What To Expect on an Overnight Cruise in Halong Bay

Planning an overnight cruise in Halong Bay? Read this guide to help you book your perfect trip!

Ever since I started working in travel marketing, Ha Long Bay has been somewhat of a dream destination. Staring at pictures in our brochures and on the website, it’s a place that absolutely captivated me. Plus, I absolutely thrive being out on the water. For that reason, an overnight Halong Bay Cruise was a non-negotiable in during our month in Vietnam.

There are various lengths and styles of cruise that you can book in Halong Bay. Travelling on a mid-budget, I was determined to find an overnight trip that mixed budget-friendliness with comfort. We ended up booking an overnight Halong Bay Cruise with Sunlight Travel, which cost £103.12 each.

Find out what we thought of our overnight cruise experience below, and read the ultimate FAQ about taking a cruise in Halong Bay!

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Ha Long Bay Cruises at a Glance

Need to book ASAP? Choose from these Halong Bay overnight cruise options from budget to luxury:

• 2 Day/1 Night Halong Bay Cruise – budget-friendly overnight cruise with activities, breakfast and dinner (no hotel pickup). From $50pp
• Oasis Bay Party Cruise – ideal for those looking for more of a party boat experience, with activities and all meals. Twin shared cabins are available for solo travellers. From $139pp
• Overnight Halong Bay-Lan Ha Bay Cruise with V’Spirit Cruises – mid-range option for travellers wanting to balance budget with quality. From $145pp
• 2-Day Luxury Halong Bay Aspira Cruise with a mini swimming pool, fitness centre, offering junior suite cabins with balcony and bathtub. From $175pp
• 3 Day/2 Night Halong Luxury Cruise – three nights in a junior cabin, with all meals included. From $290pp
• Only have one day to visit? Book a Day Tour of Halong Bay. From $29pp + hotel pickup surcharge of $15pp

Sunlight Tours Overnight Cruise Review

Leaving Hanoi on the shared bus at 8am, we were slightly delayed en route to the Halong Bay cruise port. After a short wait, we were loaded onto a smaller boat to take us out to our cruise ship. Luckily, we managed to make up some time and had a quick explore of our home for the night ahead of the group briefing in the early afternoon.

The Sunlight Tours boat we stayed on has a total of ten passenger cabins, with a dining area and small front deck. On top, a large sundeck has plenty of room for 20 passengers, with tables and a handful of sunbeds. The bar in the dining room serves drinks during the day, and in the evening, there’s an upstairs bar for night-time socialising on the sun deck.

After a briefing with our tour guide, Long, we headed to our cabins to unpack and explore the boat. We were pretty happy to find out we’d got one of the upper cabins which have balconies – although we ended up spending most of our time on the sun deck anyway!

The cabin was small but comfortable, home to a queen sized bed and ensuite bathroom with shower and basic toiletries. It did take us a while to locate the bedding tucked into a cupboard, but once we’d located it, I had a comfortable and cosy night’s sleep on board. The cabin’s air conditioning was also a blessing in the hot weather!

After settling in, we were served lunch in the dining room. I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect but the two lunches and one dinner served were an absolute FEAST. Seriously, dishes seemed to never stop arriving! The variety of Vietnamese dishes were all well-cooked and full of flavour.

Dishes were all served family-style between tables of eight. As a vegetarian, I had plenty of choice, including lots of vegetable dishes and faux meat. All the vegetarians and their partners were seated together, with a mixture of meat and vegetarian dishes served to share.

Our second activity of the day was visiting Sung Sot Cave, a 12,000 square metre cave complex tucked into one of the bay’s enormous limestone karst rocks. The cave is pretty spectacular, with hanging stalactites and fascinating rock formations. Seeing the cave entrance was actually really cool too – it made me think of a Bond villain’s lair!

Unfortunately, the downside of both of these activities were the crowds – both the viewpoint and the maze were absolutely packed. Sadly, I think it’s something that comes with the territory of these kinds of tours – Halong Bay is incredibly popular, and there are dozens of boats running the same itineraries daily.

Next time, I’d consider doing a 3 Day/2 Night Halong Bay tour, as I’ve heard these can visit points of interest at less busy times.

Ashley went for a shower, while I spent some time relaxing on the deck chatting with another couple we befriended on the trip. We also made great use of the happy hour, when cocktails are 3 for the price of 2 – if you’re buying in a pair, they let you keep your third ‘free’ cocktails back for later in the evening!

Drinks prices on the boat were more expensive than in Hanoi, with beers costing around $6 each and cocktails at $10. Soft drinks are also available for around $3 per drink.

With a drink in hand, we watched the stunning sunset over the rocks, accompanied by the soft sounds of music from surrounding boats. Boats are moored far enough apart so not too much noise carries, which is especially helpful once the on-deck karaoke parties start! Our boat group opted for a more relaxed evening but we burst out a couple of tunes, including a very British rendition of Mr Brightside…

After waking up and gawping out of the window for about 10 minutes, we had a small buffet breakfast before heading out to a sheltered bay area for our morning kayaking activity.

We’d arrived at a busy time, to be left with the worst pick of paddles. Jumping into our two-person kayak, we paddled into the main area which was absolutely packed. Like the previous experiences, an otherwise pleasant kayaking experience suffers from being

As soon as the area cleared out, we had much more space to explore. The water in the bay is unfortunately not the nicest, so despite enjoying kayaking, it’s definitely not my favourite experience in a canoe.

Back on the boat, we vacated our rooms and enjoyed our final views sailing through Ha Long Bay. We stopped for one more delicious lunch before disembarking, to head back into Hanoi in the afternoon.

Overall, we had an amazing experience within our budget with Sunlight Travel Cruise. The staff were incredibly friendly and helpful, particularly Mr. Long, who made our experience extra wonderful. The food was delicious and I was especially impressed with the offering for vegetarians.

The activities were unfortunately a slight letdown, purely due to how busy they were. Some of our group opted out and stayed on the boat – and honestly, I probably would have preferred this to the kayaking. It was also disappointing to see litter floating in the water of such a beautiful place.

Regardless of this, I’d still absolutely recommend a Halong Bay overnight cruise, as the scenery is spectacular and the whole experience of overnighting in such a magical place was a highlight of my trip to Vietnam.

Halong Bay Overnight Cruise FAQ

Is it worth spending a night in Halong Bay?

Absolutely! If you’re short on time, day tours of Halong Bay are available, but it’s worth spending a little more to have the full overnight cruise experience. Sunset at Halong Bay is worth the admission price alone, and waking up to the majestic views from my cabin window was one of my favourite parts of the tour!

If you have even more time to spend on the water, you can also take a 3 day/2 night cruise, many of which visit more remote areas in the bay for additional activities. You’ll also benefit from quieter waters and activities while the changeover times happen in the mornings.

What’s the best month for a Halong Bay cruise?

October and November are both great months to visit Halong Bay, with pleasant temperatures averaging highs of between 24-28°C, and minimal amounts of rainfall.

From December – March, temperatures drop to around an average of 20-21°C during the day. Night time temperatures average 14-15°C. The sky can be cloudier and the air breezier, but these months are generally still an enjoyable time to visit Halong Bay.

April and May see warmer temperatures, but there’s a much higher chance of rain during your trip at these times.

From June – September, expect the hottest weather in Ha Long Bay, with daytime temperatures averaging highs of around 30-32°C. The climate is much more humid at this time, with high chances of rainfall and storms. August is the region’s rainiest month, with heavy downpours a common occurrence.

We took our Halong Bay cruise in November, and the weather was beautiful – lots of sun, relatively clear blue skies and a comfortable night time temperature to enjoy sitting on the sun deck.

How to get to Halong Bay

Most overnight cruises in Halong Bay will offer hotel pickup from Hanoi (for budget cruises, this may be at an extra charge). I’d recommend doing this in case of any road delays that may mean you’re late for any self-transfer departures.

If you want to make your own way there, you can book transport via 12Go. You might also consider booking accommodation in Ha Long the night before the tour.

What to pack for your Halong Bay overnight cruise

Honestly, you really don’t need to pack much! We were travelling with our full backpacks which was fine, but if you can find a luggage storage location in Hanoi, you could travel with just a backpack.

Some essentials for a Halong Bay cruise:

• Swimwear
• Beach towel
• SPF
• Sunglasses
• Camera – you’ll want to take loads of photos!
• Cash for tips – we gave our guide 200,000 VND per person.