Bai Chay Tourist Wharf in Halong Bay

Here, you will embark on your amazing Halong Bay Cruise, and this article shares the details I experienced while exploring this stunning place in 2010.

As I had a good nine days to spend in Northern Vietnam, I fully utilised my time here at Ha Long. I landed in Hanoi (as most flights would) and then caught a public bus to Halong City.

Usually, if you book your tour through your hotel or tour agent in Hanoi, they would shuttle you via a tour van, where the journey takes about three and a half hours. 

I got off at the junction of Tuan Chau Island, just before Halong City, as I was putting up at the Holiday Villa Halong Bay for two nights. (Update: The hotel is no longer the same, it is a different brand now)

Getting here, you will most likely pass through Halong City along the coastal road. Once you arrive, you will see a prominent landmark: the Halong Bay Casino on your right.

Right after that, you can spot the wharf on your left. Several local shops line the road on the opposite site selling local coffee and food.

Signboards are seen around the main building and in English. (What a save). However, you plan to book only if you have not bought your tickets should you ask carefully about the cruise, as they offer many types of boats rated in stars. 

The day cruise departs hourly, and the previous junk is scheduled to leave at about 1 pm. However, on weekends, this may differ, so please check first. The boats make their way back to the city by about 5.00 pm to 6.00 pm.

Asking around, I realised there were no more junk boats for the day, but the lady I talked to suggested that I rent the entire junk boat as it only costs VND 600,000.

Immediately I thought she was mad! There were only three of us, and to rent the entire boat? I brushed her off and went to have some Vietnamese Coffee across the road.

Discussing with the others, we realised that 600,000 VND was actually about US 30.00 and not $300 as we thought.

Was I out of my mind? 30 bucks for an entire junk boat to ourselves? Immediately we finished our coffee and rushed back to the jetty to look for this lady.

That was $25 each for the three of us, but I was a little sceptical about this whole thing.

So I kept asking her if it was one of those big junk boats as I saw some tiny ones. After the third time, she pointed out one of those larger boats that can seat about 40 people.

She said, ‘Same that boat‘, among the hundreds of junks parked around the wharf.

Seriously, I never have seen so many junk boats in one area and remembering what the postcards of Halong Bay looked like, this was not what I had in mind.

On top of that, we were required to buy a VND40,000 Bay and Cave ticket for each of us. So in total, we spent a good 620,000 VND.

She also told me that it would take about thirty minutes for our boat to arrive at the wharf, and she asked us all to just hang out.

You can also read my guest post on WildJunket about 5 Essential things to do around Halong Bay while waiting it out if you arrive early.

Prices on board are double what they are on the mainland. It’s a tourist industry, so those who enjoy snacking and drinking should prepare for this.

The stalls around the wharf sell just about everything and anything. Sunblock, straw hats, toys, swimsuits, and the list goes on if you forgot something for your trip.

With the crowds swelling here, you should be careful about which is your junk boat. Usually, when you follow an agent, they will be with you and ask you to gather in one group so that when your ship arrives, everyone boards safely.

Travellers get on board systematically.

If you are buying the day cruise, you should ask the person you purchased your boat ticket from, and they will tell you where to wait.

Boarding the junk boats are also very simple and basic, but there is no railed walkway like proper jetties.

You simply step onto the boat as it docks by the wharf. The main journey out to Halong Bay will take about 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the type of junk you get.

My day cruise was memorable with all the excitement and drama in missing the initial main boat, resulting in a bonus where I had the entire boat to myself.

You may also be asking if it is worth going on this cruise? Personally, I would say yes. This is worth every penny for the unique experience here.

If you have the additional time, I recommend taking both cruises as they go on different paths around the bay and also visit other caves.

The day cruise took me to see the Thien Cung Cave at Halong Bay which was quite spectacular, and all available cruise boats depart from the Bai Chay Tourist Wharf in Halong Bay.