Halong Bay Travel Blogs

Halong Bay or Ninh Binh

It was never quite pinpointed exactly who was the first person to describe Ninh Binh as ‘Halong Bay on Land’. The phrase has become popular for the sole reason that it is repeated by pretty much every guide before every tour of Ninh Binh in the hopes of inspiring images of the famous, original Halong Bay. It’s certainly not a bad comparison to make, and as the popularity of Halong Bay grows higher, more and more tourists are looking to Ninh Binh as a way to beat the crowds while still enjoying that world-renowned limestone karst backdrop. These are two of the most popular day trips from Hanoi, but as Ninh Binh’s infrastructure grows while Halong Bay struggles to cope with consistently high tourist levels every year, there seems to be a new momentum shift, and the question of Halong Bay or Ninh Binh is crossing more minds than it did in the past.Overview of Halong BayLimestone IslandsThe entire reason that the words ‘Halong Bay on Land’ feature in so many TripAdvisor reviews from contented tourists is that Ninh Binh’s scenery matches Halong Bay stride for stride. You could transplant any of Halong Bay’s gorgeous limestone mountains in Ninh Binh and it wouldn’t look out of place at all. A visit to either Halong Bay or Ninh Binh is one with the guarantee of amazement at the near-identical rock pillars jutting out of the water. Of course, it’s the water itself that makes all the difference, as the huge expanse of the Gulf of Tonkin where Halong Bay lies dwarfs the tiny canals found around Ninh Binh.Certainly, there is more on offer in Halong Bay, but views are pretty much the same throughout any day or overnight trip. There are a few exceptional limestone mountains in Halong Bay, including Titop Island, Hon Co and Fighting Cock Island, featuring proudly on the 200,000 VND note. Aside from looking at them, you can disembark your cruise and feel the rock and sand beneath your feet, providing a ‘castaway’ feeling that you can’t really get in Ninh Binh.What you can get in Ninh Binh, however, is a more enclosed feeling, as the thinner water paths are flanked by high-rising cliffs stretching proudly upwards. This makes the atmosphere a little more magical in our opinion, but there are very few opportunities to get up really close and personal with the mountains. In fact, there’s only one: Lying Dragon Mountain, a 450-step climb to a statue of a winding dragon and a view of the valley below, where the river skirts its way around the foothills of forested mountains.View from Lying Dragon MountainHalong Bay or Ninh Binh?• Halong Bay probably takes this one through sheer quantity, but it’s a very close call.TransportationA big part of discovering Halong Bay or Ninh Binh is the method of transport used to get around. Obviously, in Halong Bay, there’s really only one, given that it’s on the sea. In Ninh Binh, there’s a few, because of its access to land and roads as well as rivers.Cruises around Halong Bay span the gamut from cheap, no-thrills day boats to 5-star luxury cruises, and the same waterways are shared between everyone. Activities don’t vary too much between cheap and expensive cruises, but the quality of life onboard certainly does. The cheaper day boats usually comprise of one large sitting room with benches and an undecorated sundeck on top, while a 3-day cruise on a luxury boat will give you a feeling of royalty with top-class amenities, service and food; though it will potentially be about 10 times more expensive. When you want to get up close and personal with the bay, you can explore via kayak, a sampan boat rowed by a local, swimming or even a seaplane on the most exclusive of cruises.Cruise in Halong Bay with Incredible CruiseThe 90% of Halong Bay that you will see by cruise is not the same in Ninh Binh, where you have the options of cycling, trekking, climbing, motorcycling and taking a variety of different boats on its waterways. The most popular activity is certainly the local service that operates the sampan boats made of bamboo and paddled by middle-aged ladies (and a token couple of men) with their feet. At Tam Coc in Ninh Binh, these boats will carry you down the Ngo Dong River, while at Van Long Nature Reserve, they fan out into the wide basin of wetlands. Taking a cycle around the village of Tam Coc also finds regular appeal with tourists and visitors can rent bikes easily for a very good price. Motorcycling and trekking are usually reserved for Cuc Phuong National Park and its long path that cuts through the jungle, while multi-day treks to villages of the Muong minority tribe can be made at the north-west corner of the park.Boating in Tam CocHalong Bay or Ninh Binh?• With a wider range of activities for getting around, Ninh Binh wins here.Check our best tours to Ninh Binh from Hanoi: Hoa Lu Tam Coc Day Trip, Trang An - Bai Dinh Full Day Tour, Tam Coc Bich Dong Full Day Tour, and Cuc Phuong National Park Day Trip.CavesNeither Halong Bay nor Ninh Binh has Vietnam’s best cave systems; you’ll have to go to Phong Nha for that, but there are some pretty amazing offerings in both locations. Halong Bay’s caves are a big part of the reason that UNESCO has inducted the region twice into the World Heritage list, once in 1994 and again in 2000. Its most famous by far is Sung Sot Cave, translating to the ‘the Surprising Cave’ allegedly after a French explorer was surprised by its presence and the hundreds of differently shaped rock formations found throughout. This cave features on a lot of tour itineraries alongside the less frequent appearances of Me Cung, Trinh Nu, Trong, and Thien Cung, but quite possibly its most incredible is Luon Cave, a very short corridor of water that, when kayaked through, reveals an enclosed emerald lake shimmering on the other side.Sung Sot CaveBy comparison, Ninh Binh is relatively lacking in the cave department. You will be rowed through a few in Tam Coc, Trang An and in the Van Long wetlands, though they are really just short gaps in the mountains. The caves still create a wonderful atmosphere, but nothing like the grandeur of Halong Bay, where stalactites and stalagmites dwarf people and are illuminated in colourful lights for a more dramatic effect. The best example of a Ninh Binh cave is definitely the Cave of the Prehistoric Man in Cuc Phuong National Park, excavated in 1966 to reveal an array of human graves as well as sharp weapons and tools dating back over 7,500 years.Halong Bay or Ninh Binh?• Halong Bay. It is famous for its amazing caves and will continue to best Ninh Binh until more are potentially discovered.Halong Bay Cruises that go to Halong Bay: V'Spirit Premier Cruise, Perla Dawn Sails Halong Bay, Indochina Sails, V’Spirit Cruise, Aphrodite Cruise, Alisa Cruise.FarmingTwo of the most beautiful sights you’ll see in Vietnam are locals going about their farming in both Halong Bay and Ninh Binh. They use vastly different methods and harvest vastly different products, but the process of planting (or breeding) to harvest affords the most amazing views.One wouldn’t assume Halong Bay would be able to engage in much farming, but the villagers here are very adept at the cultivation of fish, which is the origin for human habitation in the bay. Fishing villages such as Cua Van and Ba Hang, as well as Vung Vieng in Bai Tu Long Bay, remains as stalwarts of a way of life that’s becoming more and more redundant and being kept alive for the tourism trade. These colourful floating houses sit atop huge buoyant drums and bob up and down with the water, just metres from a backdrop of gorgeous limestone. It’s clear to see how the allure of tourist money has replaced the meagre living families can make with traditional fish farming, but you can see examples of this past practice through enlightening farming demonstrations.Cua Van Fishing VillageAbout 220km south-west of Halong Bay, Ninh Binh is a completely different level of agriculture. Rice paddies took over the perfect flat valleys in the past and Ninh Binh is now known as one of the best spots in the country to see golden rice paddies stretching far into the distance. Tam Coc and Trang An especially are favourites for their views, aided heavily by the presence of undulating mountain scenery rolling further beyond the rice fields here. A visit between the start May and the end of June will allow for views of the typically crisp, golden fields that tourists come from afar to see. Tam Coc PanoramaHalong Bay or Ninh Binh?• Ninh Binh. Though beautiful, the token offerings of Halong Bay’s fishing villages pale in comparison to the splendour of Ninh Binh’s rice fields.Relaxing vs Exploring CultureOf course, you can relax and explore in either Halong Bay or Ninh Binh, but overall there is a pretty clear divide between the two of them when it comes to available activities.Halong Bay’s beaches are another of the region’s huge attractions, and while certainly not the most remote in the world, the white sand coupled with the feeling of being on another, much more beautiful planet equates to one hell of a relaxing time. Some of the more luxury cruises commit entire days to hang out at the beach, with just the serving of lunch and the availability of swimming and kayaking to tempt you away from the sands. Well, this is actually more of a feature of both of Halong Bay’s neighbouring bays, Bai Tu Long Bay and Lan Ha Bay; Halong Bay features a small number of accessible beaches, which can get pretty touristy. For the best time in the Gulf of Tonkin, head to Ban Chan and Ngoc Vung beaches in Bai Tu Long Bay, or Ba Trai Dao beach in Lan Ha Bay.Kayaking in Halong BayThe more adventurous readers might prefer to head to Ninh Binh, and in particular Hoa Lu, for an interesting look at Vietnamese culture throughout its history. Hoa Lu was once the capital of Vietnam for 44 years, spanning the reign of two separate kings who had set up shop here and is now a fascinating area with temples, statues and monuments behind a gorgeous palatial gate and moat. Bich Dong Pagoda sits near a lily pond in Tam Coc, rising high as you climb up steps and through temples and caverns to the amazing view provided from the top. However, Bai Dinh is the jewel in the crown of Ninh Binh’s religious buildings; its Buddhist complex spans 700 hectares, all of which stems from one tall pagoda built over one thousand years ago. If you get the understandable feeling of ‘temple fatigue’ in Ninh Binh, you can visit Phat Diem Cathedral, sure to be one of the most unique mixes of Asian and Western architecture that you will ever see.Halong Bay or Ninh Binh?• This one is down to personal preference, so we’re going to call this round a draw.TourismEvery tourist hears the same stories of overcrowding on Halong Bay’s waters and islands, and that sometimes makes the decision of whether to head to Halong Bay or Ninh Binh an easy one. Rumours aren’t always true, however.Though it is true that Halong Bay gets substantially more tourists than Ninh Binh does (what doubly-recognised UNESCO World Heritage site wouldn’t?), it is certainly not the picture of converging crowds that people like to paint. In its 1,553km2 frame, believe it or not, Halong Bay, can still be postcard-perfect, free of tourists and utterly serene. Areas like Ho Dong Tien (Fairy Lake Cave) and Luon Cave can bestow the ultimate feeling of calm through the isolation they provide. There are many, many more examples of tranquil spots across the neighbouring bays, which are quieter still during Gulf of Tonkin’s off-season over winter and summer.Van Long Nature ReserveNinh Binh, on the other hand, is a province on the rise. There are big plans by the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism to make Ninh Binh the next destination recognised internationally, as Halong Bay is now. There’s a long way to go, but the entire province boasts nature and variety in abundance, so there’s no reason to assume it won’t happen. This means that right now is probably the best time to see Ninh Binh to avoid eventual crowds. Crowding can indeed be a small problem for the more popular activities such as the boat trips in Tam Coc and Trang An as well as some of the cycling paths when the rice paddies are golden. There are always alternatives though, and Van Long Nature Reserve, as well as Cuc Phuong National Park, provide two great ones with plenty of space for the future.Halong Bay or Ninh Binh?• For sheer levels of tourists on an average peak season day, you’ll probably get more space in Ninh Binh.So Ninh Binh just tips the balance at the end there, but of course, all of these aspects of both destinations are meant to suggest and guide, not instruct. Fantastic times can be found in both Halong Bay and Ninh Binh, and you can enjoy both on day trips from Hanoi with Incredible Asia Journeys.

Choose Halong Bay or Bai Tu Long Bay?

Tourism to Vietnam is growing faster than ever. As the number one tourist destination in the country, Halong Bay has borne the brunt of this influx of new arrivals, leading to overcrowding, pollution and higher prices around the UNESCO World Heritage site. Increasingly, people are looking to Halong Bay’s neighbour across the Gulf of Tonkin as an alternative to the negative effects tourism has had in the region. Bai Tu Long Bay’s popularity has shot up in recent years and tour companies have completely latched onto it. The question of Halong Bay or Bai Tu Long Bay has never been more prevalent than it is now, so Incredible Asia Journeys has decided to compare the two in each aspect of their being to give you an idea of which suits you best. It’s the descending mother dragon versus her children: it’s Halong Bay versus Bai Tu Long Bay.Halong Bay CruiseBeachesHalong BayTitopBai ChayTuan ChauSoi SimBai Tu Long BayBan ChanNgoc VungQuan LanMinh ChauTra GioiFirst off, one of the Gulf of Tonkin’s top attractions; its various white sand beaches. For sheer quantity, Bai Tu Long Bay wins here, but if all of its beaches were stony with lots of washed-up rubbish, then quantity doesn’t really count for much.As it goes, Bai Tu Long Bay’s beaches are nothing like that. Perfect white sand features in some of the bay’s isolated beaches, and of these, Ban Chan is probably its longest and most popular. It is located in a large alcove of Bai Tu Long Bay, flanked on both sides by limestone rocks with a curved cliff face behind it. The forested nature of these rocks, along with the beach’s isolation, gives Ban Chan a very ‘Castaway’ feel. Many of the bay’s other offerings, such as Tra Gioi, are miniscule in size, but look positively heavenly in appearance, offering fantastic photo opportunities for anyone who is passing.Ban Chan BeachIn comparison, the beaches of Halong Bay do not fare well. The few beaches that are available for visiting are overwhelmingly popular, with vast swathes of tourists converging near the mainland on the overdeveloped Bai Chay Beach or at the harbour on the artificial Tuan Chau Beach. Another of Halong Bay's artificial beaches is Titop, one of the few beaches away from the mainland, located on Titop Island in the centre of the bay. The island itself has many great activities such as relaxing, swimming and hiking to the peak for a panoramic view of the undulating Halong Bay scenery, but its tourist numbers negate a lot of its good aspects. This is one of the most visited areas in Halong Bay and the vast majority of tours, both overnight and day, will stop off for at least an hour, making crowding its number one problem.Titop BeachHalong Bay or Bai Tu Long Bay? • Bai Tu Long Bay, for its wealth of options and isolation.CavesHalong BaySung SotThien CungTrongTrinh NuDau GoLuonBai Tu Long BayThien Canh SonHonestly, we could name more caves in Halong Bay, but we don’t want to overshadow Bai Tu Long Bay too much. You might be able to tell the winner of this round already; the depth of choice in Halong Bay for caves far outweighs the single offering in Bai Tu Long Bay, but what other factors affect their appeals?Sung Sot is Halong Bay’s premier and most impressive cave. Indeed, it does get high tourist numbers, but the beauty and aura of the cave is such that you won’t notice them for the most part. Sung Sot houses hundreds of amazing rock formations caused by years of water drippings, all illuminated in coloured light for a more dramatic presence. Luon is perhaps the most beautiful of Halong Bay’s caves. The corridor of water that leads through the cave is traversable by kayak and, while very short, it opens up onto a lake enclosed by high-stretching limestone walls, adorned with trees where monkeys often frolic. The aura of the hidden lake with its shimmering emerald waters is nothing short of magic; a feeling you can experience in relative peace as you will not be sharing Luon Cave with many other tourists.Sung Sot CaveThough a feature of almost every tour of Bai Tu Long Bay, Thien Canh Son gets mixed reviews from visitors. While undoubtedly still impressive, when compared to the caves of Halong Bay, Thien Canh Son comes up much smaller with a lot fewer rock formations to attract the eye. Tour companies like to stretch out visits, but once you’ve seen the rock sculptures and climbed the staircase to the admittedly beautiful viewing platform outside, you’ll wonder why you’re still there.Thien Canh Son CaveHalong Bay or Bai Tu Long Bay? • Halong Bay, by a sizeable distance.Cruises that go to Halong Bay:  V'Spirit Cruise, Aphrodite Cruise, Paradise Luxury Cruise, Indochina Sails, Violet Cruise, Flamingo Cruise, Stellar Cruise, and Syrena Cruise.Fishing VillagesHalong BayCua VanBa HangTung sauBai Tu Long BayVung ViengFewer options for both destinations in this round, though clearly three trumps one in favour of Halong Bay. Floating fishing villages prompt some of the most evocative images of the Gulf of Tonkin and are a huge part of the appeal for both Halong Bay and Bai Tu Long Bay. Such floating enclaves have been on the decline ever since tourism swept the bays as the Quang Ninh Tourism Board, the province that operates both Halong Bay and Bai Tu Long Bay, have made rather forceful efforts to clear up villagers’ littering habits by building houses for them on the mainland and integrating them into mainland society. Naturally, this hasn’t gone very well, and once the board realised the potential tourist pull of the fishing villages, financial incentives were offered for villagers to return back to their seaborne homes to resume the only way of life they know.Cua Van Floating VillageIf international acclaim is the criterion for this round, then Cua Van can claim the prize for Halong Bay already. The colourful floating village in the heart of Halong Bay made the list of Huffington Post’s 11 Insanely Beautiful Small Towns from Around the World, inducted for its ‘teal water, colourful raft houses, limestone hills and winding streets’. As one of the few showcase fishing villages in Halong Bay, Cua Van offers plenty of beauty but is really nothing more than a historic time capsule of the old way of life before the introduction of tourism. Tung Sau provides tourists with a brief history of pearl farming in the region, through its old Japanese methods to modern-day practices, but similarly, is only there to draw tourists.Lack of choice is Bai Tu Long Bay’s downfall again, as its single offering of Vung Vieng fishing village is yet another token attraction for tourism. The splendour of the vibrant colour of its walls sitting ahead of a backdrop of jutting karst scenery is a beautiful site, just as it is with Cua Van. Tours of this fishing village are via self-propelled kayak or local sampan boat, the latter of which is rowed by a villager who will explain their way of life to visiting tourists. The traditional life has all but dried up here since tourists began flocking to the area, as income from fishing has been replaced multiple times over by tourism, but the majesty of Vung Vieng’s existence at all is reason enough to visit.Vung Vieng Fishing VillageHalong Bay or Bai Tu Long Bay? • Much closer this time, but Halong Bay is the winner for its mixture of fishing and pearl farming.KayakingHalong BayCua Van and Tung SauLuon CaveHang Ho Dong TienBai Tu Long BayCap La Tra SanCong DoCong DamIn 2017 the Quang Ninh Tourism Board put a no-exceptions ban on kayaking around both bays in order to protect their integrity. In typical Vietnamese fashion, the ban lasted a solid month before being revoked, meaning kayaking is now permitted in only eight specified areas. Kayaking remains one of the most popular things to do in Halong Bay and Bai Tu Long Bay for the unbeatable feeling of freedom that one can garner from gliding around the foothills of water-borne mountains.For Halong Bay, many of its natural attractions are best explored by kayak, but most tour companies opt for Cua Van and Tung Sau as their primary locales. As mentioned above, both areas contain a trove of natural beauty as well as history and culture to boot. While the merits of kayaking around the stunning Luon Cave have been mentioned already, Hang Ho Dong Tien (Fairy Lake Cave) is an all too often overlooked attraction, which is ideal for kayaking. Entrance to the cave is done via water, while the exterior opens up for miles around, giving you a lot of free reigns.Kayaking in Halong BayBai Tu Long Bay shines in a whole new light from the dipped seat of a kayak. Its twin areas of Cap La and Tra San are prime kayaking destinations for their vastness and tranquillity. Some tours spend entire mornings or afternoons in these quiet regions, watching kayakers carefully as they skirt the enclosing walls draped in casuarina pines and other verdant foliage. The space afforded by Cap La and Tra San are their biggest draws, but similar freedom can be found at the favoured sleeping area of Cong Do, as well as beautiful Cong Dam. Some of Bai Tu Long’s Bay’s many tiny beaches cling to the islands of Cong Dam, yielding a proud sense of achievement for anyone who discovers one.Halong Bay or Bai Tu Long Bay?• A tough round to call, but Bai Tu Long Bay nips it for its more tranquil nature.Cruises that go to Bai Tu Long Bay: Signature Cruise, Signature Royal Cruise, Viola Cruise, Garden Bay Legend Cruise, Huong Hai Sealife Cruise, Starlight Cruise, Dragon Legend Cruise, Emperor Cruise, and Calypso Cruise.Tourist NumbersBai Tu Long Bay’s trump card over Halong Bay is its much lower levels of tourist numbers; or so it was in the past, anyway. As Bai Tu Long Bay fostered a reputation for being the quieter, less-explored alternative to Halong Bay, tourists began to eschew the crowds of the latter and flock to the former. The mass migration has actually balanced out the numbers of tourists somewhat, and while many perceive Bai Tu Long Bay to still be the quieter cousin of Halong Bay, it is not so much the case nowadays.Tourists in Bai Tu Long BayNew tours are forbidden from starting operations in either bay now, as the Quang Ninh Tourism Board is struggling to cope with the crowds that converge on both Halong Bay and Bai Tu Long Bay on a daily basis. Truly, the only unexplored bay left in the Gulf of Tonkin is Lan Ha Bay, south of Halong Bay and currently boasting unblemished beaches, undiscovered caves and unpolluted waters. All of this is finite for Lan Ha Bay, however, as the migration is starting to begin. Lan Ha Bay offers the same stunning scenery as both of its northward neighbours, boasting the beautiful island of Cat Ba along with many others, while transit time to Lan Ha Bay from Hanoi is just under half of what it is from Hanoi to Halong Bay or Bai Tu Long Bay.Halong Bay or Bai Tu Long Bay?• The recently plateaued numbers of tourists in both bays means that this one ends in a tie.So there you have it. 2 wins for Halong Bay, 2 for Bai Tu Long Bay and a tie right at the death. Though there is no definitive answer to the question of Halong Bay or Bai Tu Long Bay, you can see clearly which you prefer to visit for the activities that you prioritise. For all their various foibles, their charm and outstanding beauty overrides. Visiting at least one of the bays on a trip to Vietnam is absolutely unmissable; you will not be disappointed by either.