 Compared
to Asian countries, it is pretty easy to travel
Vietnam on a tight budget, and as a consensus to
visit Halong bay, a must see destination in Vietnam.
As Halong bay is recognized as a world heritage, it
is no doubt that many travel companies organize
tours to Halong bay, ranging from high class choices
to budget cruises with all sort of starting prices
to expect.
In principle travellers are not recommended to go
for cheapest offers if you want to have a decent
trip, there are many tour agencies in the old area
of Hanoi offer dirty prices of just 50 usd, stay
away from these cowboys as you may ruin your Halong
bay tours.
For backpackers who
travel Vietnam at low budget, it
is appreciated the need to keep the cost down when
travelling, however you may throw your out of the
window for the cheap tours, pay a little more for a
memorable and skimping on cheap choises which
absolutely ruin your holiday, you get what you pay
for when it comes to book a
cheap Halong bay cruise
However, if you do not mind the odd sinking during
the night you can go to the bottom end of the market
and save a dollar or two. Many of the cheaper boats
would not pass any marine safety survey in other
countries but are considered ok in Vietnam ;)
Take your time for a survey around the net and you
will find what suitable for you. For a cheap and
cheerful service I would advise
Papaya cruise, an
online tour company in Hanoi, you will not get a
luxury but it is alright and possibly meet your
budget condition. It cost around 150 usd for a 3 day
trip, this is cheaper than most cruises but I
wouldn't recommend going much cheaper (not that cost
necessarily equals quality in this area). Make sure
you do your homework on this if you are going to
commit to doing a tour, as there's a of advice that
will help prevent you from experiencing some of the
pitfalls that can be experienced like have the
supplier write down the itinerary for you with what
is and is not included. And, cheap price is not
always bad. Some time, you can find more exciting
when you travel with young person going budget
tours. You have time to sing, dance, swimm and
kayaking... more noisy with the youth.
From our experience, it would be better for you to
book it after you come to Hanoi as there is an
unlimited amount of options, and you can get a
1 day
cruise, includes return transfer by us, lunch on
board and 4 hour cruise with the stops, and 4 hours
each way on a bus from Hanoi, all for about 40 usd,
if you want an overnight tour in
Halong Bay either
on a boat or at a hotel, add 50 usd per person for
the budget option. Keep in mind that the nicer the
hotel the more it cost , the smaller the hotel the
cheapest options they will have. Also remember when
you go on the tour drinks are at extra charge. |
