Halong Bay is one of the best things to do with kids if you're in northern Vietnam! It's about a three hour drive from Hanoi, and there are bus tours running every day that include transportation, a boat tour in the bay, lunch on the boat, and a guide.
We went there and back in the same day, and that worked perfectly for our schedule. But you have other options if you have more time -
You can stay overnight on a junk boat in the bay. I did this a few years ago (without kids) and it was stunning. And I'm sure there are options with kids, but my overnight stay definitely felt more adult/romantic - quiet sunsets, yoga on the boat at sunrise, jumping off the boat to go kayaking... etc. With so many kids at ages 2, 3, 6, + 8, I was feeling like we could skip the overnight boat.
You can also stay at beach hotel in or around Halong. One of my personal bucket list items is actually to stay on Cat Ba Island. It's the largest island in Halong Bay, and it's full of history (and landmarks), cool plants + animals, and sand beaches.
But anyway, if you go out on a typical day or overnight cruise, here are the things you'll want to make sure are on your itinerary in Halong Bay. We booked the day before on Klook on the Phoenix Cruiser ("route 2") for ~$50/pp - which included all the transport, stops, and lunch - well worth it!
Ga Choi Islet ("Fighting Cock" Rocks)
These are two rocks on the southwest side of the bay, and they are shaped like a chicken and a rooster. There is traditional folklore associated with the rocks, and they are positioned in a way that makes them look like they're kissing.
There are so many outcrops like this around the bay, but at the right angle, this one is pretty photogenic! There isn't a stop here - just make sure you're able to sail by!
Ti Top Island
It's a small island, but it's maybe the most beautiful in the entire bay. Most of the best tours stop here, and so we recommend doing it early in the day to avoid any crowds on this tiny island. If you have young kids with you, here is what we think you should do once you're there:
Go straight to the bathroom! There are nice public bathrooms around the back of the island. We were impressed by such nice facilities in the middle of the bay. Even the view walking to the bathrooms is gorgeous.
2. Take a short hike up the mountain - but only halfway. With young kids, it doesn't make sense to go all the way to the top, and the little lookout from the midway point is just as stunning (proof in the photo above). There are probably about 200 steps, and although they are carved out of rock and pretty windy, they are still mostly easy to navigate. There aren't railings the entire time, but the foliage is dense, so you can keep kids on the inside while walking and use the rope and branches to hold on to when there aren't railings. I don't have any photos of the hike up because I was carrying William without a carrier, which is definitely a 2-handed job... but again, was very doable and very much worth the view!
Play at the beach! We opted to just play on the sand and only go in up to our shorts, but plenty of others were actually swimming within the designated area. There is also a little vendor selling swim suits, floaties, and swim toys... so you can change your mind once you get there too! :) The beach has so much space to run, collect shells, and play with tiny crabs. Plus.. the views!
Drink coconut water! Once you're done (or while you're relaxing at the beach), walk over to the vendor near the dock and grab a real coconut and put your straw directly in for some super fresh coconut water! They also had other mango drinks and fresh fruit if you need a little something more.
Sung Sot (Surprise) Cave
This is the biggest cave in the bay, and it's humid and crowded, but the rock formations are definitley worth the visit!
Once you step off the boat, you have a series of staircases to get up to the first section of the cave. The views along the way are amazing.
As you enter, it can be pretty humid inside and your eyes may take a minute to adjust to the light. Most of the ground is flat and easy to navigate, but if you have babies, I'd recommend a carrier just because of the initial steps. Plus there is one super cool part where you have to go through a narrow passageway to get to a big, dramatic opening.
And the majority of the areas made it easy for older kids (like 5+) to navigate themselves (without much direction) because it's a narrow path, crowded enough that there was really nowhere to go (as you're stuck behind any tourists in front of you), and it mostly lacks big steep drops over the edge. There is roping around the edges of the path to prevent anyone from wandering into the protected area. The kids really liked the pace of the tour as well.
Luon Cave by Kayak or Bamboo Boat
If you go to Halong Bay, the junk boat is an essential experience... but so is the kayak (or the bamboo boat)! The kayak is best for older kids and small groups of 1 kid : 1 adult ratios. The bamboo boat was rowed by a local and was big enough to fit all of us - perfect for our larger group with the littles!
To get that small boat experience in the bay, some boat tours let you kayak off the side of the larger vessel. But I'd highly recommend kayaking at Luon Cave! It's a tiny, narrow "cave" also serving as an entrance to a natural enclosure amongst a bunch of rock formations... creating almost a secret lake inside with soaring rocks on every side. I've included a video since it's hard to describe but just such a gem.
Note that as adults, it took our breath away. The kids though... their favorite part was our accidental collision with lots of kayaks and the bamboo boat rower tilting the boat aggressively from side to side to make them laugh. It was borderline too much but also super fun.
Now some additional info on the less exciting part of the tours... like the bus ride! When we booked the tour, it was inclusive of the coach bus ride from our hotel in Hanoi, the boat ride, lunch, and all the activities mentioned above.
On the Bus
The bus does have a guide that speaks to some of the sights along the way plus the history. Ours had comfortable seats - complete with trays and cupholders. However, it did not have a toilet, car seats, or outlets.
For the bathroom, I recommend going before you leave. We stopped along the way for a bathroom break (see below), but it was a couple hours into the ride. The guide offered to stop earlier if we needed to go, but with 30+ people on the bus, we would have felt bad making an extra stop - so tried to avoid it if we could by going beforehand!
For car seats, if you want to have a car seat on the bus, you'll likely be safest just bringing one yourself.
And then of course for your phones/cameras, bring a brick to charge. You'll be taking pictures all day (and it's a long day), so I'd definitely recommend.
Stops Along the Way - Legend Pearl Farm
If you've done a tour in another country, you know that it's very likely there will be an added stop at a shop or some kind of 'factory'... this was no exception. We made a stop at Legend Pearl - which had a section outside (right on the bay) to show you how pearls are harvested, but it was mostly a giant shop inside. There is a range of price points, and they use a few different materials to make the jewelry - like some jewelry is actually made of beautiful oyster shells. The staff were really eager to help you find what you're looking for ;) (or what you didn't know you needed until you made this surprise stop). We got a few gifts for family back home, and they were really good quality - so we'd recommend if you like pearls.
There are also bathrooms and a coffee shop on site, so if you don't want to shop, you can at least relax and caffeinate.
On the Boat
Once you get to the boat, it has most everything you need! A bathroom, food + drink, and a great guide.... plus constant views!!
On our tour, they served lunch right away, and it was delicious. Lunch consisted of a variety of different Vietnamese foods, and they asked about allergies as we boarded the bus early in the morning - then had dishes to accomodate everyone at lunch. We were extra cautious with our 1 allergy kid (just as it's an added layer of risk to eat the wrong thing while out on a boat), and he didn't go hungry! They also had bottled drinks, which is the best way to go.
Our boat had an inside portion and an outside deck.
The upper deck was our favorite spot, as there were several lounge chairs and the very best views.
The ride was pretty smooth, but you'll definitely have to watch young kids outside. There are plenty of opportunities to fall off, so we just kept a close eye. :)
On this tour, our 4 kids were the only kids on the boat (plus we were the only Americans), so a lot of the adults actually engaged with our older three - making it super fun to meet other tourists from (literally) all over the world.
There always seems to be a chance of rain (it rains ~150 days a year there), so make sure you pack a poncho if you want to be outside and that bothers you. We experienced basically just a light mist on our way home, so we just went back downstairs to the inside portion of the boat and put on our ponchos for leaving the boat - it barely bothered us though.
All in all, this was a super 'easy' day (since everything was planned by the tour operator), and it was SO much fun! I hope this inspires you to visit this beautiful location!!
Comments