La SEN of the Bay Cruise

Twenty-five suites, each with a balcony and a bath, a pool on the cabin deck and lunch served as a run of courses: that is what La SEN of the Bay sells. By its operator’s figures it is a 77-metre steel ship, and it started sailing in 2026. It boards at Tuan Chau and spends its nights on the Lan Ha side of the bay.

How big is La SEN of the Bay, and what is on each deck?

Seventy-seven metres by 12.9, on five decks, by the operator’s figures. It asks itself why only 25 cabins on 77 metres, and answers: privacy.

The lower deck holds the spa, sauna and massage rooms alongside the kitchen and engine room. The first deck carries the pool, a lounge the operator puts at 150 m², a smoking room, a small art gallery, a wine and cigar room, a medical clinic and ten suites. The second deck has the gym, the captain’s cabin and the other fifteen suites. The dining room and a sky bar fill the third deck, and the fourth has a mini-golf course, a karaoke room and the sun loungers. Our wooden or steel hull guide covers what the material tells you.

Which suite should you ask for?

Every class is a suite with a balcony and a bathtub, by the operator’s room pages, from 35 m² to 70 m². Counts follow the deck plan.

Each of the two Executive Suites has a round king-size bed, a private terrace and an outdoor jacuzzi of its own.

On the operator’s pages a Premier Suite and an Ocean View Suite have the same 35 m², the same 2 m by 2 m double or two singles, and the same fittings list. If a seller quotes more for Premier, ask what the extra buys besides the deck.

Families of four should look at the 70 m² connecting suites. Ask whether that is two rooms with a door between them before you book it. Our family cruises page notes how rare that door is on this bay.

What does a night on La SEN of the Bay cost?

Price on request. The operator’s seven room pages, read on 11 October 2026, ask you to call. Ask any seller for a per-cabin quote in writing, with the class name on it, and compare it against the table above.

The operator wants half or all of the fare up front, and may ask for the full fare at confirmation on late or peak-season bookings. Children aged one to four travel free, one per cabin, sharing the bed; a second child of that age pays half. Between five and nine the rate is 75% of an adult’s, and from ten it is the full fare. For what other ships charge, see what a Ha Long cruise costs.

How do the two days run?

The overnight is a midday-to-midday trip. Times are the operator’s.

• 11:30 to 11:45. Check in at Lot 25, Tuan Chau Marina. The ship’s own tender takes you out.
• 12:30. Welcome drink and safety briefing on board.
• 13:00. Lunch while the ship passes the Con Vit islets.
• 16:00. The ship reaches Ong Cam in Lan Ha. Kayak, take a bamboo boat or swim.
• 17:30. Anchor for the night; spring-roll lesson, then a sunset party on the sun deck with local wine and fruit.
• 19:00. Dinner. Squid fishing, a film or the bar afterwards.
• 06:00 to 06:30. Sunrise, then a light breakfast with tea and coffee.
• 07:15. Rowing boats into Dark and Bright Cave and the islets around it.
• 10:00. Early lunch after you check out.
• 12:00. Tender back to Tuan Chau.

The 3-day version keeps both ends and adds a full middle day off the big ship: a day boat to Cat Ba Island, a bicycle ride through Viet Hai Village, then kayaking and swimming around Van Boi beach. See two days or three on whether the extra night earns its cost.

Miss the 11:30 check-in and the operator will send a private speedboat, at extra cost. The same speedboat is the only way to leave before the 12:00 return.

What do guests say about La SEN of the Bay?

Google reviews of this ship begin on 5 August 2026, and the praise is mostly for the food and the crew. A German review says the portions looked too small at first, then the courses kept coming and the writers struggled with dessert.

One guest had taken three Ha Long cruises in ten days and compared them line by line. On La SEN, this guest wrote, dinner looked good but was uneven, and one meat dish was bad. The Wi-Fi was slow and kept dropping, the hot water less steady than on the boat this guest preferred, and three announcements came over the speakers at 6:15 each morning. The same review praised the faster, more comfortable tender.

A guest in early October, otherwise delighted, told future travellers to bring earplugs and plan on no internet at all. The same review found the bay crowded and the water not clean enough for a swim.

The catch on this ship is connectivity. Wi-Fi is on the operator’s included list, and two October guests found it slow or absent. If you need to be reachable, this is the wrong choice for the night. Pack the earplugs for the morning call either way.

What is included in the fare?

The operator’s 2-day fare covers all four meals, the cooking class, kayaking or the bamboo boat, the cave rowing boats, entrance fees, squid fishing, an English-speaking guide and Wi-Fi. The 3-day fare adds the day boat, the cycling and the extra meals.

Drinks, tips and anything personal are extra. So is the road from Hanoi: the operator runs limousine vans of up to ten seats for its own direct bookings; ask for the fare when you book. See what is not included for the usual extras.

Who will like La SEN of the Bay?

Families. Eight suites sleep three and two connecting suites sleep four. For the bay itself, see our Lan Ha Bay page and the other Lan Ha Bay cruises.

Who should book a different ship?

Anyone who must work online. Anyone who wants to compare published rates before enquiring. And if a track record matters more than a new hull, the record here is two months old; the new ships page sets out what that risk looks like, and the luxury cruises page lists the other ships we file as luxury, most of them with a longer record.

What if the weather stops the sailing?

The operator’s own policy, read on 11 October 2026, covers it. If the authorities cancel sailings for weather, you can move your trip to any date within three months at no charge, or take a full refund less the transport fee. If the trip is cut short once you are aboard, the services you did not get are refunded. Bookings made through an agent are refunded through that agent. For what you pay if you cancel yourself, get the seller’s terms in writing; our cancellation guide explains what to ask.

Facts on this page come from lasenofthebaycruises.com (read 11 October 2026), its factsheet and deck plan, and Google reviews dated 5 August to 10 October 2026.