Halong Bay is a stunningly beautiful bay located in northern Vietnam, where more than 1,600 islands and islets rising out of the turquoise waters of the East Sea. Most Vietnam itineraries include a trip to Halong Bay.

The bay was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994 and is now one of Vietnam's most popular tourist destinations.

The most popular way to experience Halong Bay is to cruise on a boat while sailing among its islands and emerald water. In Halong Bay, there are 1 day, 2 days and 1 night, 3 days and 2 nights tours… Today, we are going to discuss in detail the Halong Bay cruise in 2 days and 1 night, which is the most recommended and naturally the most chosen by visitors during their trip to Halong.

Read on to find out how this excursion is, what activities are included in this famous Halong Bay cruise in 2 days and 1 night.

Content in brief:

How to get to Halong Bay from Hanoi?
Halong Bay cruise itinerary for 2 days and 1 night
  + Day 1: Hanoi - Halong
  + Day 2: Halong - Hanoi
The must-see places included in a Halong Bay cruise 2 days and 1 night
  + Dog Rock – the great guardian of Halong Bay
  + Incense Burner Island
  + Pair of Rooster and Hen Rocks
  + Thumb Islet
  + Surprises Cave
  + Titov Island
  + Soi Sim Island
  + Luon Cave 
  + Other activities on board the boat for the rest of the day
Where to find boats for the Halong Bay cruise with real-time prices?

How to get around Halong Bay?

Halong Bay is 150 km from Hanoi, takes 2h30 on the Hanoi – Hai Phong – Halong highway. To access Halong Bay, there are several means of transport according to your desires: Private car, cruise company shuttle, helicopter, public bus or train. Among these means, we advise you to rent a private car or take the shuttle from the cruise company, which picks you up at the hotel in the city centre and drops you off at the right port for the cruise.

>> Read more: How to get from Hanoi to Halong Bay: 6 best ways to travel

Halong Bay cruise itinerary 2 days and 1 night

Day 1: Hanoi - Halong

Morning: Transfer to Halong Bay by taking the Hanoi - Hai Phong - Halong highway. The journey takes 2h30 by road crossing the Red River delta with its rice fields, and its villages of the Viets.

On arrival, you board your cruise for the start of the trip in Halong Bay. On the way, you will admire the fantastic landscape of the masterpiece of nature with islands, islets, and caves known in Halong: the rocks of different shapes (dog, incense burner, the pair of rooster and hen, the thumb…), the Surprises Cave, the Titov island with its beach, or the Soi Sim island…

After visiting the caves and islands, you enjoy activities such as a cooking class, cocktail party, and dinner and overnight on board.

Day 2: Cruise in the bay and then return to Hanoi

Morning: From very early in the morning, you will wake up to admire the sunrise and then enjoy a Tai Chi class on the deck of the boat. Then, breakfast is served on board with bread, butter, jam and some good coffee.

Then you will head towards Luon Cave. Visit the Luon cave by kayaking or by the sampan rowed by the fishermen of Halong Bay. Then continue cruising in the bay. Early lunch is around 10:30 am. Then disembarkation is around 12 noon. After that, we go back to Ha Noi.

Inclusions: Overnight cruises aboard a boat often include meals, tour fees, kayaking and sampan activities, English-speaking guide on board.

Exclusions: Drinks, massage...

Note: the order of visits and activities may be different from one cruise to another and may change depending on the weather.

The must-see places included in a Halong Bay cruise 2 days and 1 night

Dog Rock – the great guardian of Halong Bay

8m high, this rock, which is located just at the entrance to Halong Bay, is therefore considered the security guard for your cruise. In Vietnam, the statue of two dogs is often installed in front of the temple, their task is to prevent evil spirits from entering it.

Incense Burner Island

Following the cruise, another masterpiece appears in front of you, it is the Incense Burner Island which changes according to the tide. At low tide, the feet that appeared reveal traces of millennial water erosion on the rocks.

The incense burner has become the symbol of recognition of the people towards nature which created Halong Bay, an exceptional gift to our country.

Pair of Rooster and Hen Rocks 

The two rocks pushing 12m out of the water look a lot like a rooster and a hen. They look at each other lovingly. From there was born the name of this famous rock which was chosen in 2000 as the emblem of Halong Bay.

Thumb Islet

Continuing the cruise, visitors will see a rocky island “grow” out of the water in the shape of a giant thumb. The creator who placed the Thumb Islet here seems to want to send a message to tourists around the world about the good things in the trip to discover Halong Bay.

Surprises Cave (Hang Sung Sot)

The first landing is the visit to the Surprises Cave which is considered the largest in Halong Bay.

Located in the centre of Halong Bay World Heritage Site on Bo Hon Island, Sung Sot Cave is the most beautiful and spacious cave in Halong Bay. It has a total area of over 10,000 square metres, like an opera house in the middle of the sea with thousands of uniquely shaped stalactites and stalagmites that cannot be found anywhere.

At an elevation of approximately 25 metres above sea level, the cave consists of two main compartments, each with its own magnificent beauty and appeal. The first compartment is about 30 metres high and acts as a waiting room before entering the second compartment. Visitors will follow a narrow stone path with the support of light from low lampposts which are both billboards and objects of decoration and lighting. Immersed in the whimsical space of colours, visitors have the opportunity to see the stone flowers, stalactites and stalagmites formed millions of years ago. The winding stone path around the cave allows visitors to admire the cave from different angles and take wonderful photos of Halong Bay.

Titov Island

Then, you will disembark on Titov Island to admire the sunset or bathe on its beach.

Located in Halong Bay, about 7-8 km from Bai Chay tourist port in the southeast, Titov Island is a favourite stopover, attracting many tourists to bathe and conquer Titov Peak so they can admire the panoramic view of Halong Bay from above.

At the end of the 19th century, the island was called Cat Nang. On November 22, 1962, President Ho Chi Minh and Soviet cosmonaut Guerman Stepanovich Titov visited the island. To mark the anniversary of this trip, President Ho Chi Minh named the island Titov.

At the foot of the island is a moon-shaped beach embracing the island, the sand is modest but very airy and calm, and the water is clear and blue in four seasons. Cruise ships often stop here for tourists to come ashore to swim or climb to the top of the island to enjoy the view from above. Currently, on this beach, there is a bar, a rental service for swimsuits, swimming buoys, and swimming in freshwater. There is also a rental service for nautical motorcycles and parachutes.

Soi Sim Island

Depending on boat schedules, some include Soi Sim Island instead of Titov to avoid the tourist crowds.

Located southwest of Halong Bay, about 10 km from Tuan Chau Pier, Soi Sim Island is a tourist attraction due to its inherent rugged beauty. On the island, there are a lot of Sim trees - a shrub with purple fruits, which is why the locals named the island Soi Sim. Right at the foot of the island is a beach of fine white sand about 200m long and in 2014, the beach of Soi Sim Island was recognized as a tourist beach.

Soi Sim Island has an area of 8.7 ha, the whole island is covered with primary forest, inhabited by many plant species, especially endemic and valuable tree species, typical of the ecosystem of Halong Bay. Recently, a plant and animal reserve is being built on Soi Sim Island. The highlight of this project is the central gallery and viewing area which simulates a 9 petal flower. In the near future, this conservation area promises to create an attractive new tourism product to attract tourists, contributing to the sustainable tourism development of the heritage area.

Luon Cave 

Luon Cave is located in the mountainous area of Bo Hon on Halong Bay, about 15km northeast of Tuan Chau International Passenger Port (Halong City, Quang Ninh).

It is called Luon Cave because here, near the water's edge, there is a tunnel about 60m long, 3-4m high, through the mountain and opening into a lake calm blue, surrounded by rocky mountains. On the fern-covered cliffs, vivid and a group of golden monkeys clambering over the branches and cliffs.

According to the Halong Bay Management Board, in the Luon Cave area, there are about 50 golden monkeys living in the wild on the rocky mountains.

To help tourists visit Luon Cave, Halong Bay Management Board has set up a service station with 50 bamboo tubs rowed by locals and 100 kayaks.

In particular, when visiting the cave on high tide days, visitors will have to stoop on a bamboo rowboat crossing the cave to enter the enclosed lake.

Other activities on board the cruise for the rest of the day

A cool cocktail while admiring the sunset on the terrace of the boat

Cooking class aboard the boat

Meal on board the boat with seafood

Where to find boats for Halong Bay cruise with a real-time price?

With the development of the internet, you can easily find a site that offers cruises in Halong Bay with different durations, including a cruise in 2 days and 1 night in Halong Bay.

+ Sites of major global reservation groups: Booking, Agoda, Expedia

+ Local sites of travel agencies in Vietnam: IZITOUR.COM, Bestprices Travel

Related articles:

>> Halong Bay Private Cruise: List of Small Boats

>> Top 10 in Halong Bay: the must-sees and things to do

>> Best time to visit Halong Bay