Located in the northeastern region of Vietnam, Ha Long Bay is a bay in the Gulf of Tonkin and is comprised of 1,969 islands. Comprised of limestone and schist, this dense zone of stone islands form a magnificent view of immense peaks, grottoes and caves throughout the bay. It is also a region filled with coral reefs and water-flooded forests housing thousands of species of plant and animal life.
The climate in Ha LongBay
The climate of the bay is tropical, wet, sea islands, with two seasons: hot and moist summer, and dry and cold winter. The average temperature is from 15 °C- 25 °C.
Best time to visit Halong Bay
Ha Long Bay is worth visiting the whole year round for its different beauty in every single season.
The best time to visit Halong bay in the Spring (from March to May) and the Autumn (from September to November), the weather is really cool, not too hot and not too cold.
Winter in Halong bay is a bit uncomfortable, it is misty and all day soft raining.
Summer allows you enjoy many outdoor activities and have a relaxing time on the sandy beaches but storms normally.
How to get to Halong Bay
The most common departure cities are Hanoi and Hai Phong, both of which have her own international airports and a complex of highway that connects to Halong Bay.
How to get to Halong Bay from Ha Noi
Hanoi to Halong Bay by Shuttle bus/ Cruise’ bus/ mini bus
Perhaps the easiest and the cheapest way to travel from Hanoi to Halong Bay is to book a cruise tour that includes two-way transfer.
bus will pick you from your hotel, on its rounds of Hanoi picking up all customers and also transfer you back to your hotel in Hanoi after the trip. You will share the bus with other people from different hotels.
Or you can go to My Dinh or Gia Lam Station. Tickets are bought cheaper. The journey takes 4 to 5 hours with the bus stopping to pick up passengers along the way.
Hanoi to Halong Bay by private Car
Private car is the best choice, more convenient and more flexible. The travel time is shorter because you don’t have to wait for others
Hanoi to Halong Bay by seaplane
Take a seaplane flight from International Noi Bai Airport, Hanoi to Halong Bay for only 45 minutes. Enjoy fabulous aerial views over the countryside and experience the thrill of a water landing at the Tuan Chau Island Marina. The flight can be extended to include an additional 15-minute scenic tour over the bay, which allows you to enjoy a bird’s eye view (150-300m high) of the thousands of limestone karsts jutting up from the jade green waters and see remote fishing villages before landing at Tuan Chau Island Marina.
How to get to Halong Bay from Hai Phong
Cat Bi International Airport in Haiphong is roughly 2.5 hours away from Ha Long city by road. Travelers can catch a bus, a taxi, or a ferry to arrive in the Bay.
Awards of Ha Long Bay
In 1962, the Vietnam Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism designated Ha Long Bay a 'Renowned National Landscape Monument'.
Ha Long Bay was first listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994, in recognition of its outstanding, universal aesthetic value. In 2000 the World Heritage Committee additionally recognised Ha Long Bay for its outstanding geological and geomorphological value, and its World Heritage Listing was updated.
In October 2011, World Monuments Fund included the bay on the 2012 World Monuments Watch, citing tourism pressures and associated development as threats to the site that must be addressed. The goal of Watch-listing is to promote strategies of responsible heritage-driven development for a sustainable future.
In 2012, New 7 Wonders Foundation officially named Ha Long Bay as one of New Seven Natural Wonders of the world.
Ha Long Bay is also a member of the Club of the Most Beautiful Bays of the World.
Best Halong cruise trips
Activities in Halong Bay cruises
- Visit to Pearl Farm Village
- Visit to the floating villages
- Swimming in a beach: Titop island,
- Cave exploring: Thien Cung Cave, Sung Sot Cave, Thien Canh Son cave...
- Tai Chi Cooking classes
- Kayaking: Luon cave,...
- Squid fishing
Bai Tu Long Bay