The Halong Travel Handbook: Your Essential Guide

Located 160 km from Hanoi, Halong City in Quang Ninh province is a famous tourist destination not only in Vietnam but also around the world. Halong Bay is a world heritage site, with lots of activities, delicious food...
What is the best time to travel Halong

Halong city is in the Northern Vietnam, so it has 4 seasons. From April to June, the weather are warm without rain, while the period from June to August is hot with storms. September to December the temperature drop and can be cold at some days.For each season Halong Bay shows a different aspect of its beauty. In the summer when you come to Ha Long to swim and sunbathe, the spring and autumn are cool, suitable for watching a less noisy Halong and participating in outdoor activities. Explore amusement parks. You should avoid the high season from June to August to avoid crowds.

Transportation

From Hanoi, visitors can travel by Limousine, which is shuttled to the place upon request. The ticket price is 180,000 - 220,000 VND per person, travel time is about 2.5 hours. In addition, you can pick up a bus at the stations in Hanoi city or choose to take a self-driving car or motorbike to Ha Long. The price of a passenger car is about 150,000 - 200,000 VND per person.
The most ideal travel route is the highway Hanoi - Hai Phong, Hai Phong - Ha Long. The road is beautiful, but you need to pay attention to the signs, run at the right speed, turn on the signal lights when changing lanes and always wear your seat belt.
In Ha Long, if you don't have a vehicle, you can rent a motorbike for 120,000 - 200,000 VND a day. Tourists traveling in large groups such as families or groups of friends should hire a taxi or a private car.

Hotel/homestay

Accommodation options in Ha Long are diverse, including hotels, resorts, homestays, motels or yachts from luxury to budget. Rental prices range from a few hundred thousand to several million dong.
If you choose to stay in a comfortable homestay at a more affordable price, you can refer to The Bay, Halong Ginger, Orestay, Deja Vu House... If you want to be "luxurious", you can rent a room at hotels like FLC Grand Hotel on Van Nghe hill, with an infinity pool at an altitude of more than 100 m above sea level. Another option to see Ha Long Bay is from the swimming pool, on the 4th floor of Wyndham Legend Halong hotel or overnight on a yacht. The hotels with beautiful views and luxurious amenities are often located near the sea such as Muong Thanh, Royal Lotus, Novotel...

What to do

Ha Long Bay is a world heritage site with natural beauty that attracts domestic and foreign tourists. The bay has thousands of large and small limestone islands with all shapes scattered, creating a spectacular and different scene from the rest of the world. A popular choice is to take a sightseeing train with itineraries passing through places such as Ga Choi Islet, Dinh Huong Islet, Sung Sot Cave, Thien Cung Cave, Titop Island...
For the most complete experience, you should stay on a yacht. You will enjoy the quiet space, and fresh air when cruising among the vast waters of the enclosed bay, with little waves and wind.
In Ha Long, there are many shipping lines with 1- 5 star standard services such as Paradise Cruise.

On the "floating hotels", guests are also served luxurious meals, bathing in the open-air swimming pool, watching the sea at night. Some cruise tours also include experiences such as morning tai chi practice, swimming, kayaking, night squid fishing, visiting fishing villages, pearl farms, cooking lessons...
Coming to Ha Long, you can not only go on a cruise or sit on a bamboo boat, but you can also watch the bay from above when flying by helicopter or seaplane. Cruises by helicopter or seaplane will give you a new perspective of the beauty of the entire bay. If you choose Halong Heli Tours helicopter, you can go on a 12-minute, 25-minute, or 40-minute sightseeing tour, the fare is about 1.9 to 5.4 million VND/person with the journey through Thien Cung Cave, Dau Go Cave. , Island Re, Bai Tu Long... If you choose to fly Hai u Aviation's seaplane, the 25-minute sightseeing journey costs 1.5 million VND/person.

Bai Chay beach, an artificial beach located behind Sun World Park, has been expanded to the sea by nearly 1km compared to before. Wide beach, clean sand suitable for organizing group games, swimming, sunbathing or walking to watch the sunrise...
Public services such as bathing, changing, and cleaning are charged VND 20,000 per turn. In addition to Bai Chay, Ha Long has many beautiful beaches for tourists to explore such as on Titop Island, Marina Bay Ha Long, Ba Trai Dao, or beaches in Tuan Chau, Sun World...

Bai Tho Mountain is 200 m high, considered an interesting viewpoint overlooking Ha Long Bay and the city. The mountain was originally called Truyen Dang, ie Light Lamp, to indicate the important guard post of the Northeast gate thousands of years ago, responsible for illuminating the way for ships on the bay.

In 1468, when King Le Thanh Tong ordered the poem to be engraved on the cliff, Truyen Dang was renamed Bai Tho. Now this place has become a famous tourist destination of Quang Ninh.
Because the way to Bai Tho mountain is hidden in a small alley of families in Hang Pot street, Bach Dang ward, not everyone knows.
Often tourists come to Ha Long to climb Bai Tho mountain because they are introduced by friends who are here. Otherwise, you need to ask the people in Hang Pot Street for directions if you want to conquer it yourself.

Quang Ninh Museum - Library is located on Tran Quoc Nghien Street, Tuan Chau District. Opening hours: 8:30 a.m.-11:30 p.m., 1:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. The museum welcomes visitors every day of the week except Monday, the ticket price is 30,000 VND/adult, 20,000 VND for students, and 10,000 VND for children.
Inside the Quang Ninh museum, the first floor is a natural ocean space, the second floor displays relics of historical value, and the third floor shows the history of coal mining in a vivid model of a mine. .

The 3D Funny Art Museum is an interesting check-in place in the journey, with more than 40 paintings themed on animals, adventure, fiction... Ticket price is 80,000 VND per turn. The museum is located in Marine Plaza, open from 9am to 10pm.
Tuan Chau Park located on Tuan Chau Island is a diverse amusement park with fairy train games, slides, roller coasters, flying saucers, cable-stayed swings... Opening hours: 8am - 10pm, price Tickets are 350,000 VND per person, children under 1m are free. Tickets to see dolphins or water music are 100,000 VND for adults, and 60,000 VND for children.

Sun World Park is one of the largest amusement parks in the country with an area of ​​214 hectares. In addition to swimming, visitors can have fun at Vortex Bay water park, Dragon park, Typhoon Water Park, check-in on the famous Koi bridge, and admire the spiritual complex of Bao Hai Linh Thong Tu. Or visit the Japanese garden, visit the wax museum, or the upside-down house.
The park consists of two coastal complexes and is on the top of Ba Deo. In particular, the highlights such as the queen cable car, the mysterious hill have a ticket price of 250,000 - 350,000 VND/person. Dragon Park sells tickets from 200,000 to 300,000 VND/person, an unlimited number of times to play entertainment games. Typhoon Water Park sells tickets for 350,000 VND/person.

Bai Chay old town is located on Ha Long and Bai Chay streets. This is one of the destinations suitable for travelers who like to check in. Visitors can visit and take pictures for free.
Ha Long night market is a paradise for shopping and dining at night. The market is located on Ha Long Marine Boulevard, Bai Chay, open from 18h to 24h. The market has hundreds of large and small stalls with all kinds of items from souvenirs, specialties, and confectionery to jewelry and clothes.

What to eat

The famous delicacies in Ha Long are mostly made from seafood such as squid, surface, sa worm, bored, shrimp, crab, fish, squid... Seafood vermicelli dishes are very popular.
Vermicelli is a popular breakfast and lunch dish in Quang Ninh, especially in Ha Long city. Surface (also known as mantis shrimp, mantis shrimp, or hammer shrimp) is a seafood species abundant in Ha Long waters, with firm meat, sweet aroma and rich in nutrients. A bowl of vermicelli costs about 30,000 - 40,000 VND.
 
Bun Cu Ky is a dish only available in Quang Ninh. The tick has a small body about the size of a rock crab, but has a lot of shells with little meat, in return, it has a pair of big and lots of meat. Therefore, it is the main ingredient for processing dishes. The meat is sweet, the taste is different from crab meat, it is lightly fried with onions and garlic for aroma, then put in a bowl of white vermicelli with already smashed claws. You can
 

Eggs, stewed wormwood blood is a nutritious snack often sold in the late afternoon in Ha Long. Mugwort stew and duck eggs are suggested by gourmets in Ha Long to try when coming to this city.
The sweetness from the square pieces of wormwood makes the bitter wormwood leaves more tender when stewed together, while the leaves make the secretion less fishy. Restaurants also add duck eggs to the bowl of stewed blood. The price is cheap, 10,000 - 20,000 VND per piece. To enjoy this dish, diners should go to column 3 market, Ha Long market 1, 2.
  
Squid roll cake is a famous specialty of Ha Long. In Ha Long, diners can eat Banh Cuon with squid at any time of the day. Some famous addresses must mention the brand name of Mrs. Ngan, Mrs. Yen, Goc Bang shop, or in the local market during the day. A meal costs 30,000 - 55,000 VND depending on the diners' need to order more squid rolls.
 
Sam is processed into many dishes such as sweet and sour stir-fry, fried rice, and sam eggs... very strange and delicious. However, sam is a type of seafood with welding properties, so if you have a "history" of allergies, or have a cold stomach with seafood, you should not eat or only eat less. The famous sam address in Ha Long is Sam Ba Ty in Lane 6 Cao Thang, or Sam Quang Yen restaurant, located on the road from Ha Long to Hanoi. In the afternoon, at the snack area of ​​Ha Long market 1, there is also a shop selling sweet and sour sam sam, fried sam... quite delicious.
Stir-fried snails are a popular snack among locals, the price is affordable, only about 35,000 VND/plate depending on the type. Eating fried snails, you should go to the sidewalk shops, you will feel more comfortable and delicious with the rustic way of processing. Stir-fried snails with soy sauce, lemongrass, tamarind sauce, coconut... are delicious and addictive. In Ha Long, there are also many types of snails for you to choose from, the most popular ones are snails, snails, snails...
Bubble yogurt is a must-try dessert. Yogurt with pearls appeared about 10 years ago. Famous snacks become the trademark of Ha Long, making waves in other cities. The shops make their own yogurt, which is soft, not frozen, and cool. Only 10,000 - 30,000 VND for a portion of yogurt, Ms. Nghi or Lien Tuan are two familiar places for young gourmets in Ha Long.
 
In addition, there are times when you should enjoy more nodding cakes, Quang Yen spring rolls, Hoanh Bo sticky rice wine, spring rolls...

Restaurant

To find seafood, you can go to Cai Dam market, Vuon Dao area, Doan wharf, cages area, or enjoy food on tours on the bay with each meal ranging from 200,000 VND per person.
Some good restaurants in Bai Chay area are Hong Hanh, Phuong Nam, Cua Vang, Phuong Thuy, Yen Oc in Cai Dam area. In the Hon Gai area, there are restaurants like Sam Ba Ti pile 5, Huong Duyen, Bao Nghia rice, Lan Huong, Bang Lang... Some other suggestions are the food street, Gieng Don snack area, and Phu Lam restaurant near Cinco fishing village. 5... If you have time to explore further and want delicious food, rustic processing, you should go to the Quang Yen area, Thong Nhat commune, Hoanh Bo district.
  
Today's Ha Long beach town, besides its natural beauty and attractive specialties, also attracts many young customers when the appearance of beautiful and unique view cafes. Some places for visitors to refer to are Sky Bar, Cam Cafe, 1990 Coffee house, Old Town cafe...

What to buy for gifts

Dried seafood such as sun-dried squid, dried fish, dried shrimp... with pounded squid balls, or items crafted from marine shells, coal are all typical Ha Long gifts. Seafood and souvenirs are easiest to find when you go to Ha Long night market, Cai Dam market and traditional seafood shops.