Discover Halong City
- Transportation: From Hanoi, you can take local bus from Luong Yen station or My Dinh station to Bai Chay station in Halong City that runs frequently during daytime, fee for one way is 5 USD/person. To discover the city, you can rent a motorbike, for around 7-10 USD/day and drive to any corner, just ask for help from the hotel’s receptionist.
- Hostel and hotel: There are many budget hostels/hostels in Hon Gai area or on Vuon Dao road in Bai Chay area with 10 USD/double room/night. If you want to swim, you should stay in Bai Chay area, Bai Chay new beach is just few minutes walking from Vuon Dao road. On the other hand, Hon Gai area is more local. You can find many cheap and delicious restaurants, particularly for seafood, and many appealing attractions to visit there.
- Cuisine: Famous dish is Squid Cake (Squid Ball) served with sticky rice. Best seafood-street is Tran Hung Dao, Hon Gai area (in terms of quality and price). You can also check out some floating restaurants found along Tran Quoc Nghien road.
Note: It will be a great experience if you want to discover real local life in Halong, but don’t expect much about English or any other foreign language there. Moreover, we suggest you never miss a Halong bay cruise trip.
Hour-cruise trip
Those who choose hour-cruise are usually self-traveler. You take local bus from Hanoi to Halong City, buy ticket to visit caves and beaches at Bai Chay Tourist Wharf then start your cruise trip there. You can bargain the price for hours cruise, food, or fee for any optional activities by yourself (Not easy but possible to do). This can be the best way to protect your pocket when you can do your trip with 20 USD, for 4 – 6 hours discovering the Bay on a sharing cruise. However, forget the word “quality” once you choose this option.
