Ha Long Bay Day Cruise Routes and Fees
Most attraction tours in Ha Long are boat trips that follow one of the official sightseeing routes set by the Ha Long Bay Management Board. The routes were renamed in 2025, so Routes 1 to 5 are now VHL1 to VHL5, and three more routes were added, VHL6 to VHL8. Knowing which route a tour follows tells you what you will see and what the sightseeing fee is.
Day routes and what they visit
- VHL1 takes about 5 hours from Tuan Chau or the Ha Long port. It calls at Thien Cung grotto and Dau Go cave on Dau Go island, Cho Da islet, the Ba Hang caves, Dinh Huong islet and Trong Mai islet.
- VHL2 visits Ti Top, Sung Sot cave, Luon cave, the Tung Sau pearl lagoon, Me Cung, Bo Nau, Trong and Trinh Nu caves and Ho Dong Tien. Sellers quote about 6 hours.
- VHL3 goes to the Cua Van floating culture centre, Tien Ong cave, Ba Ham lake and Ba Men temple.
- VHL4 covers Co (Thien Canh Son) and Thay caves, Cap La, Vung Vieng, Cong Do, Tung Ang and Xep islet park.
- VHL5 repeats the VHL1 sights and continues to Gia Luan on Cat Ba.
- VHL6, VHL7 and VHL8 are newer. VHL7 combines VHL1 to VHL4 and runs on day boats only.
Thien Cung is not on a Sung Sot tour, and Sung Sot is not on VHL1. Check the stop list before you pay.
Sightseeing fees
The fee is per person per trip and covers 06:30 to 18:30. It is nearly always inside the cruise price.
| Route | Day fee (VND) |
|---|---|
| VHL1, VHL2, VHL5 | 250,000 |
| VHL3, VHL4 | 200,000 |
| VHL6 | 150,000 |
| VHL7 | 600,000 |
| VHL8 | 70,000 |
Children under 1.2 m or under 7 go free, and children aged 7 to under 16 pay 20 percent less. The Ha Long International Passenger Port has charged 80,000 VND for a round trip, or 40,000 VND one way, since 1 July 2026. The Management Board fee page and its new routes notice list these figures.
Hours and timing
Thien Cung, Dau Go, Ba Hang, Sung Sot, Ti Top and Luon open 07:30 to 17:30 until 31 October and 07:30 to 17:00 from 1 November to 15 April. Boats must be back in port by 20:00 in summer and 19:00 in winter. They may leave from 05:00 in summer and 05:30 in winter.
Other bays
Bai Tu Long has its own approved routes from Ao Tien port in Van Don, Cam Pha and Vung Duc, so confirm the departure port with the operator. Lan Ha belongs to Hai Phong and charges its own fee. Link cruises from Ha Long into Lan Ha began on 20 April 2026 and are overnight only.
Safety and what is not on offer
The UK Foreign Office advises you to consider safety standards carefully before an overnight boat trip on the bay, and to wear a life jacket when you join any boat (FCDO advice ). Ask the operator for the boat’s registration and safety certificate, and check whether the hull is steel or wood. Typhoon warnings halt sailings at short notice.
Seaplane flights over the bay ended on 1 April 2026, and helicopter sightseeing is suspended, so there are no aerial tours to book.
Read more: Day trips from Ha Long for tours that leave the bay.
Booking
Bay tours across all routes can be compared on Viator .