Cruises in Hanoi

A cruise from Hanoi starts with a choice of bay, and the bays are different places. Ha Long proper has Sung Sot cave and Titop Island, and the heaviest traffic. Lan Ha lies beside Cat Ba Island and is quieter, with the Dark and Bright Cave and a lighthouse the French built over a century ago on Da Chong islet. Bai Tu Long runs north-east and has Thien Canh Son cave, about 100 steps up, and kayaking off Cap La Island. After the bay comes the vessel: classic cabins, 5-star ships with balconies and bathtubs, Indochine-style boutique boats for up to 35 guests, and day cruisers with a jacuzzi or a catamaran hull.

The same boats come in three lengths. A day cruise boards at about noon and sails five to six hours, with lunch on board, one cave and a kayak; you are back in the Old Quarter between about 18:30 and 20:30. A long day to Cat Ba and Lan Ha runs about fifteen hours and adds Viet Hai village by bicycle or electric car. The night on board keeps a rhythm: sunset party around 17:30, a spring-roll class, dinner, then squid fishing and tai chi on the sundeck at 6:00, brunch, and Hanoi again between 15:00 and 16:30. One three-day version swaps the second night for a beach bungalow. Another pairs a private car from Hanoi with a seat on the group cruise.

Practical. Cancellation on overnight cruises is staged: a full refund until six days before sailing, half charged inside that window, everything inside two days, and a few are sold as final. Day cruises mostly refund until 24 hours before. The route may change with weather and tide. In July the bays reach about 29C, in January about 16C with haze. Drinks on board and crew tips are paid on top, and Christmas, New Year and Tet can add a surcharge. The boats are not wheelchair accessible.