return time, my personal preference is not to be on an intercity road trip after dark for safety's sake. YMMV.

The trouble with many tour operators in Vietnam is that you wont know what you are getting (not even if its writing) until the tour is finally over. If SanDiego1K has done a day tour and satisfied with that tour, I suggest you send her a pm to get the name of the boat & contact the operators directly. No guarantee you will get the same experience but at least you minimise the risks ....

Agree with this. I'd even go so far as to say if you can get on the road at 6 am or just after, you'll do yourself a lot of favors. It takes 3 hours by road to get to the boat harbor--with a brief "comfort break" enroute. Most of the tourists groups won't leave Hanoi until about 7:30 or 8:00 am and won't get to the harbor until about 11 am, so by getting to the harbor earlier, you can avoid some of the circus. As for return time, my personal preference is not to be on an intercity road trip after dark for safety's sake. YMMV.

I'd second the night time part. That is one dangerous road at night back to Hanoi, I came back through from Mong Cai and got my timings slightly off. Nightmare ride at night. Get a good driver (and car).

I did it as a one day trip on my 9 day private tour of Vietnam. It was all arranged by my tour company. My Hanoi driver and guide picked me up at the Sofitel around 7 I think. Arrived at the boats around 11-ish. Had to wait a little while our boat maneuvered into place. A lot of the boats will sit just offshore so there is a good bit of jockeying that had to take place once space became available. Ended up with a whole boat to myself along with my guide. We stopped a couple of places on the ride around the bay. The crew prepared a huge lunch for us. Lots of seafood which is not my favorite so the guide ate well. :-)

I think we arrived back in Hanoi around 7. We had stopped on the way back at this little market village type thing that had a couple of good bakeries.

Traffic was insane. Especially when we were going back into town in the evening. My driver was fairly aggressive but I think they kind of have to be. I would not want to ride a bicycle or motorbike in Vietnam. They get no respect from car drivers on those little roads. Lots of honking going on!

The road to & from Halong Bay also goes through a coal mining district where everything is black with coal dust. You should definitely splurge on a good car & driver with good A/C.

I also recommend tipping the driver well. He makes much less than the guide, but will have saved your life several times by the time you return to the hotel in Hanoi.

David

I also recommend tipping the driver well. He makes much less than the guide, but will have saved your life several times by the time you return to the hotel in Hanoi.


Oh no.. please don't try and export this generous tipping thing...

It is quite common for guides to tell tourists that whilst they themselves have a good income, drivers are aren't paid very well. People are more likely to respond that way... although it can in fact be the other way around. All kinds of kickbacks can happen, particularly if a guide/driver regularly use the same hotel/restaurant.

As for "saving your life".. since they are likely to die first, they are not really doing you a favour.

I arranged the day trip through the Metropole a year ago. It was US$400 all-in if we wanted a Toyota or $566 in a BMW 5-series. While this seemed outrageous at first, the cheaper options -- at least those readily available from abroad to someone with no local connections or language abilities -- involved shared rides and shared boats. As far as I can tell, all the boats on the bay were the same (i.e., there's not a more luxurious Sofitel boat), but we had to ourselves what others shared with 25+ other tourists.

As far as I can tell, all the boats on the bay were the same (i.e., there's not a more luxurious Sofitel boat), but we had to ourselves what others shared with 25+ other tourists.

Incorrect, not all boats are the same & I dont believe theres such a thing as a 'Sofitel' boat.