Halong Bay Attractions on Your Travel List

The most popular destination in Vietnam, the Ha Long Bay, earns its popularity for its incomparable scenic beauty. The countless limestone islets and almost 2,000 certified islands dapple the emerald bay. Some of these islands are uninhabited and undisturbed allowing nature's abundance to caress the craigs with its lush verdant growth. Ideal for hiking, there is so much waiting to be discovered, in these Ha Long Bay attractions. You can list a whole lot of attraction in the Ha Long Bay and still the list will remain incomplete. Mapping a few places that would be convenient to reach, here is a list of places to visit in Halong Bay.
 

This perhaps tops the chart amongst Ha Long Bay attractions. If you haven’t set sail on a cruise while at Ha Long Bay, you have missed out on one of the finest experiences in life. Whatever you might take, be it a day cruise, an overnight luxury cruise or a midsize cruise, each allows you to be a voyager and score the farthest of waters and the best of the lands. Depending on the boat and the tour operator you may travel as a king-size or an ordinary traveler, the comfort level differs, the bay offers the same view to all. This experience is one that will be recorded in memory. Budget cruises start from US$60 per person for a day trip, while a midrange overnight cruise may be at US$110 - US$130.
 

The Ha Long Bay has myriad caves that are astounding owing to their shape and structures of stalactites and stalagmites. One such stunning cave located on the Bon Hon Island is Hang Sung Sot Cave. To reach this cave you need to climb a steep recline as you embark on nothing less than sheer magnificence. The cave has two chambers and the roof of the cave hits a height of 30 meters. The inner chamber is well lit and looks like a cloud of quirky stone formations hanging down like pointed icicles from the ceiling. Limestone white and lit in rainbow hues the caves command awe and attention.

• Time: 08:00 AM - 06:00 PM
• Entry Fee: VND 50,000
 

The waters along the Ha Long Bay are crystal clear and you can look into great depths inside the water and the colorful marine life floating past in oblivion of your presence. Want to have a closer look? Go right ahead. Choose to dive or snorkel. There are several diving classes along the bay that give you a crash course and you can uncover so much marine life all by yourself. If you are fearful about diving, then try snorkeling. The marine animals will shy away if you try to touch them. Appreciate from a distance and capture the spectacular moment in your heart. The thrills are extraordinary.

• 1,000,000 VND for a 30-minute scuba diving
• Snorkel costs 600,000 VND extra
 Considered the most popular Ha Long bay attraction, it is the largest island in Vietnam. Relaxed and unperturbed, the island boasts of an ancient fisherman’s port, where you can sit and watch the fishermen anchoring their catamarans and gathering their nets.  If you like, you can hire a bicycle and traverse the beachfront or the inland. This is also a harbor destination and instead of Halong you can set base in Cat Ba.
 

• Ferry Tuan Chau – Cat Ba
Time 45 min
Total Price: US$7.5

• High-speed boat Bai Chay – Cat Ba
Price US$12/person
 

• High-speed Hydrofoil Tuan Chau – Cat Ba
Time: 10-12 minutes
Price US$9.5

Also named the bewitching Grotto, this is another island known for its caves. The entrance is quite bewitching, and you need to squeeze yourself through a narrow way. You enter a snaking tunnel with stalagmites carving down the roof and so close that you can touch them. Lighted with dazzling lights, you will love this cave and want to spend some more time here trying to fathom the shapes and fossils famed to be a part of this cave. No entry fee, it is a part of the Halong Cruise.
 

Also known as Cat Dua in the local language, this is the perfect beach island for getting a suntan and lazing on the white sand. Slip into the blue water for a quiet swim or indulge in snorkeling. Kayaking is also extremely popular, and the water is completely favorable for soft water sports. The island offers some great hiking trails. The cliffs and gorges are easy to scale. The clifftop view of the sea and the neighboring islets is breathtaking.
To reach the island, you can take bus Hanoi to Hai Phong, then take a speedboat to Cat Ba town. The fare is $12.
 

Known for its Virgin Caves on the Bon Hon Island, the Hand Trinh Nu is a popular Halong Bay attraction. There is an old story attached to the caves. It is about a young woman who ended her life owing to an unhappy marriage. Her body was found by a local fisherman who gave her a decent burial. There is a shrine inside the cave that celebrates the legend and, has attracted tourists to visit this cave with greater interest. It is a part of the overnight cruising experience.
 

Locally called the Hon Ga Choi, these are two large rocks that jut out in the shape of cocks fighting. Spectacular for photography, catch the sun setting from here. The myriad hues of the setting sun betwixt peculiar rocks are indeed one for the keeps. Click while the sun goes down. It is also the part of the overnight cruising experience.
 

If you are taking a cruise or have anchored at one of the islands, then don’t miss the opportunity to go fishing at night. Squids are particularly favorite fishing targets. They swim in the water as darkness sets.  You can barbeque your prized conquest with help from your hotel staff.
 

Another Ha Long Bay Attraction is La ha Bay. Less crowded, this island had idyllic beaches with flowing soft white sand and azure waterfronts. Appropriate for water sport adventures like swimming and kayaking, the floating villages, neatly stacked on the bay are the ones that you will love.

• Hanoi-Cat Ba Tourist Bus US$14
• Speedboat to La Han Bay: 180,000VND
 

The seafood is another Ha Long bay attraction that you must not miss. Easily available and cooked in local flavors, the beachfront restaurants offer fresh feeds to all who loved these seafood delicacies. King size prawns, crabs, lobsters and squids are cooked deliciously for tourists. If you wish to spin your cooking magic, there are fire pits along the beach allow you to cook or barbeque your dinner.

• Price $15-$20
 

Famous for its coral garden and caves, this island is Ha long Bay’s unmissable attraction. You can visit the underground caves. Row to the caves in the low tide for that is the only time that you can venture in these grottos. The coral reefs are a treat for divers who can explore their beauty along with the caves in the three lakes. It is the part of the overnight cruise.
 

Interestingly this Halong Bay attraction is known for its viewpoint. Embrace the folded hills and boats stagged beneath them, the unique karst formations falling in the sea. Climbing up the hill will reveal the underground tunnels. There is a huge gun placed on the hilltop and you can see it as your climb. Also, soldiers are modeled along the gun to create lifelike visuals. It is inclusive in the overnight cruise.
 

Reminiscent of the wartime, this cave hospital was set up in secret so that it would not be bombed. It was used by the Vietnamese Congress leaders till late 1975. This is around 10 km (6.2 mi) for the Cat Ba Town. There are 17 rooms spread over three floors and includes an operating theatre. A cinema hall and swimming pool are also part of this cave.

• Entry fee: 15,000 dong
• Time: 08:00 AM- 05:00 PM Everyday
 

Sailing into the heart of nature and natural structures, the sea is dotted with strangely shaped rocks jutting out of the water. They look like sentinels guarding the bay as the water stands still and tranquil amid Halong bay. Kayaking along these natural rock structures is an unforgettable adventure.

• Kayak price VND 50,000 / person and VND 100,000 with a tour guide.
 

There is a monument dedicated to the father of the nation and another Halong Bay attraction. Along the hillside of Cat Ba Town, this is called the Mountain 1, a statue of Ho Chi Minh stands proudly over the water. There is no entry fees and it opens all day.

Halong Bay has plenty of attractions and each visitor would have their list. But the ones that I have listed are much loved by tourists. Indeed, the bay can consume your entire tour in Vietnam. The land is marked with so many attractions. Tour as much as you can in this magical land.