Hạ Long Bay in Vietnam has a bit of a reputation problem. Not because it isn't beautiful. Ha Long Bay was actually more impressive than I could have ever expected. But because it's become so popular over the years, at times it can feel like a bit of a mess of boats, all vying for the best views of the famous limestone karsts jutting out of the brilliantly blue water.

Coming to Vietnam having done exactly zero research or planning about what I wanted to see and do, I did know about Ha Long Bay and how popular it was, and I was a bit nervous about how overhyped it was going to be. Chris and I see-sawed for days about whether to book a cruise (which was going to be by far the most expensive part of our whole trip). By the time we actually booked, I had convinced myself that I was going to be a little bit disappointed.

I wasn't. Not even a little bit. The total opposite actually!

But there is a caveat. In the end we chose not to do the standard Ha Long Bay trip, and instead specifically booked a route through Lan Hà Bay, the quieter bay to the south.

Here is everything we did, and everything you need to know about booking your own luxury cruise through Ha Long and Lan Hà Bay.

Many people book a "Hạ Long Bay cruise" without realising there are actually three distinct bays in this region, and which one you spend the most time in meaningfully affects the experience.

Hạ Long Bay is the UNESCO World Heritage site everyone knows. It's the most photographed, the most visited, and depending on timing, the most congested - which is truly the only downside of the whole experience. At peak season you're sharing the anchorage with an huge amount of day trippers and overnight boats, and for introverted, not-really-into-the-party-scene people like us, we were very put off by the idea of sharing such a beautiful, natural space with booming party boats blasting EDM into the night.

Lan Hà Bay sits directly south of Hạ Long Bay, wrapping around Cát Bà Island, and is administered separately under Hải Phòng Province rather than Quảng Ninh. Visually it's indistinguishable. You'll see the same limestone karsts, beautiful green-blue water, and equally dramatic formations, but you'll be sharing the space with significantly fewer boats. The difference in atmosphere, particularly at the overnight anchorage, was what made this experience more in line with what we were looking for.

Bái Tử Long Bay is the third option, further east and the most secluded of all, though fewer cruise operators run routes there.

About Tulip Cruise

Worth knowing

Some cruises marketed as "Hạ Long Bay" begin in Hạ Long Bay and then route into Lan Hà Bay for the overnight stay - which is exactly what we did with Tulip. If you're trying to choose, ask the operator specifically where you'll be anchoring overnight.

We booked with Tulip Cruise after Chris went on quite the deep dive to make sure he was picking the cruise that was going to suit us the best.

Tulip Cruise launched in late 2025, which makes it one of the newest boats operating in this region. The boat was modern rather than the traditional wooden aesthetic of many other boats cruising the bay. It's a six-deck vessel that feels more like a boutique hotel rather than a heritage boat, with 43 cabins, all of which include a private balcony and an ocean-view bathtub. There's a sky bar on the top deck, a spa, a gym, and a pool.

It was by far the most bougie thing we have ever done in all our years of travelling. And while this was absolutely not a budget cruise, at around $300 AUD per person, it still felt like excellent value for money, and we would absolutely recommend it to anyone looking for a little bit of luxury while cruising one of the planet's most beautiful areas.

Tulip also offers a 3-day, 2-night itinerary, which appears to include a visit to Việt Hải Village that the shorter trip doesn't. If you have the time and the budget, that is definitely worth considering!

Want a more traditional aesthetic? Our boat was extremely modern, and where it excelled in luxury and comfort, it did lack a little in authentic Vietnamese vibes. If you're looking for a cruise with a bit more of a local aesthetic, Sena Cruises offers a very luxurious option but with a more rustic feel to it.

The Itinerary — What Actually Happens

Day 1

8:30am - Collection from Accommodation

Limo’s in Vietnam are not what you think

Most people, at least those coming from Western countries, will likely picture a limo as those crazy long cars that you take to a formal or prom, or a wedding (or in some strange instances, funerals…). But in Vietnam, a limo usually references a large van with very luxurious seats - usually very spacious, with personal air conditioning, cup holders, and sometimes even massagers built into the seats!

Having done zero preparation or research for this trip, I actually didn’t realise how far away Ha Long Bay was from Hanoi. For your reference it is about 2hrs (152km) by car. You can very easily arrange a ‘limo’ with Tulip Cruise, to collect you from your accommodation in Hanoi. It is an additional fee per person. I think for us it was around $45 AUD (approx. ₫ 850,000).

Catching a Grab is likely slightly cheaper. But for the convenience, comfort, and reliability, organising a transfer with your tour company is the best option.

12:15pm - Check-in at Tuần Châu Marina

Check-in is at Tuần Châu Marina. Your driver will drop you off at the dock where you wait in a lounge. There are a few shops, bars and cafes to grab last minute items and snacks, before a tender boat takes you out to your boat. This trip took approximately 20 minutes, and was the first introduction to the beautiful limestone karst formations of the bay.

Once on board you will swap your shoes for beige slides (all of which were far too big for the average woman, but still very comfortable!). You get a welcome drink, a safety briefing, and then you're straight into the stunning buffet lunch as the boat cruises through the bay, heading south for Lan Ha Bay.

1:00pm — Buffet lunch while cruising into Lan Hà Bay

Lunch is a buffet served while the boat cruises out of Hạ Long Bay and into Lan Hà Bay, passing through the limestone karst formations as you eat. The food was wonderful, and included a lot of seafood, but if seafood isn’t your cup of tea, you’ll be treated with many different rice and noodle dishes, soups, vegetables, meats, breads, and fruits. Being the semi-budget travellers we are, our little minds were blown by eating such an incredible spread while watching the landscape change out of the floor-to-ceiling windows.

However, we also wanted to eat so we could get acquainted with our room. The time between lunch and arriving in Lan Ha Bay at 3pm is the only time you really have to relax and make the most of the incredible views from the full sized bath in your room, if you don’t want to miss out on other activities!

3:00pm — Kayaking and swimming at Vân Bồi

Once we were anchored in Lan Ha Bay, we enjoyed a kayak around the boat, and were able to get right up close to the limestone islands that tower over the bay. Rather than being a kayak tour, we were free to roam around by ourselves at our own pace. On our return the crew had blown up a huge, inflatable raft, and we enjoyed a hour of swimming off the back of the boat, and sitting on the inflatable raft. The water was beautiful and warm, and other than one very large jellyfish, there were no creepy sea creatures to be afraid of!

If you choose not to swim you can enjoy a quiet dip in the pool on deck, rest in your room, or enjoy a drink on the top deck.

6:30pm — Sunset drinks, and nibbles

Back on board, we showered, and then enjoyed drinks and local nibbles on the top deck as the sun started going down. This is also, it turned out, where the cooking demonstration was happening. I had read in our itinerary that we could take part in a cooking demonstration, but I had no idea where and when that would be. It turned out that the chef had set up near the nibbles table and was quietly making a traditional Vietnamese salad - we thought he was serving food, as did most of the other guests. So don’t hold your breath for that one.

It should be noted that drinks, aside from those available at breakfast and lunch, are not included in your booking. Alcoholic drinks, and anything available from the bar must be purchased. And of course, they are quite expensive by mainland standards - about $6 AUD (₫ 10-10k) for a beer.

7:15pm — Five-course dinner

Dinner was a five-course sit-down meal, and if I am being really honest, this was the only disappointing part of the whole cruise - perhaps not as bad for the meat eaters, but the vegetarian option was REALLY lacking.

Rather than being local dishes, everything was very Westernise. This was my first disappointment with dinner. I would have much rathered a beautiful big bowl of Pho, or an entree of bahn xeo, but instead it was food you might expect from a fancy restaurant in the Melbourne CBD, including broccoli soup, a caesar salad, a big piece of chicken with a side of carbonara for the meat eaters, and a plate of very cold, very squishy tofu for the vegans - and then random, some cold chips (french fry style) for some tables only. There seemed to be no rhym or reason as to the distribution of the chips, but our butler asked if we would like some, and obviously we were going to say no.

Overall, the dinner was not great, but it was at least extremely filling, so I certainly didn’t go hungry!

9:00pm — Squid fishing off the stern

After dinner, we retreated to our room, and made the mistake of laying down on the bed. The beds on this cruise were incredibly comfortable - like perfect little clouds. And being the final days of our 3 week trip through Vietnam, we were absolutely exhausted. It took all our strength to draw ourselves back to our feet to head down stairs to try our hand at squid fishing.

Squid fishing was simply jiggling bamboo roads with short lines and lures in the water, and required no particular skill or strategy. I was super skeptical and didn’t like that we were going to catch anything at all, but before long a few little squids started darting around the ends of our lines! The boat had lights shining into the water, so these tiny squids were very easy to see. While we didn’t catch anything, lots of people did, and it was a great opportunity to get to know other people on the cruise, and I actually enjoyed this activity way more than I expected I would!

Day 2

7:15am — Buffet breakfast (we skipped tai chi)

Morning tai chi was on offer up on the top deck at sunrise, but being totally and utterly exhausted, we didn’t go, and instead enjoyed a very brief sleep in. Breakfast was ready at 7:15am, and we love a buffet breakfast, so that was the priority for us!

8:00am — Speedboat transfer to Cát Bà Island

A speedboat took us across to Cát Bà Island for the day's main activity: a bike tour of part of the island. Cát Bà is the largest island in the Hạ Long Bay region, and you can actually stay in simple homestays if you would like more time to explore the island (though you’ll have to book this separate from your cruise).

The bike tour was very fun, and while the tour was lacking a little, zooming around the island on bikes was very, very fun! And Maria… I must tell you about Maria, because she truly was the highlight of our Cát Bà Island bike ride, and actually our cruise experience in general.

Maria was, ostensibly, our host on the cruise. She also somehow appeared to be five different people in one. The first day it took us an embarrassingly long time to realise that she was a single human being. One minute she was the tour guide on the boat, with her calm, knowledge, and incredible organisation skills, then she disappeared and reappeared in a completely different outfit as the evening host. Then she was somehow already on the speedboat before us, dressed as a tour guide for Cát Bà, and was zooming up and down the hills and around the bends with frightening speed, while seamlessly and coherently answering any questions we could breathlessly shouted to her while desperately trying to keep up on our own bikes. Then suddenly, we were in a cafe and she had the whole group of us screaming Một, hai, ba, dô! at the top of our lungs while doing shots of rice wine at 11 in the morning.

I loved her. I think everyone needs a Maria in their lives.

12:30pm — Back on board for buffet lunch, then sail home

Back on board by late morning for, yes, another buffet meal. The food on this boat is relentless in the best possible way. Then a sail back toward the harbour, a tender to the marina, and that was our cruise done! It felt like it was all over in a split second, but we also crammed so much into such a short amount of time!

Is It Worth It?

Totally! I think visiting Ha Long Bay and seeing the incredible limestone karsts should be on everyone’s Vietnam itineraries - but that really is the only problem with this activity.

To avoid ending up on a cruise that feels a little bit like an over crowded tourist trap, these are the things you should think about when booking your cruise:

• Do you want to go to Ha Long Bay, or are you happier with the less well known, but much less crowded Lan Ha Bay?

• How big is the boat? A big boat is good, but just consider how many rooms are on board. Our boat only had around 40 rooms, and they definitely were not all full. This made the whole experience feel a little more personal, and much less crowded.

• How busy do you want to be? Our itinerary was jam packed. It was in fact, far too fast paced for our style of travel. And while you don’t have to take part in all the activities, it is hard not too when you want to make the most out of our cruise. Consider that when deciding between a 2-night or a 3-night option. The 3 nights would have been ideal (if we’d had the budget for it) because it would have felt a bit slower, and perhaps left us a little more time to appreciate where we were and what was going on around us.

If I did it again, I'd probably book the 3D/2N Tulip itinerary to give the whole thing more room to breathe. Or, if the budget was tight I'd look at a longer cruise on a less glossy boat - something that moves a little slower. But for someone wanting comfort, good food, a social atmosphere, and two very full days in one of the most spectacular places in Vietnam - Tulip's 2D/1N was overall an incredible, and well-worth-while experience.

Planning Your Cruise

When to Go

The best time to cruise Hạ Long Bay and Lan Hà Bay is October to April, when the weather is cooler, drier, and visibility is at its best. The summer months (May to September) bring heat, humidity, and the real possibility of typhoons. November to March is the sweet spot.

If you're visiting during the shoulder months, it's worth checking forecasts for Quảng Ninh Province specifically. The bay can be done in a light drizzle and still look extraordinary, but heavy rain limits the outdoor activities significantly.

How to Book

Tulip Cruise can be booked directly through their website or via GetYourGuide. The 2D/1N standard balcony cabin runs approximately $300 AUD per person twin share.

For a different price point, the Hạ Long Bay cruise market is enormous — it runs from basic overnight junks to ultra-luxury charters. Whichever you choose, ask specifically about the overnight anchorage location.

What to Bring

• Reef-safe sunscreen. The reflection off the water is more aggressive than you'll expect.

• A light layer for evenings. Even in warm months, the bay cools down after dark.

• Cash in Vietnamese đồng for anything on Cát Bà Island - roadside stalls don't take cards.

• A dry bag if you plan to kayak with your phone.

• Motion sickness medication if you're susceptible - the overnight cruise is calm but the tender boat can be choppy.