If you’re planning a trip to Vietnam, surely the famous Ha Long Bay is on your top list of things to see. How could it not? The scenic views of the Bay are considered one of the most beautiful natural wonders of the world.

But what most blogs don’t tell you, is that this fame, not only puts a hefty price on your visit to Ha Long Bay, but it also makes it a more crowded and polluted experience than we’d like it to be. The harsh reality is that Ha Long Bay, as beautiful as it may be, is overcrowded and polluted during the high seasons. In fact, there’s about 700 cruise ships navigating the bay at the same time during peak periods, making the scenic view you were looking forward to obstructed and crowded.

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But what if we told you there is a less busy, less expensive and less crowded way to see Ha Long Bay?

The solution is simple – Instead of visiting the incredibly over-marketed Ha Long Bay, you should travel to the neighboring Bay of Lan Ha Bay. Not only it offers the exact same landscapes, but it’ll also allow you to travel to Ha Long Bay from there, if you didn’t want to leave Vietnam without seeing the famous landmark.

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What is the difference between Lan Ha Bay and Ha Long Bay?

Lan Ha Bay is the neighboring Bay, located in the Gulf of Tonkin, near the city of Haiphong, right next to Ha Long Bay. It possesses all the same qualities that makes you want to visit Ha Long Bay. Locals say, the difference between Lan Ha Bay and Ha Long Bay is merely the name. If you were cruising between both, you wouldn’t be able to differentiate which one you were navigating.

The cost difference between Lan Ha Bay and Ha Long Bay

Visiting Lan Ha Bay will not only allow you to enjoy the experience with a smaller crowd, but also save you money doing it. A lot of money.

The typical overnight cruise in Ha Long Bay starts at $150 USD per night per person. The average cost is $200 USD. If you’re two people, that’s $400 USD for a one night cruise in Ha Long Bay.

If you want to visit Lan Ha Bay, you can do so by taking a 1-Day tour (not overnight) for as little as $35 USD per person. To that, you’ll need to add a 2-night stay in Cat Ba Island, where the boats leave from. We stayed at one of the best hotels in the island for only $50 USD per night. That’s a total of $170 USD for 2 people, for 2 nights and the full day tour – Over half of the cost of a 1-night cruise in Ha Long Bay.

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How to visit Lan Ha Bay

You’ll need to travel to Cat Ba Island to visit Lan Ha Bay. Here’s how you can do it:

Step 1: Travel to Cat Ba Island

You can book a transfer from Hanoi all the way to Cat Ba Island. These transfers normally include everything (bus + ferry) to get you to the island, and they normally pick you up and drop you off at your respective hotels. We booked our transfer with Cat Ba Express for $13 USD per person and we had an excellent experience.

We were picked up from our Hanoi hotel by the bus, which then exited Hanoi and got on the highway. It was a smooth drive, and about 45 minutes later we stopped at a resting stop to use the bathrooms and get something to eat. After that, we got back on the bus and drove to the ferry port, where we boarded a speedboat that would cross the sea to Cat Ba Island.

We were told that in the summer months the best way to cross to the island is via a Cable Car, as the speedboats get too crowded. But in winter there’s not that many people so in a few minutes we were boarding the speedboat smoothly. The ride is pleasant and takes under 10 minutes to reach the other side.

Once on the island, we got on another bus, that drove us all the way to the city to drop us at our hotel.

Sunset views over Lan Ha Bay from out hotel room in Cat Ba — Views from out hotel room in Cat Ba

We stayed at the Cat Ba Paradise Hotel, right in the centre of the island with amazing views to the Bay. We loved it here and watched a beautiful sunset from the bedroom window and the rooftop bar. We highly recommend it and you can book your stay here.

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Step 2: Book a Day Tour (Lan Ha Bay + Ha Long Bay)

Once in Cat Ba you’ll be able to book your day tour for the day after. You’ll find a large range of offers, that can start from $35 USD per person and go all the way up to $50+ USD. There’s a few different itineraries and boats, so I would recommend to ask the details at a few places before making your decision.

We booked our tour also with Cat Ba Express for only $35 USD and our experience was excellent. You can watch our vlog of the day in the video below:

The morning of the tour, we were picked up by bus at our hotel at around 8AM. We drove for about 15 minutes until the port, where we boarded a small boat that then took us to what would be our cruise for the day.

From the moment we left the port, the views were stunning. Exactly what we were waiting to see in Ha Long Bay. Plus, there were barely any other boats around us.

During the day, we cruised around Lan Ha Bay, and even reached to the border of Ha Long Bay, where we confirmed there was no actual difference in views between the two. We also got the opportunity to do some kayaking, visit caves and lagoons, and swim to one of the islands. Since it was a full-day tour, they also served us lunch on the boat, which was absolutely delicious.

We left the tour feeling absolutely delighted with our decision. We had saved so much money and we got to see exactly what we wanted. We felt like we just had a luxury experience for a very affordable price, and we had just seen one of the wold’s natural wonders. We can’t recommend it enough.