Halong Bay Help

We arrive Halong Bay at 8am and depart at 9pm . We were hoping to take a private cruise but every website seems to include transfers from Hanoi. I emailed one company explaining we were arriving by cruise ship but they quoted the same price as their website which includes bus transfers to/from Hanoi. The ship is offering a junk tour for 3.5 hrs at US$65 , however I read somewhere that these tours are overcrowded and you can be stuck inside without a good view or fresh air . Thoughts or suggestions please ?????

We got together with 14 other people on our ship and negotiated a trip with one of the vendors waiting at the pier. It was quite inexpensive though I've forgotten the exact price. We told them how long a trip we wanted and mentioned several sites we wanted to visit. They were quite accommodating.

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We got together with 14 other people on our ship and negotiated a trip with one of the vendors waiting at the pier. It was quite inexpensive though I've forgotten the exact price. We told them how long a trip we wanted and mentioned several sites we wanted to visit. They were quite accommodating.

 

 

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The same for us. :)

A total of about 20 of us independents, split between two junks - some of us chose a 6-hour cruise, the others a 4 hour cruise. Junk would have seated about 30 - 40 (and yes, that's what ship's excursion was doing :(), but with only 10 of us we were able to lie out on the roof. Negotiated with a tout at the pier, ridiculously cheap - it worked out at about $10 per person, including transport the mile or two between tender pier & junk pier, though that was about 5 years back. No front money, the tout was waiting for us when we got back, we paid him then. And we gave the captain a fat tip (for that sort of money it only seemed right). Cold cans of beer & soda on-board for a couple of dollars. We could have bought fish at a floating village & the crew would have cooked it for us - can't remember the price, but we declined because that was surprisingly expensive.

Get together with others on your RollCall (we were on a small ship - about 600 passengers - & didn't have a RollCall), or on the ship, or milling around on the pier.

Massively cheaper than pre-booking over the internet - yes, available without the bus ride from Hanoi but you do have to hunt the internet, mebbe even e-mail those offering bus+cruise.

And it will cost you a great deal more than fixing it up on-spec. But, bearing in mind my final para., you may feel it worth the extra for the certainty.

The only problem, and it's a big one, is that uncertainty.

Will there be junks available on-spec.?

Best I can say is "probably".

JB :)

Edited to add. Regardless of your sailaway time, junk cruises don't operate in the dark (even the overnite ones moor-up before dark). So expect your cruise to finish by 5pm.

Lots of vendors at the port

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We got together with 14 other people on our ship and negotiated a trip with one of the vendors waiting at the pier. It was quite inexpensive though I've forgotten the exact price. We told them how long a trip we wanted and mentioned several sites we wanted to visit. They were quite accommodating.

 

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Could you please tell us how long ago it was?

My friends just came back from a cruise on HAL Volendam and wrote me the following after hearing we would negotiate a junk for 6 hours without meal once we would arrive in Halong Bay in Jan 2017: "Be aware that there is a new, purpose built, pier for trips out to the bay and its much further away from the tender jetty - about 10km or more. I didn’t see any people offering trips where the tender docked. I wouldn’t have liked to get a taxi all the way out to the new dock and then try to negotiate a boat - I didn’t hear of anyone doing that."

Any thoughts?

The Canadians!:D

Lots of vendors at the port

 

 

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Same question for you Karenbeanpole. :)

There were no moorings for junks at the tender pier when we were there - just the vendors. As per my post, the junks were a couple of miles in one direction or a mile or so in the other direction.

Our tout (vendor) put some of us in his car & whistled-up taxis for the others, all included (both ways) in the price. That was about 5 years ago, but I don't see that the junks being further would make any difference other than the marginally higher costs.

The junk captains & crews seem to speak very little English, and they can't be both at the tender pier looking for trade and sailing the Bay at the same time. Hence the need for the vendors.

If Cashmere's friends went ashore on a ship's tour it wouldn't surprise me if there were vendors that they didn't notice - they'd not have been looking for one and vendors wouldn't bother approaching folk who were clearly in an organised group. Cashmere's friends are probably as unobservant as me about things that don't matter to them. ;)

BTW, most ships are there for a day and a half. We were there for an afternoon, followed by a full day. Too late for a decent junk cruise that afternoon, but that was when we fixed up the next day's cruise & the vendor was there to meet us next morning.

If yours is the same way round I feel sure you can do likewise. But if yours is the full day followed by a morning, that's a little trickier if there's no-one at the tender pier - though depending on your last-tender time you should still be able to fit in a four-hour cruise next morning. Even if it has to be a ship-sponsored one.

But my caveat still applies - I'd hate to be responsible for anyone arriving un-booked to find nothing available.

JB :)

There were no moorings for junks at the tender pier when we were there - just the vendors. As per my post, the junks were a couple of miles in one direction or a mile or so in the other direction.

Our tout (vendor) put some of us in his car & whistled-up taxis for the others, all included (both ways) in the price. That was about 5 years ago, but I don't see that the junks being further would make any difference other than the marginally higher costs....

 

...If yours is the same way round I feel sure you can do likewise. But if yours is the full day followed by a morning, that's a little trickier if there's no-one at the tender pier - though depending on your last-tender time you should still be able to fit in a four-hour cruise next morning. Even if it has to be a ship-sponsored one.

 

But my caveat still applies - I'd hate to be responsible for anyone arriving un-booked to find nothing available.

JB :)

Thanks John Bull!

We arrive Halong Bay at 8am and depart at 9pm . We were hoping to take a private cruise but every website seems to include transfers from Hanoi. I emailed one company explaining we were arriving by cruise ship but they quoted the same price as their website which includes bus transfers to/from Hanoi. The ship is offering a junk tour for 3.5 hrs at US$65 , however I read somewhere that these tours are overcrowded and you can be stuck inside without a good view or fresh air . Thoughts or suggestions please ?????

Email Ngoan ngoan.le@travelauthenticasia.com, have used her for the past 3 years, she will do your tour for 3 hours, or 8 like mine will be. Pricing is great and you can combine it also into a site seeing trip too. Tell her Rita and she can show you our tour. Email me if you want more info, I leave on Dec. 28th. for 40 days. I have 9 tours booked with her agency that she and her husband own and will do tours for Cambodia, Laos and Thailand also. My email is kwarcins@gmail.com

Rita K.

We arrive Halong Bay at 8am and depart at 9pm . We were hoping to take a private cruise but every website seems to include transfers from Hanoi. I emailed one company explaining we were arriving by cruise ship but they quoted the same price as their website which includes bus transfers to/from Hanoi. The ship is offering a junk tour for 3.5 hrs at US$65 , however I read somewhere that these tours are overcrowded and you can be stuck inside without a good view or fresh air . Thoughts or suggestions please ?????

Not sure when you are going, but it is really a nice trip, last year we did 4 hours, but this year we will lunch on boat and get off and do smalll boats to little villages, which I have not done. If you want more info let me know. Ngoan will give you a great trip.

Just came back from a cruise on the Volendam. Our last port before disembarking in Hong Kong was Halong Bay. I was expecting to see some junks near the tender pier but did not see any. All the junk tours were taken to a ferry terminal miles away on an island which we had to cross a bridge to get to. There may still be vendors at the tender pier but not sure how they work. We were on a private tour and were bused to the ferry terminal which was handled by both the private company and government agencies. Even our guide took a long time getting tickets (2 separate tickets, one to the private company, one paid to the government, we were told) and had to run back and forth getting things straightened out before our boat could leave dock. Our boat and the other one also with CC members were the two boats that went the farthest out, away from everybody else.

An amazing day indeed. Our tour included a nice fresh seafood lunch of whole steamed fish, clams, oysters, shrimps, crabs, and a couple of stir-fried dishes. Those who did not eat seafood or vegetarians were provided with special plates of food. We were also put into small boats in groups of 4 or 5 for an hour in the village. Not a cheap tour, about $99 per person for the day, but well worth it! We had 16 people on a boat that can hold 48.

We did the Celebrity Millennium cruise with an over night in Ha Long Bay, returned a couple of weeks ago. I would suggest a longer Bay tour than 4 hours. To get a really good feel for the Bay and some of the sites, I would recommend at least 6 to 8 hours. As long as possible. I would also book ahead of time, may cost more, but not all of the junks or crews are of the same quality. Take into account the safety concerns, once you leave shore you are putting your life in their hands after all. Please don't just book by price alone, go with someone that has a good reputation and good reviews and pay a few extra dollars. What would you save if you have a lousy time and don't enjoy the cruise. The Bay is very large and 4 hours would only get you out so far. I would also recommend going to Bai Tu Long Bay, it is further out but less visited and much cleaner and nicer then the heavily visited Ha Long Bay section. Have lunch on board and enjoy a truly magical place. You may never get a chance to go back, so go for it, is what I say. When the price you paid is forgotten all you'll have is the memoirs and pictures.

Just my personal thoughts, not trying to insult or hurt any ones feelings.

Happy Planning,

Capt. Ron

Email Ngoan ngoan.le@travelauthenticasia.com, have used her for the past 3 years, she will do your tour for 3 hours, or 8 like mine will be. Pricing is great and you can combine it also into a site seeing trip too. Tell her Rita and she can show you our tour. Email me if you want more info, I leave on Dec. 28th. for 40 days. I have 9 tours booked with her agency that she and her husband own and will do tours for Cambodia, Laos and Thailand also. My email is kwarcins@gmail.com

 

Rita K.

Hello Rita,

I will email them. We are looking at 6-8 hours as it is what we did two years ago. Thanks again!

The Canadians!:D

Just came back from a cruise on the Volendam. Our last port before disembarking in Hong Kong was Halong Bay. I was expecting to see some junks near the tender pier but did not see any. All the junk tours were taken to a ferry terminal miles away on an island which we had to cross a bridge to get to. There may still be vendors at the tender pier but not sure how they work. We were on a private tour and were bused to the ferry terminal which was handled by both the private company and government agencies. Even our guide took a long time getting tickets (2 separate tickets, one to the private company, one paid to the government, we were told) and had to run back and forth getting things straightened out before our boat could leave dock. Our boat and the other one also with CC members were the two boats that went the farthest out, away from everybody else.

An amazing day indeed. Our tour included a nice fresh seafood lunch of whole steamed fish, clams, oysters, shrimps, crabs, and a couple of stir-fried dishes. Those who did not eat seafood or vegetarians were provided with special plates of food. We were also put into small boats in groups of 4 or 5 for an hour in the village. Not a cheap tour, about $99 per person for the day, but well worth it! We had 16 people on a boat that can hold 48.

This is what we did two years ago... Thanks for your input.

The Canadians!:D

We did the Celebrity Millennium cruise with an over night in Ha Long Bay, returned a couple of weeks ago. I would suggest a longer Bay tour than 4 hours. To get a really good feel for the Bay and some of the sites, I would recommend at least 6 to 8 hours. As long as possible. I would also book ahead of time, may cost more, but not all of the junks or crews are of the same quality. Take into account the safety concerns, once you leave shore you are putting your life in their hands after all. Please don't just book by price alone, go with someone that has a good reputation and good reviews and pay a few extra dollars. What would you save if you have a lousy time and don't enjoy the cruise. The Bay is very large and 4 hours would only get you out so far. I would also recommend going to Bai Tu Long Bay, it is further out but less visited and much cleaner and nicer then the heavily visited Ha Long Bay section. Have lunch on board and enjoy a truly magical place. You may never get a chance to go back, so go for it, is what I say. When the price you paid is forgotten all you'll have is the memoirs and pictures.

Just my personal thoughts, not trying to insult or hurt any ones feelings.

Happy Planning,

Capt. Ron

Thanks for your thoughts Capt. Ron. Sometimes we forget about safety...

The Canadians!:D

Email Ngoan ngoan.le@travelauthenticasia.com, have used her for the past 3 years, she will do your tour for 3 hours, or 8 like mine will be. Pricing is great and you can combine it also into a site seeing trip too. Tell her Rita and she can show you our tour. Email me if you want more info, I leave on Dec. 28th. for 40 days. I have 9 tours booked with her agency that she and her husband own and will do tours for Cambodia, Laos and Thailand also. My email is kwarcins@gmail.com

 

Rita K.

Hello Rita,

Ngoan has replied to me. I am very happy with her prices and professionalism. Thank you again for sharing Ngoan info.

The Canadians!:D

P.S. If you need a great referral for Bali, I have a great guide/driverstory to share...

Just came back from a cruise on the Volendam. Our last port before disembarking in Hong Kong was Halong Bay. I was expecting to see some junks near the tender pier but did not see any. All the junk tours were taken to a ferry terminal miles away on an island which we had to cross a bridge to get to. There may still be vendors at the tender pier but not sure how they work. We were on a private tour and were bused to the ferry terminal which was handled by both the private company and government agencies. Even our guide took a long time getting tickets (2 separate tickets, one to the private company, one paid to the government, we were told) and had to run back and forth getting things straightened out before our boat could leave dock. Our boat and the other one also with CC members were the two boats that went the farthest out, away from everybody else.

An amazing day indeed. Our tour included a nice fresh seafood lunch of whole steamed fish, clams, oysters, shrimps, crabs, and a couple of stir-fried dishes. Those who did not eat seafood or vegetarians were provided with special plates of food. We were also put into small boats in groups of 4 or 5 for an hour in the village. Not a cheap tour, about $99 per person for the day, but well worth it! We had 16 people on a boat that can hold 48.

Can you tell me the company you used for the Ha long boat tour

Thanks

Can you tell me the company you used for the Ha long boat tour

Thanks

We booked through Stephen at Vietnam Private Tours: sales2@vietnamprivatetours.com

It was their 8-hour Bai Tu Long Bay Tour--Off the beaten track. They did require a small deposit and we paid the balance on day of tour.

If you went to Bai Tu Long Bay then you would have been with Indochina Junk as they are the only company who go there. We went with them on a two night trip which was fantastic.

Hello Rita,

Ngoan has replied to me. I am very happy with her prices and professionalism. Thank you again for sharing Ngoan info.

The Canadians!:D

P.S. If you need a great referral for Bali, I have a great guide/driverstory to share...

Hello Canadians, yes would love you to share your story you can email me at kwarcins@gmail.com. Love Love Love Bali we were there 2 years ago and had a private Registered Guide, but would love your information. Never hurts to hear what others think or have done. Have a gret cruise. We leave in 13 days.

Rita K.

Hello Canadians, yes would love you to share your story you can email me at kwarcins@gmail.com. Love Love Love Bali we were there 2 years ago and had a private Registered Guide, but would love your information. Never hurts to hear what others think or have done. Have a gret cruise. We leave in 13 days.

 

Rita K.

Hello Rita.

I thought I would write this story on this site so more people can read it and enjoy getting a referral from an amazing man.

We cruised Asia in Jan-Feb 2015 but did not cruise Indonesia. However, we did a post-cruise in Bali. We spend 7 days in Ubud and 10 days in Seminyak (well longer because of the hospitalization!).

As it was our first time in that beautiful part of the world, Bali's way of life blew our socks off! The rice fields are a gift for the eyes. I just don't have the words to explain how wonderful our time in Bali was. We had asked our small Balinese hotel (only 6 rooms) to included transportation. Well, the person, Dewa, who picked us up was a blessing. He toured us around Ubud and area for 3 days(including rain forest, rice paddies, volcano, temples...).

Dewa became a dear friend to us. His passion for his country and his religion was addictive. Their community is really important for them and they are selfless people. Everyday, he would give us all he got; his passion for his work. So it was easy to become close friend. After 7 days, he drove us from Ubud to Seminyak (60 min). We thought, we would not see Dewa anymore. We were wrong! My DH became seriously ill and almost died! He spent 2 weeks at the international hospital. I emailed Dewa to let him know what was happening... Who did we see at the hospital? Dewa. He drove twice an hour away to visit DH. And he felt bad he could not come more often! We were blown away by his generosity and care.

We came back to Canada after the okay from the hospital. We kept in touch with Dewa, we then decided to sponsor his oldest child (Ayu) to go to English school. We receive emails on a weekly basis and photos quite often...

Now, we are going back on a cruise that overnight in Bali. We will take advantage of our 36 hours there. Dewa will pick us up (obviously) and that night, DH and I (with the help of Dewa and his wife) are throwing a surprise birthday party for Ayu. She will turn 8 y.o. the day after we leave... Because they don't have a lot of $$, she always select to go to McDonald Restaurant over a birthday party. So it will be her FIRST birthday party.. We can not wait to see the joy on her face. 30 children will be invited... Can you imagine? I am sure it will be the highlight of our cruise...

Truly, we call Dewa our son. He showed us more respect than some members of our own family! This is Balinese people for you!

Dewa's email is dgrock1140 at yahoo.com

Believe me, if you hire him, you will know you have been touched by someone really special

The Canadians!:D