Ha Long Holiday Weather today
Date/time of update: April 27, 2024, 12:10 am, Timezone: GMT+7
Scattered Clouds
Temperature: 27.77°C
Temperature feels like: 32.41°C
Minimum Temperature: 27.77°C
Maximum Temperature: 27.77°C
Atmospheric pressure: 1004hPa
Humidity:86%
Visibility: 10000m
Wind speed: 2.82m/sec
Wind Direction: 83 degrees
Cloudiness: 29%
Sunrise: 2024-04-26 10:23:46
Sunset: 2024-04-27 11:14:34
Halong Bay Vietnam boasts 3,000 islands and islets on the emerald water in the Gulf of Tonkin which stretches from Quang Ninh and Hai Phong Provinces of Vietnam to the Chinese border.
Halong Bay Travel Guide Overview
Halong Bay is 165 km north east of Hanoi and the trip by car takes 3-4 hours. From Hanoi, you can take a tour to Halong Bay and come back to the city within the day; else you can take 2 or 3 days overnight cruises to the less visited area of the bay. Halong Bay is a stunning tourist attraction for both the adventure travellers and for fans of luxury holidays.
Halong Bay Vietnam
Weather and Climate, Best Time to Visit
Halong Bay has a tropical monsoon climate which is the same as that in the Red River Delta. Somehow, the temperatures on the bay are more moderate than inland. The hottest months on the bay are May, June and July when temperatures, though not often, may reach up to 38 Degrees Celsius; and the coolest months on the bay are November, December and January when temperatures can drop down to 6 Degrees Celsius.
A cruise route on Halong Bay, Vietnam
The bay is misty in September through April and can be hazy at other times of the year. There is no specific good time or bad time to visit Halong Bay, as the bay possesses a different beauty at different times of the year and in different weather conditions. Each year, there may be more or less than ten typhoons that hit Halong Bay and northern Vietnam from May to November, during which tourist boats are not allowed to set out.
Dinh Huong Islet in Halong Bay
If you like to have clear photos of Halong Bay, then come right after the storm; if you want the foggy and mysterious pictures of Halong Bay, then you may want to travel to the bay in October, November, December and January.
Halong Bay Travel Guide, Tourist Attractions on Halong Bay
Most islands on Halong Bay are karst mountains and only a few of them are inhabited by people. There are quite a few fishing communities who live in floating villages around the bay. On many islands, there are stunning limestone caves such as Dau Go, Thien Cung, Me Cung, Sung Sot,...
There are many hidden lagoons on Halong Bay that the only way to visit is by rowing boat or by kayak. It is advised to have experienced tour guides for these tours as it is easy to get lost or that you are blocked in the lagoons at high tide.
1/ Caves on Halong Bay
1.1 Dau Go Cave
1.2 Thien Cung Cave
1.3 Sung Sot Cave (Cave of Surprise)
1.4 Bo Nau Cave
1.5 Me Cung Cave (Cave of Labyrinth)
1.6 Luon Cave, or Luon Lagoon
2/ Beaches on Halong Bay
2.1 Bai Chay Beach in Halong City
2.2 Tuan Chau Beach on Tuan Chau Island
2.2 Ti Tov Beach on Ti Tov Island & Mountain
3/ Floating Villages
There are quite a few floating communities on Halong Bay which may move from time to time due to weather conditions or policies by the authority to protect nature of Halong Bay. The one near the Dinh Huong Islet, another near the Sung Sot Cave and one near the Cua Van Sea Passage.
4/ Mountain tops on Halong Bay
You may have seen amazing photos of Halong Bay from above. If you have a drone, this should be without difficulties. But you want to adore the spectacular of Halong Bay in person with your bar eyes, then you are to climb to mountain tops. The hikes to these mountain tops require some efforts but you’ll get a very rewarding experience!
4.1 Ti Tov Mountain
The most convenient mountain top is at the Ti Tov (Top) Island that most boat cruises stop on their journey.
4.2 Bai Tho Mountain
The mountain is in Hon Gai area which is to be accessed by crossing the Bai Chay Bridge.
4.3 Island at the Cave of Labyrinth
This amazing cave is not often visited by most boats. The cave is farther out into the sea and the whole island is a mountain surrounding a lagoon and the cave is on the brim. Visiting the cave, we have to climb the steps, then crawl through the cavern to the other side where we get the breathtaking views!
5/ Fighting Cocks Islet
6/ Dinh Huong Islet (Incense Bowl)
7/ Stone Dog
Adventure Travel, Things To Do on Halong Bay
The area near Sung Sot Cave, Halong Bay
1/ Day Boat Trips, Overnight Junk Cruises
There are so many activities you can do in Halong City and on Halong Bay. For those in Halong City, we have a separate travel guide. This article is mostly for travel activities on Halong Bay. The most popular activity on Halong Bay is of course to take a boat trip or overnight luxury boat cruises.
Tourist boats and luxury junks cruise around the bay on different routes which are fixed by the Administration of Halong Bay. The day cruises range from 5 to 10 hours by small boats; luxurious junks with sleeping cabins can cruise around the bay for 1 or 2 nights. On the cruises, you can get off the boat for visiting caves, floating villages, walking on beaches or climbing on some mountains to get the panoramic view of the bay.
A cruise boat on Halong Bay
There are many hidden lagoons on Halong Bay that the only way to visit is by rowing boat or by kayak. It is advised to have experienced tour guides for these tours as it is easy to get lost or that you are blocked in the lagoons at high tide.
Tourist boats and luxury junks cruise around the bay on different routes. The day cruises range from 5 to 10 hours by small boats; luxurious junks with sleeping cabins can cruise around the bay for 1 or 2 nights. On the cruises, you can get off the boat for visiting caves, floating villages, walking on beaches or climbing on some mountains to get the panoramic view of the bay.
Kayaking near the Ti Tov Beach on Halong Bay
2/ Adventure Boat Tours and Kayaking Tours on Halong Bay
For adventure travelers, you may want to hire a simple day cruise boat and you kayak through the islands. At night, you’ll stay in camps on the small deserted beaches in the bay. There are chances that fishing boats may come in with their fresh catch and you’ll have the best fresh seafood caught in the bay! Your trip will be just memorable.
Sail boats near the Sung Sot Cave on Halong Bay
3/ Hovering over the Bay with Superb Views
This is for travelers with a long purse/deep wallet. You can book a trip by helicopter or sea plane and have 15 minutes to hover over the bay before a great boat trip plowing through the islands. The flight is over 1 hour from Hanoi Noi Bai Airport.
A view of Halong Bay from the Sung Sot Cave
Fishing boats at sunset on Halong Bay
The Sung Sot Cave
If you really like to have an in-depth experience of Halong Bay, then you may like to contact AdventureGreen for a kayaking adventure for 3-5 days; on these adventure tours, we can sleep on board or in camps on deserted beaches. AdventureGreen also organizes trekking tours and hiking adventures through Cat Ba National Park in combination with boat cruise on Halong Bay for those travellers who like to experience the bay in a different way.
Kayaking at the Luon Cave (Lagoon) on Halong Bay
On your adventure to Halong Bay, you could help to protect the environment of this wonder of the World by:
- Not to discard rubbish into the bay;
- Collect rubbish from the bay and put it in designated places;
- Not to break the limestone, the stalactites and stalagmites;
- Report to the authority of Halong Bay (at the pier) the boat crew or tourists who throw rubbish into the sea;
- Report to the authority of Halong Bay (at the pier) the boats which have oil leak into the sea;
A wild monkey at the Luon Cave
How to get to Halong Bay
1/ By air
There are daily flights between Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) and the Van Don Airport which is 1 hour drive from Halong Bay. Alternatively you can book a trip hovering over Halong Bay on a sea plane or helicopter which offers the best panoramic views of the amazing bay from high above.
2/ By road
Via the old road, it takes you 3-4 hours to travel to Halong Bay from Hanoi. Nowadays, there is an expressway that takes you a bit over 2 hours to travel between the two cities.
From the Noi Bai Airport in Hanoi, it takes 3 hours to travel to Halong Bay.
From Hai Phong City, it takes 1 hour to travel to Halong Bay only via the expressway.
3/ By rail
If you like a really long and painful experience, then you can travel from Hanoi to Halong Bay by train. The adventure takes 7-8 hours and it really rocks on the old train! You may even love it that you’ll be among only a few passengers on the huge train with several carriages!
Halong Average Monthly Rainfalls and Temperatures
