Halong Bay: Explore Travel, Culture & Cuisine

If you're planning a trip to Quang Ninh and especially Halong Bay, here are the most useful Halong Bay travel experiences such as How to travel to Halong Bay, Where to go in Halong Bay, What to eat, What to do, Cheap hotels in Halong Bay, What to shop in Halong Bay…

Halong Bay – Famous tourist destination in Quang Ninh

How to Get to Halong Bay from Hanoi?

From the capital Hanoi to Halong Bay is quite easy. You can choose from various transportation options to get here:

• Motorbike/Car: If you opt for a motorbike, the shortest driving distance from Hanoi to Halong Bay is 155km with a travel time of about 3 hours.
• Train: Currently, to serve the travel needs of tourists, the Halong Express tourist train departing from Gia Lam station has been opened. With ticket prices around 5 USD/one-way for Vietnamese tourists and 15 USD/one-way for foreign tourists, this train will take you to Halong Bay in about 5 hours.
• Bus: Currently, at all bus stations in Hanoi such as My Dinh, Nuoc Ngam, Giap Bat… there are bus trips to Halong Bay. The ticket prices for sitting seats are 100,000 VND and for sleeping seats are 200,000 VND with a travel time of over 3 hours.

Exciting tourist attractions in Halong Bay

Beautiful bays, islands, and beaches

Bai Tu Long Bay

Bai Tu Long Bay consists of hundreds of small and large islands, many of which are inhabited. It is an equally attractive destination to Halong Bay, featuring diverse eco-sea tourism highlights including beaches and caves. Bai Tu Long Bay also hosts the Bai Tu Long National Park, home to a diverse ecosystem.

Lan Ha Bay

Located in the southern part of Halong Bay with over 400 small and large islands, each with interesting shapes, every island here is covered with lush greenery. With a cool climate all year round, this place is known as the 'sleeping paradise' due to the beauty of the bay, which is considered no less than Halong Bay but seems to have only recently gained attention for tourism development.

Soi Sim Island

Soi Sim Island covers an area of about 8.7 hectares, located in the western part of Halong Bay. The island is covered with a primeval forest with a variety of rich vegetation. Especially, the island is abundant with sim trees, hence the name Soi Sim. Additionally, Soi Sim Beach here offers a beautiful scenery attracting a large number of tourists every year.

Tuan Chau Island

This island is acclaimed as the most beautiful among nearly 2,000 islands in Halong Bay, and it is also the only inhabited island. Therefore, Tuan Chau Island stands out as one of the top tourist attractions in Halong.

Tuan Chau Island (Photo: ST)

Chay Beach

Located along the coast of Halong Bay with its long beach, fine white sand, and clear blue water, Chay Beach is considered a summer paradise for tourists. Coming here in the scorching summer to feel the cool sea breeze, the salty air, and the refreshing atmosphere is truly relaxing.

Co To Island

Co To Island captivates visitors with its picturesque beauty, a place for people to retreat to after the hustle and bustle of everyday life. This place has inspired many poets and musicians. Along with that, the beautiful coral reefs underwater will stimulate your adventurous spirit, and then experiencing diving to admire the coral reefs at Co To will leave you nothing but satisfied.

Dragon Eye Island (Bai Dong Island)

Located in the southern part of Halong Bay, Bai Dong is a marine area adjacent to Bai Tu Long. This island boasts natural white sandy beaches, and notably, it features a unique circular landscape nestled amidst the mountains. If you're looking for a private space for your weekend getaway with your family, Bai Dong is perhaps a perfect choice.

Quan Lan Island

Located about 55 km from Halong City, Quan Lan attracts tourists with its pristine, lush green space and historical and cultural relics, marking the heroic exploits of our ancestors in the struggle against foreign invaders. Famous beaches here include: Son Hao, Chan Tien...

Cat Ba Island

The scenery of the beautiful white sandy beach along with the limestone cliffs rising from the water will truly mesmerize you. This place is also famous for adventurous exploration activities such as climbing Hon Nghieng Mountain, trekking in the National Park, rock climbing without safety gear, etc.

Ba Trai Dao Beach

This beach is famous in Halong Bay. It is located about 22km southeast of Bai Chay Tourist Wharf, near Cat Ba Island. The beach is renowned for its cleanliness, pristine beauty, picturesque landscape, and attracts many tourists. However, a small note for visitors coming here to swim is to carefully study the tide, beware of crosscurrents because this beach can only be swum in for about 2-3 hours a day, and when the tide rises, the entire sand area will be submerged.

Ti Top Island

Located in a prime position in the middle of the bay, Ti Top Mountain has about 400 steps leading from the beach to the observation deck at the top. This is where tourists can admire the beauty of Halong Bay at different heights. Despite having quite a few boats anchored here, Ti Top Mountain remains a quiet destination, a new and wonderful viewpoint of the bay.

Scenic view from Ti Top Mountain (Photo: ST)

Beautiful Caves in Halong Bay

Surprise Cave

Considered one of the 'legendary' tourist destinations, this is the most famous cave in Halong Bay. You don't have to go all the way to Phong Nha-Ke Bang to admire a magnificent cave. With 100 stone steps leading to the entrance, revealing different spaces with dazzling colorful lights of the geological wonders that leave tourists in awe. The deepest part of the cave is called the 'royal garden', where you can find a crystal-clear water lake with an extremely rich ecosystem.

Wooden Head Cave

This cave is believed to be the largest limestone cave in Halong, estimated to be nearly 2 million years old with a width of 12m and an entrance height of about 17m. As soon as you step into the cave, you will see the amazing details that art photographers often capture, making tourists stunned, that is the light reflecting from the colorful stalactites as if you were lost in a fairyland.

   Wooden Head Cave (Photo: ST)

Drum Cave and Virgin Cave

Located on the two sides of a small mountain arch on the east of Bo Hon island chain, about 3km southeast of Surprise Cave, these two caves are about 700-800m apart across a small bay.

View from Drum Cave (Photo: ST)

Visitors here will hear the legend of the two caves as follows: one cave has a horizontal rock that looks like a lying girl stretching her hair out to the sea, so it's called Virgin Cave, while in the other cave, there's a very tall stalactite column resembling a giant boy standing looking out to the distant sea. Local fishermen say that on rainy and windy days, passing through here, they hear the sound of the wind hitting the cliffs booming like a drum, and they call this cave Drum Cave.

Echo Cave

Halong boasts a vast system of caves, each with its own beauty and stories intertwined with it. One of the typical caves is Echo Cave located on Bo Hon Island, 14km from Bai Chay. Here, you can admire stalactites formed over millions of years with various shapes and sizes.

Heavenly Scene Cave

Thien Canh Son is a rather pristine cave located on Bai Tu Long Bay and Ha Long Bay within the Cong Do conservation area. It is also an intriguing sightseeing spot for both Vietnamese and international tourists thanks to its natural beauty, pristine limestone stalactites, and surrounding scenery.

Heavenly Palace Cave

This cave is located near Dau Go Cave, with its entrance at a height of 25m. It is one of the most beautiful caves in Halong known to humans, with an area of nearly 10,000m2 and a very complex structure, consisting of many levels, many compartments with very high and wide ceilings and walls. Especially when you stand inside the cave, you will be overwhelmed by countless stalactites, stalagmites, with bizarre shapes.

Kim Quy Cave

The cave extends over 100m, running in a north-south direction. At its front lies Dầm Bắc Islet, while behind it faces Soi Sim Island. Inside Kim Quy Cave, the water flows through various stalactites, creating a surreal and enchanting scenery.

Beautiful Fishing Villages along the Coastline

Cửa Vạn Fishing Village

Being one of the most renowned fishing villages in the region, Cửa Vạn is situated in a calm sea area and is one of the largest fishing villages with a population of 733 people in 176 households.

Aerial view of Cửa Vạn Fishing Village (Photo: ST)

The beauty here is enhanced by the cluster of small houses interlocking against storms. Visitors not only explore the life of a fisherman but also directly observe the beauty of the ocean right beneath the boat, making it a valuable and unforgettable travel experience.

Vung Viêng Fishing Village

Located in Tu Long Bay, Vung Viêng Fishing Village is slightly smaller in scale. It has about 50 households with a population ranging from 200 to 300 people.

Ba Hang Fishing Village

Ba Hang Fishing Village is one of the famous fishing villages for both domestic and international tourists visiting Halong. When visiting Ba Hang Fishing Village, tourists can enjoy the beautiful scenery of the serene river, mountains, and sky, and experience the lives of fishermen firsthand.

Admire Halong from Above

Poem Mountain

Poem Mountain is a beautiful limestone mountain, over 200m tall, standing proudly amidst the city. From the top, you'll see a truly panoramic and stunning view of Halong. Along the way up the mountain, you'll encounter images of freely grazing goats or birds soaring down into the Bay, so make sure to bring a fully charged camera to capture those moments.

It's quite tricky to find the way up Poem Mountain, so head straight to Le Thanh Tong, turn into Hang Noi street, find Nam Phong cafe, and ask the locals for the most accurate directions.

Sun Wheel and Queen Cable Car

Queen Cable Car connects from Bai Chay to the top of Ba Deo Hill, possessing the world's tallest cable car pillar (188.88m) recognized by the Guinness World Records, offering a magnificent view of the magical beauty of Halong Bay. This is also the only route leading to the amusement park on Ba Deo Hill - where the Sun Wheel is located. The cable car ticket price is about 300,000 VND/person.

Admiring Halong Bay by seaplane

With the increasing number of tourists visiting Halong Bay, seaplanes were introduced to provide an additional transportation service that brings more excitement to tourists. Sitting on a seaplane, you can admire the beautiful city from a height ranging from 150 to 3000m above sea level. To book seaplane tickets, you can visit the website seaplanes.vn for more details.

Spiritual Tourism Sites

Golden Pagoda Temple

Located atop the Thanh Dang Mountain, also known as Bao Quang Temple, this is a wonderful place to meditate, enjoy the fresh air, and admire nature from a high vantage point.

Golden Pagoda Temple (Photo: ST)

Yen Tu Heritage Area

Yen Tu is one of the most famous temple complexes in the Northern region, featuring a system of temples, hermitages, pagodas, and ancient forests blending harmoniously with the natural landscape, scattered from the Do Red slope to the Yen Tu mountain at increasing altitudes.

Cai Bau Pagoda

Cai Bau Pagoda (also known as Truc Lam Giac Tam Zen Monastery) was inaugurated in 2009 and is located near Bai Dai - Van Don Tourist Area. This place boasts an absolutely serene atmosphere, with the sound of temple bells blending with the distant waves, creating a truly solemn and sacred ambiance.

Specialty dishes in Halong Bay

Razor clam

The Van Don area is famous for its abundance of razor clams, which thrive in the sandy beaches with tidal waters known for their size and delicious flavor. The locals here have various delicious ways of preparing razor clams, such as stir-frying with garlic chives, carrots, sweet and sour stir-frying, making salads, marinating with chili salt for grilling... Nowadays, razor clams are becoming increasingly rare, and catching them requires more effort. The price of razor clams is around one million four hundred thousand VND per kilogram, bought from Quang Ninh. If you have the opportunity to visit here, don't forget to buy some razor clams as gifts.

Razor clams (Photo: ST)

Vermicelli with mantis shrimp

Mantis shrimp, also known as prawn, is abundant in the coastal areas of Quang Ninh with its delicious, sweet, and nutritious meat. When boiled as broth for vermicelli, mantis shrimp adds a truly sweet flavor. Vermicelli with mantis shrimp, when served with some raw vegetables and morning glory, is simply exquisite.

Delicious and flavorful mantis shrimp vermicelli bowl (Photo: ST)

Golden Cà sáy of Tien Yen

Originally a duck breed, the Golden Cà sáy is a cross between a duck and a goose, long raised by locals in Tien Yen town. The standout feature of the Golden Cà sáy is its meat, which is much more fragrant and sweeter than other poultry meats. The best way to enjoy boiled Golden Cà sáy is to dip it in a special fish sauce blended with ginger from renowned brands like Cai Rong, Van Yen, Cat Hai.

Delicious boiled Golden Cà sáy dish (Photo: ST)

Mudwhelk

The mudwhelk resembles a mussel in appearance but with a black shell and thick body, structured in layers like ocean waves, living in the mud at the foot of the island. Mudwhelks are brought home and soaked in clean water for about 2-3 hours to release sand before being picked out. There are many ways to prepare mudwhelks into various dishes such as boiled mudwhelk, grilled mudwhelk, mudwhelk soup with water spinach, malabar spinach, morning glory, stir-fried with sweet potato leaves, pumpkin leaves, mudwhelk porridge, where mudwhelk porridge is a delicious, fragrant, and cooling dish. Additionally, mudwhelk wine is a specialty of Quang Ninh province, so tourists visiting Halong should not forget to buy mudwhelk wine as gifts for their loved ones.

Grilled Mudwhelk (Photo: ST)

White Sticky Rice with Grilled Squid Paste

Sticky rice made from freshly fragrant glutinous rice, eaten with golden crispy fried squid paste, dipped in fish sauce with pepper, what could be more wonderful? Each serving of white sticky rice with squid paste at street food stalls costs from 15,000 to 20,000 VND. Additionally, you can buy squid paste by weight for about 250,000 VND/kg.

White Sticky Rice with Squid Paste (Photo: ST)

Squid Paste with Rolled Rice Pancake

The meat-filled rolled rice pancake, dipped in sautéed onion fish sauce, is already delicious, but eating it with squid paste is absolutely fantastic. In Halong, the best place to enjoy this dish is along the street near the Bach Dang theater. The price of this dish is similar to that of white sticky rice with squid paste.

Squid Paste Rice Pancakes (Photo: ST)

Nodding Cake

This intriguingly named dish is prepared similarly to rice pancakes, but when eating, you have to dip the cake into a special dipping sauce along with a piece of meticulously marinated braised pork. The most famous nodding cake is in Tien Yen, but this unique dish can be found throughout Quang Ninh province.

Special Nodding Cake (Photo: ST)

Seafood Noodles and Cakes (Photo: ST)

Noodles or seafood cakes in Halong are perfect for your breakfast when traveling here. A bowl of seafood noodles or cakes, complete with shrimp, crab meat (or mantis shrimp), clams, fish cakes, and vegetables (or water spinach), costs around 40,000 VND. Seafood noodles or cakes served with raw vegetables will blend harmoniously the sweetness of the broth with the refreshing taste of the raw vegetables.

A bowl of brimming seafood noodles (Photo: ST)

Razor Clams

Sam is prepared into various delicious dishes such as sweet and sour stir-fried, made into patties, or scrambled with eggs... However, sam is a seafood that tends to be cold in nature, so if you have ever been allergic to seafood in general, or have a sensitive stomach to seafood, you should not eat or only eat a little sam. Mrs. Ty's Sam at 6 Cao Thang is one of the most famous locations.

Sweet and sour stir-fried sam (Photo: ST)

Razor Clam Congee

Razor clam congee is a very famous snack in Halong, eaten with spring onions, minced tofu, dried onions, and fried dough sticks, it is very fragrant and hearty. The best place for delicious razor clam congee is at Halong Market 1. The price of each bowl of razor clam congee with fried dough sticks is about 15,000 - 20,000 VND but truly fills you up.

Congee with Razor Clam (Photo: ST)

Sautéed Snails

Sautéed snails with soy sauce, lemongrass, tamarind sauce, coconut... are very delicious and addictive for everyone. In Halong, there are also many types of snails for you to choose from, the most popular are pipe snails, spiral melania snails, apple snails... The famous snail restaurant is the sidewalk snail stall Văn Lang, their sautéed snails are very tasty but the price is a bit high compared to the general level. The price for a portion of sautéed snails is 35,000 VND/dish.

Addictive tangy and spicy sautéed snails dish (Photo: ST)

Must-Try Experiences in Halong Bay

Experience Thrilling Games at Dragon Park

The adventurous games here are truly challenging even for the bravest souls. However, the sensation of participating in these games, screaming at the top of your lungs, and overcoming your own fears is an experience worth trying.

Games that will leave you breathless (Photo: ST)

Kayaking Adventure

Kayaking is a sport favored by many foreign tourists, and if you visit Halong Bay without experiencing it, you'll miss out on something truly remarkable. Sitting in a kayak, paddling through the emerald waters, and marveling at the majestic landscape, you'll feel like you're seeking the absolute tranquility of nature.

Kayaking Adventure (Photo: ST)

Mountain Climbing

In addition to kayaking, Halong Bay, with its diverse and challenging terrain of islands and mountains, offers a thrilling experience for mountain climbing enthusiasts. For those who love climbing, the rugged cliffs, majestic peaks, and hidden caves in Halong Bay will truly test your limits.

Test Your Endurance with Mountain Climbing (Photo: ST)

Where to Stay in Halong?

When visiting Halong, you can book your hotel room in advance through Vntrip. Below are some excellent hotels you should consider for your stay in Halong:

Starcity Halong Bay Hotel

• Address: Halong Road, Bai Chay, Halong City
• Rating: 4 stars

Starcity Halong Bay Hotel is an impressive high-rise building with a total of 152 spacious guest rooms. The bedrooms here are beautifully furnished, fully equipped with amenities, ensuring guests enjoy a comfortable, modern, and luxurious stay. Additionally, Starcity Halong Bay Hotel offers a range of function rooms such as conference rooms, meeting rooms, and smoking rooms. The hotel's professional staff, proficient in multiple languages including Vietnamese, English, and Chinese, ensures they can meet the needs of both domestic and international guests.

Guest Room at Starcity Halong Bay Hotel (Photo: ST)

Wishing you an enjoyable journey and unexpected experiences with the Halong travel experience guide!

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