Daawgon

2 days is fine as long as you spend at least 5 days in Hanoi City itself. Halong Bay is probably the most touristy location in all of Vietnam (not my cup of tea)!

brayden lyle

2 days 1 night is enough for the tour of Halong. Taking a cruise is the most interesting activity in Halong. Have a good holiday!

glennaa11

I did it as a day trip, so I'd think that 2 days is plenty of time

lyn_S

I have been there once, this trip lasted for 3 days and I had chance to get more places to visit near Halong. Within 2 days, you can refer Surprise cave, Ba Hang fishing village, Cai Bau pagoda, Tuan Chau island, Bai Chay, Cat Ba island for your trip. Have a nice trip!

hkskyline

I did a 2D1N cruise a few years back during the Christmas dry season. The scenery was great and I thought I didn't need an extra day to see similar rock formations.

My photos : http://www.globalphotos.org/halongbay-summary.htm

My 3-star cruise costed 120 USD each.

lyn_S

In my trip, I took a Hanoi-Halong tour set by Halong-bay-tours. There are something unexpected but they didn't affect our trip much. Actually, we felt satisfied with this trip. The foods were delicious and the staffs were so pleasant and informative. You should send email and ask more about 2 days trip to refer.

craz

for early Nov when is it best to book w/o being killed in pricing? Looking to go the night of 11/5 back to Hanoi Mon as late as possible. 1 person looking for at least DeLuxe for the cheapest with transport to/from Hanoi

erik123

If you want a specific cruise you may need to book ahead, but if not, there is so much oversupply that you can easily book last minute and often for a good discount. All the cruises are back in the morning so getting back late is not an option unless you charter your own.

craz

Thx, no Im not looking for any 1 boat or tour. I will wait till I get over there to book, to get the best price just want at least a DeLuxe so I dont get a lousy mattress etc

I guess everything is done the 1st day and the 2nd day is just going from where they settled for the night back to the dock. Would have liked activities both days, but it is what it is, or do they tie up back at the dock that same night and you deboard the next morning?

If I want to go on a Sunday morn when is the latest I should book? would Fri be OK

Skyman65

On our overnight cruise, we had activities in the morning on the second day (kayaking through a cave into a lagoon in the center of an island). Afterwards, we went back to the boat, cleaned up, checked out of the cabin, then enjoyed refreshments on the top deck while the boat motored back to the dock. During the night, we were moored at a quiet spot in the bay.

craz

thx, exactly what Im looking for, do you remember the name of the boat and tour company you booked with?

Skyman65

Grayline.

It was okay. Cheap, not deluxe. But not bad for the price.

maverick17

All cruises follow the same general itinerary it seems. For one night stay: they all depart around 12:30-1:30 p.m., then motor out to the bay. You're given an orientation and lunch. Then there are 2 activities, with some small boat transfers in between and some motoring. Then they motor to one of the two or three places they are allowed to anchor for the night. Squid fishing and dinner and drinks and maybe a lesson on how to make spring rolls ensues, not necessarily in that order. The next morning is continental breakfast, and another activity. Check out and lunch or maybe as said above just drinks.

The activities are pretty similar across cruises, although some go to the east side of the bay while most go to the west. The activities are: a place with some kayaking/boat ride in a lagoon, sometimes through the cave type opening; a hike through a cave; a beach area with usually a hike available too; visit the fishing village.

I did an out-and-back maybe 12 years ago and didn't enjoy it. You need at least one night. This year I booked for 3 of us a mid-range 1 night 2 day cruise a few days before and thought it was great. The food was really surprisingly good on our boat, and that is coming from someone who isn't a fan of seafood. Plus we met a lot of fun people on our boat. If you're there just to relax and enjoy, I had a great time, way better than I expected.

We went on the Glory Legend. When you get to the pier you can see that there are like 10 main companies it seems with many boats of similar design, just different names. Then of course many booking companies to book for each boat.

SQTraveller

Thanks for the great info!

craz

OK after emailing the different companys mentioned on this thread and a couple more.I found the prices all over the place, 1 place even quoted me $10 more then their site does and I asked about a DeLuxe (4*) answered me with $10 more and for a 3*

Looking to go Nov 5 or 6 am I asking for quotes too early to get an upgrade or a cheap rate?

Will I do better if I wait to book till Im over there on Nov 2?