While I, personally, did not like Vietnam very much, I have to acknowledge that navigating Halong Bay was one of the most magical moments of my entire trip to Southeast Asia. In this post I will explain how to visit Halong Bay on a budget, doing a Cat Ba Island tour and avoiding the organized party cruises (that are sometimes scams).

Out of all the countries I visited in Southeast Asia, I have to admit, Vietnam was my least favorite. Don’t get me wrong, many people love Vietnam, and it is definitely a country worth visiting. It has a frightening, yet interesting history, impressive scenery, and delicious food. However, after spending two fantastic months in the Philippines and Indonesia, I found Vietnam to be a rather hostile country.

But enough complaints, even though Vietnam may not be my favorite country, I have to admit there was one place it really took my breath away: Halong Bay. This was certainly one of the most impressive views I have laid my eyes on. To visit Halong Bay, you have the option of doing a party cruise from Hanoi. But, if you want to save money, I highly recommend you to do a Cat Ba Island tour instead.

Halong Bay is Vietnam’s top tourist draw and I can certainly understand why.

Halong Bay

Named as one of the New Seven Wonders of Nature, Halong Bay is a must see in Vietnam. Near the Chinese border traveling 120 km along the coastline, the bay features a dense collection of almost 2000 limestone monolithic islands that are covered with jungle vegetation. Many of these monolithic islands feature mysterious caves, lakes and secluded beaches.

According to the legend, a dragon that began spitting out jewels and jade created the bay. They turned into islands and islets linking together to form a wall against the invaders and assist the Vietnamese in defending their country. In other words, Mother Nature got crazy here!

Some of the islands in Halong Bay have crazy shapes.

Visiting Halong Bay: the “Party Cruises“

Not surprisingly, this magical and mystical place is Vietnam’s top tourist draw. Therefore, there are many agencies in Hanoi offering tours (from one to three days) to visit Halong Bay and Bai Tu Long Bay. The prices are for any budget (from $40 to over $800). The problem is most of these agencies have a questionable reputation and the quality of the tour is often directly related to the price you’ve paid for it. If you search Halong Bay tours in Google, you will easily find hundreds of horror stories and scams in Halong Bay.

The mystic effect of Halong Bay in Vietnam.

On the other side, even the most reputable agencies offer tours that are definitely not for everybody. Known as “party cruises”, they are aimed at backpackers who want to spend three days drinking in a boat with Halong Bay as a backdrop. I guess party cruises may be a fun idea if you are traveling with friends. But traveling on my own, I was afraid of spending three full days locked on a boat and sharing a small cabin with strangers who were likely to be drunk all night. For these reasons, when I began to organize my trip to Halong Bay, I didn’t know where to start! Choose a cheap tour and risk of being scammed? Choose the best Halong Bay Cruise and pay an arm and a leg for it? I wanted to visit Halong Bay but I did not want to do it with a hangover and I had a tight budget.

When I was considering not visiting Halong Bay and simply leaving Vietnam, I met two travelers in Hoi An who explained to me how to go to Halong Bay on my own. The trick is spending the night on a super cheap island called Cat Ba, doing a day tour from there and skipping the party cruises. I followed their advice and it was great! Read on to discover how to visit Halong Bay on a budget doing a Cat Ba island tour.

There is a way to visit Halong Bay without joining a party cruise. Don’t miss this wonder of the world!

Halong Bay on a Budget: How to Get to Cat Ba Island

In Hanoi, you will find plenty of agencies offering tours to Halong Bay but, as I mentioned, I highly recommend avoiding organized tours and doing a Cat Ba island tour instead. For that, you can buy a ticket from Hanoi to Cat Ba island for 220,000 dongs (it sounds like a lot but it is only $10!). Unfortunately, the ticket is not direct and you will have to take three buses and one boat to get to Cat Ba island, but don’t panic! It’s all organized and included in the price; just follow the instructions. The first bus will take you to the city of Hai Phong, the second bus will drive you to the port, then you will take a ferry to Cat Ba Island and, finally, the last bus will take you to the center of Cat Ba town. The total trip from Hanoi to Cat Ba island will take you about 4 hours.

Halong Bay is a must! Don’t miss this magical place

Where to Sleep in Cat Ba Island

Once you get to Cat Ba town, you will find plenty of accommodation options on the main street, most of them at absolute bargain prices! For example, you can stay in a private double room with Halong Bay views from $6 a night. If you prefer to book in advance, I highly recommend Agoda (you will find the best deals on this site!). I have compiled a list of cheap accommodation in Cat Ba to help you plan your stay:

Phuong Mai Family Hostel: this is the place where I stayed in Cat Ba. It is run by a lovely Vietnamese family who also has a hair salon on the ground floor. The hostel has clean rooms and a rooftop with Halong Bay views. I highly recommend this place!

Ali Babas Hostel: My friend stayed at this hostel and said it was great. They also have double rooms for 7$ a night.

Cat Ba Hostel: If you are ok sharing your room, this hostel has dorms for less than 3$ a night.

Manh Vuong Hotel: Double rooms and great bay views for less than 9$ a night.

Cat ba Sunrise Resort: If you are not on a budget or want to treat yourself, this hotel is a bit more upper class.

Halong Bay views from my hostel in Cat Ba island.

Where to Eat in Cat Ba Island

When I arrived at Cat Ba Island, I checked some restaurants and found the food was awful and overpriced. But luckily, at dinnertime, I found a gem, a small, vegetarian restaurant called Buddha Belly. It is only a few minutes from Cat Ba’s main street and offers affordable dishes and a set menu for only 30,000 dongs (about 1 €). Even if you’re not a vegetarian, I think you will like this place, great, cheap and healthy Vietnamese food!

One day Cat Ba Island Tour

To visit Halong Bay from Cat Ba Island you can either rent a kayak or take part in a one day tour. The good thing about these tours is that while you will spend the day in Halong Bay, they will return you to your hostel at sunset, so you will not spend the night on the boat.

There are many agencies in Cat Ba Island that organize day tours to Halong Bay for $20 including lunch. I booked my tour at Pineapple hostel and have no complaints: it was just fine! They picked me up at 8 am at my hostel and brought me to Cat Ba port where we boarded a boat and started visiting Halong Bay for about two hours. Then we had one hour of tandem kayaking in a quiet, beautiful part of the bay.

There is no better place to kayak than Halong Bay!

After kayaking, we had a nice lunch on the boat. There were fish and some vegetarian options (tofu, spring rolls, salad and rice). Everything was yummy!

After lunch, we went to an area of the bay where you could swim … Unfortunately, although the place was gorgeous, it was very cold and I did not dare jump in the water. An important thing to keep in mind when visiting Halong Bay is the weather is usually chilly and unpleasant. After two months of traveling Southeast Asia, always wearing shorts and flip-flops, I did not expect the cold weather! For your own sake, always bring a jacket.

The last stop of the tour was Monkey Island, a beautiful place with a mystical energy where you can find amazing views and see monkeys.

To sum up, the tour was well organized and I enjoyed all the activities and the magnificent views of Halong Bay.

Monkey island beach in Halong Bay.

Total Budget for 3 Days/2 Nights in Cat Ba Island and Halong Bay

In total, these were all my expenses for 3 days and 2 nights in Cat Ba island and Halong Bay:

• Ticket Hanoi-Cat Ba: 10$
• Accommodation in Phuong Mai Family Hostel for two nights (in a private double room): 12$
• Lunch and dinner in Happy Buddha: 3$
• Breakfast in Pinneaple Hotel: 2$
• One day tour to Halong bay including lunch: 20$
• Last day dinner in Happy Budda: 1,5$
• Return ticket to Hanoi: 10$

Total expenses: 58,50$

The only one time during my 3 months trip in Southeast Asia I was cold was in Halong Bay!

You see? Visiting Halong Bay in comfort doesn’t have to be expensive. I highly recommend to go to Cat Ba Island on your own and avoid organized tours from Hanoi, it is way better and cheaper! But either way, do not miss Halong Bay. While I, personally, did not like Vietnam very much, I have to acknowledge that navigating Halong Bay was one of the most magical moments of my entire trip to Southeast Asia.

Halong Bay, one of the most magical places I have ever been to.

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