Things to Do in Halong Bay

Kayaking

Kayaking is the top Halong Bay activity, and it is also the most regulated. Paddling is allowed only in designated zones, and only licensed operators that sign contracts with the authorities may offer kayak services. A kayaking suspension in 2017 was lifted a month later, and the approved zone system stayed. In 2017 the bay operated about 1,400 kayaks, nearly 1,100 of them supplied by 163 overnight vessels.

Operators report that kayaking rules in Lan Ha Bay have changed and they disagree on what is open, so confirm the paddling spot with the operator on the day. On Ha Long Bay proper, the Day Cruise with Kayaking at $39 per person includes a paddle or raft through Luon Cave, with entrance fees in the price.

The table below lists the eight areas the authorities approved in 2017, so you can match them to your route.

Sources: VietnamNet

Swimming

Swimming season runs roughly from April to October, with water between 23 and 30 degrees C. The warmest stretch is June to September at 28 to 30 degrees C. Ti Top Island is the classic swim stop, with a maintained crescent of white sand, changing rooms, showers and lifeguards. Soi Sim beach sits about 500 m from Ti Top and has a viewpoint about 90 metres up, reached by a 15-minute trail. Boat landings at Ti Top run from 7:20 to 16:00, which sets your swim window.

In town, Bai Chay beach is an artificial sandy beach, more than 500 m long by one count and over 1,000 m by another.

Squid Fishing

Squid fishing is an after-dinner activity that overnight cruises commonly offer. On the listings below it is named among the inclusions. The Bhaya Classic Overnight Cruise at $120 per person runs squid fishing along with kayaking and Tai Chi over two days.

The 2-Day Junior Suite Cruise at $146 per person lists night squid fishing among its inclusions too. If you only book a day trip, squid fishing is not part of the day.

Tai Chi and Cooking Classes

Overnight cruises commonly offer a sunrise Tai Chi session on deck. It costs nothing extra on the listings where it appears. Onboard cooking classes usually teach Vietnamese spring rolls.

The Balcony Suite Overnight Cruise at $150 per person lists cooking class, kayaking or a rowing boat, and Tai Chi in its inclusions, alongside a $10 per person peak season surcharge from October 1 to April 30. The 3-Day Lan Ha Bay Cruise at $301 per person, before a $35 government VAT, adds a cooking demonstration to a longer itinerary with a bike ride at Viet Hai village.

Which Cruises Include Which Activity

Some listings keep the base price down by charging extras. The Day Cruise with Surprise Cave starts at $23 per person with the $12.74 entrance fee added, so $35.74 all in, and visits Surprise Cave, a kayaking lagoon and Ti Top. On the Lan Ha side, the Serenity Lan Ha Bay Day Cruise at $43.20 per person includes kayaking and entrance tickets, and the Taliya Lan Ha Bay Day Cruise at $53 per person adds a bamboo boat through Dark and Bright Cave and a cooking demonstration.

For overnights, the Overnight Cruise, Choose Your Bay from $149 per person lists kayaking or a bamboo boat and entrance fees in every option.

Night Kayaking and Plankton

Night kayaking with bioluminescent plankton runs mainly in Lan Ha Bay, not central Ha Long Bay, where too many boats and lights spoil the view. The best window is May to October on dark, moonless nights, with peak brightness usually between 20:00 and 22:00. The glow comes from microscopic dinoflagellates, and it is faint and not guaranteed.

Treat it as a bonus on an overnight, not the reason to book.

Sung Sot Cave

Sung Sot, or Surprise Cave, sits on Bo Hon Island 14 km from Bai Chay wharf. Guides describe two main chambers and give the area as about 10,000 to 12,200 square metres. You climb a staircase from the pier, which guides count at 50 to about 100 steps, for a visit of roughly 40 to 50 minutes.

Entry is usually part of the VHL2 route ticket. The full guide to Sung Sot Cave covers the chambers, the lighting and the crowd timing.

Thien Cung and Dau Go Caves

Thien Cung, the Heavenly Palace, sits near Dau Go Cave on Dau Go Island and was opened to tourists in 1998. One guide gives it a length of 130 m with a 250 m elevated walkway installed after 2023. It is a walk-in show cave.

Dau Go, the Wooden Stakes Cave, covers about 5,000 square metres in three chambers, with an entrance about 17 m wide and 12 m high. The island lies about 3 km from Tuan Chau, and the cave is linked to General Tran Hung Dao's 1288 victory. Both caves sit on routes VHL1 and VHL5 from the Cruise Port.

Ti Top Island

Ti Top Island covers 3.7 hectares, 7 to 8 km southeast of Bai Chay port, with a white-sand beach and a summit viewpoint at around 100 to 110 metres. Guides count about 400 to 450 steps and quote the climb at 10 to 20 minutes, with one saying it takes longer. Most cruises allow 45 minutes to an hour on the island.

Sun Paradise Land says there is no separate entrance fee when you arrive on a cruise package. Bo Nau, Me Cung and Luon caves share the same VHL2 route, and Luon's tunnel is best paddled at low to mid tide. For the full climb guide and photo timing, see Ti Top Island.

Floating Villages

Ha Long Bay's fishing villages were once home to about 1,600 people across four main villages: Cua Van, Ba Hang, Cong Tau and Vung Vieng. From 2014 Quang Ninh moved most residents ashore, with more than 300 households relocated, and nearly 400 families were resettled in city-built houses. A VND 1.7 trillion programme funded from entrance fees aimed to turn the old villages into tourism sites, and nearly 70 floating houses and classrooms were handed to the Ha Long Bay Management Board.

Cua Van, about 20 km from Tuan Chau pier, is now the Cua Van Floating Cultural Centre, expanded with more than 850 artefacts, and it is a stop on route VHL3. Vung Vieng lies about 25 km into Bai Tu Long Bay, where 50 to 60 families still fish and cultivate pearls.

Sun World Ha Long and the Queen Cable Car

The Queen Cable Car has run since 26 June 2016 and crosses 2,165 m over the Cua Luc strait from Bai Chay to Ba Deo hill in about 5 minutes. At the top, the Sun Wheel stands 215 m above sea level and a full turn takes 15 to 20 minutes. Local Vietnam lists the cable car round trip with hilltop and Sun Wheel access at about 380,000 VND, Dragon Park at about 300,000 VND and park combos at 500,000 to 750,000 VND.

A search summary gives Dragon Park adult tickets for 2026 at about 300,000 to 400,000 VND, with hours of 13:00 to 17:00 on Fridays and 9:00 to 17:00 on weekends. Figures for this park come from listings and summaries, so confirm at the gate.

Quang Ninh Museum

The Quang Ninh Museum stands in Hon Gai. Sources disagree on the adult ticket: one summary quotes VND 40,000 and Paradise Vietnam quotes VND 30,000, with hours of 8:00 to 17:00. Take a taxi across the Bai Chay Bridge, a 1,106 m cable-stayed crossing with a 435 m main span that replaced the old ferry in 2006.

Bai Chay Beach and the Bayfront

Bai Chay means burning beach. The artificial sandy beach runs more than 500 m by the Wikipedia count and over 1,000 m by Paradise Vietnam. The ward held about 30,280 residents across 21.02 square km in 2019.

The beach is swimmable in the April to October season when water sits at 23 to 30 degrees C, and an easy fill-in if your cruise leaves from the nearby Bai Chay area.

Bai Tho Mountain

Bai Tho (Poem) Mountain is a 200 m limestone peak in Hon Gai where King Le Thanh Tong carved a poem in 1468. One guide says it has been officially closed to climbers since about 2017 and that some visitors still climb it unofficially through a private house at the base, where a local collects about 100,000 VND. This is not an official ticket, the path is not maintained as a public site, and going up is at your own risk.

Ha Long Night Market

The Ha Long Night Market on Hoang Quoc Viet Street in Hung Thang ward covers 5,000 square metres with over 330 stalls. Paradise Vietnam gives hours of 17:00 to 23:00, liveliest from 19:00 to 21:00, while a VinWonders summary says 18:00 to 23:00 and counts 335 stalls. Look for squid cake (cha muc), Ha Long pearl yogurt and grilled seafood.

It pairs well with an evening before an early cruise pickup.

Yen Tu Mountain

Yen Tu sits about 50 km from Ha Long city and its summit with Dong Pagoda stands at 1,068 m. King Tran Nhan Tong gave up his throne here in the 13th century and founded the Truc Lam Zen sect, and the complex remains an active pilgrimage site. It suits travellers with a spare day around a two-night cruise such as the 3-Day Lan Ha Bay Cruise.

Shore Activities at a Glance

The table pulls the on-land figures from the sources above so you can compare entry costs before you go.