Working out which Halong Bay cruise to book was the thing I spent the most time on during this Hanoi trip. In the end we went with Amanda’s 2D1N deluxe cabin — two twin rooms for four people, NT$15,292 in total, or NT$3,823 each. This post covers the four operators I actually compared, and the full two-day flow on board Amanda.
01Comparing Four Halong Bay Cruises
There are a lot of 2D1N cruise options in Halong Bay and the price range is wide. The four I seriously shortlisted all depart from Hanoi and include transfers.
All cruise names above are affiliate links. Prices are what I saw at the time and vary by date and cabin class.
I picked Amanda for a simple reason: it was the cheapest of the four, and there was a YouTube review I could watch before booking. When you’re paying for four people at once, seeing what the boat actually looks like matters more than anything else.
You’ll also come across “Lan Ha Bay” routes while comparing. It sits right next to Halong Bay and tends to be less crowded. Go that way if you want to avoid the crowds and the budget allows; stick to a Halong Bay route if you want the classic scenery.
02Price and What’s Included
We booked two deluxe twin cabins at the early-bird rate: NT$15,292 for four people, or NT$3,823 each.
| Deluxe twin cabin × 2 (four people total) | 15,292 |
| Per person | 3,823 |
What’s Included
- Return transfers within the designated zone of Hanoi’s Old Quarter, with bottled water on the coach
- One night in a deluxe cabin
- Four meals: lunch and dinner on day one, a light breakfast on day two, and a buffet brunch before returning to Tuan Chau
- Guided visits and entrance fees for Ti Top Island, Luon Cave and Sung Sot Cave
Not included: alcohol and any other on-board spending. It all goes on your room bill and is settled in the second-floor restaurant before you disembark.
The boat we actually sailed with; the early-bird rate moves with the date
03The Free Pickup Zone Decides Your Hotel
The cruise includes free transfers, but only within a designated zone in Hanoi’s Old Quarter, between 07:50 and 08:20, and it’s a shared pickup. We deliberately checked our hotel against that zone before booking it.
We were probably staying towards the edge of the zone, because we were the first ones collected. The coach then wound through the small lanes of central Hanoi picking up travellers from other countries, which ended up being a sightseeing tour of the city from the window.
Order matters: confirm the cruise’s free pickup zone first, then book your hotel. Do it the other way round and you may have to find your own way to the meeting point.
04The Two-Day Amanda Ha Long Cruise Timetable
Day One
- 07:50–08:20 Pickup from Old Quarter hotels; the coach loops through the city collecting passengers
- 11:00 Arrive at Tuan Chau International Harbour and check in at the waiting lounge
- Midday Board the ship; lunch in the restaurant once it leaves the harbour
- Afternoon Climb Ti Top Island, then a small bamboo boat through Luon Cave
- 17:00 Back on board for the sunset party and cooking class
- Evening Dinner on board
Day Two
- 06:15 Tai chi on the sun deck
- 06:30 Light breakfast, around 30 minutes — coffee, tea, cake and fruit
- Morning Sung Sot Cave (Hang Sung Sot)
- 09:30 Cabin check-out
- 10:00 Buffet brunch in the second-floor restaurant, and settle the room bill
- 11:00 Back at Tuan Chau harbour; the coach returns you to Hanoi
05The Real Two-Day Experience
The first afternoon stop, Ti Top Island, is named after Soviet cosmonaut Gherman Titov. It has a viewing path of over 400 steps, and following the crowd to the top gives you a full 360° view of Halong Bay. The problem is how popular it is: too many people land at once and the narrow path is shared by everyone going up and down, so both the stone steps and the pavilion at the summit are packed. The crescent of white sand at the bottom is no better — the water’s edge was about as crowded as a pot of boiling dumplings.
After Ti Top, we set out from the ship again to Luon Cave and took a small bamboo boat rowed by a local. Because the number of passengers is capped, the crush finally disappeared and we could just sit and take it in. Drifting slowly through the limestone opening felt like arriving at the Peach Blossom Spring in Tao Yuanming’s fable — a place untouched by any of the chaos outside. It was the calmest stretch of the whole time on the water.
We got back to the ship around sunset and had a go at making Vietnamese spring rolls before dinner. After dark, the cruise ships around us all lit up against the black water of the bay. It was cold out on deck, but the view was so different from the daytime that it made the evening feel like its own thing.
Another cruise write-up: Japan Cruise | 10 Honest Takeaways from the Costa Serena out of Kaohsiung
The next morning we visited Sung Sot Cave (Hang Sung Sot), the largest limestone cave in Halong Bay at around 10,000 square metres. It was discovered by the French in 1901 and named for how astonishingly vast and dramatic the interior turns out to be. The entrance looks unremarkable, but inside it opens up like an underground palace, with coloured lights on the stalactites giving it an oddly mysterious feel — for some reason it reminded me of the Phantom’s hidden lair deep beneath the Paris Opera House.
06Six Things to Know Before Booking
- One change of clothes is all you need on board. Leave your big suitcase at your accommodation in Hanoi rather than hauling it to Halong Bay and onto the ship.
- Confirm the cruise’s free pickup zone before you decide which hotel to book.
- The cabin only stocks shampoo and shower gel. Toothbrushes have to be requested at reception, and the slippers are reused flip-flops.
- Bring your own water bottle. Only hot water is free on board; everything else is charged and goes on your room bill.
- Pull the curtain across when you use the toilet or shower.
- The deck gets windy in December. Bring a proper jacket on top of a thin long-sleeve layer.
ENDIs an Overnight Cruise Worth It?
For under NT$4,000 a head, Amanda delivered more than I expected: transfers both ways, four meals, a night in a cabin and three guided stops all included, with attentive service on top. What I cared about most while comparing was whether anyone had actually reviewed the boat — looking back, that turned out to be a more useful filter than paying an extra thousand for a better-known name.
If you’re still deciding between a day trip and an overnight cruise, my answer is overnight. What’s worth seeing in Halong Bay is the water at dawn and dusk, and you don’t get that on a same-day return.
For what we got up to back in Hanoi itself, see: Hanoi Travel Guide｜5 Days 4 Nights: Old Quarter Highlights
FAQFrequently Asked Questions
How much does a 2D1N Halong Bay cruise cost?
The four Hanoi-departure options I compared ranged from NT$3,822 to NT$5,009 per person. We booked two Amanda deluxe twin cabins at the early-bird rate — NT$15,292 for four people, or NT$3,823 each, including return transfers, one night on board and four meals.
Does the cruise include transfers from Hanoi?
Yes, but only within a designated zone in the Old Quarter, between 07:50 and 08:20, and it’s a shared pickup. Check the zone before you book your hotel rather than after, or you may have to get yourself to the meeting point.
What should I pack, and what happens to my big luggage?
One change of clothes is enough; leave your large suitcase at your accommodation in Hanoi. Bring your own toothbrush (or ask at reception), your own slippers and a water bottle, since only hot water is free on board. In December the deck gets windy, so pack a proper jacket.
Day tour or overnight cruise — which is better?
Overnight. The best of Halong Bay is the water at dawn and dusk, and the ships lighting up after dark looks nothing like the daytime — none of which you see on a same-day trip.
What’s the difference between Lan Ha Bay and Halong Bay?
They sit right next to each other, and Lan Ha Bay tends to be less crowded. Go there if you want to avoid the crowds and the budget allows; choose a Halong Bay route if you want the classic scenery.
