Ha Long Bay day trips from Hanoi
Out and back in one day. Pickup in Hanoi between seven and eight, back between half past seven and nine in the evening, with five and a half to eight hours on most shared boats and about seven in a vehicle. The day boats are their own fleet, run by the same companies that sell the overnight cruises.
A Ha Long Bay day trip gets you lunch on the water, a cave and usually a swim or kayak stop, from US$49 per person with the van included on the cheapest operator fare we read (Cozy Bay, 11 October 2026). Pickup in Hanoi is between seven and eight, the boat sails late morning, and you are back in the city between half past seven and nine at night. Ten companies behind 21 of the 92 overnight boats we publish also run day cruises, almost always on a separate day boat. We name those day boats here, each linked to the same company’s overnight boat.
What does the day actually look like?
The day runs from a Hanoi pickup at about 07:00 to a drop-off at 20:00 or 20:30, with the boat taking you from 11:30 until 17:00 or 17:45. Hera and Cozy Bay both publish the whole day, and their timetables line up closely. Cozy Bay Premium stays in Ha Long Bay; Hera Luxury Day sails from Tuan Chau across into Lan Ha.
| Time | Cozy Bay Premium (read 11 Oct 2026) | Hera Luxury Day (read 6 Oct 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Morning | 07:10–07:45 pickup at one of 12 meeting points around the Old Quarter | 07:00–07:15 hotel pickup in the Old Quarter, shuttle bookers |
| Boarding | 11:30, Tuan Chau Marina | 11:30, Lot 16, Tuan Chau Harbour |
| Lunch | 12:00–13:00, seafood buffet | 12:00, seafood buffet with lobster soup |
| Afternoon | Sung Sot Cave 13:30, kayaking at Luon Cave 14:30, Titov Island beach 15:30 | Dark and Bright Caves 14:00, swim at Frog Pond 15:00, cooking class 16:00 |
| Late afternoon | Sundeck cocktails 16:30–17:00 | Sunset party from 16:30 |
| Ashore | 17:00 | 17:45 |
| Hanoi | 20:30 | 20:00 |
The 12 meeting points are a detail worth knowing before you book Cozy Bay: the operator says buses over 16 seats are no longer allowed into the Old Quarter, so your meeting point may not be your hotel door. Hera instead collects from Old Quarter hotels.
Across the shared day boats we list, time aboard runs from five and a half hours (La Muse, Cozy Bay Premium) to about eight (JadeSails, on a reseller’s timetable). Emeraude’s trip sold as eight hours runs from an 08:00 check-in to 18:00 at Tuan Chau, so you are on the water for longer than the name says. Most of them stay out until 16:30 to 18:00, and several sell the late afternoon as a sunset party. The early return belongs to the morning sailings: Emeraude’s four-hour morning trip is ashore at 11:30, and Lavoya’s sunrise trip at 13:00.
Which day cruises run, and who runs them?
Eleven day cruises from ten companies, sailing from Tuan Chau and Ha Long International Cruise Port into Bai Tu Long, Lan Ha and Ha Long Bay itself. Times and prices come from the operator’s own page unless the cell says otherwise, per person and in the operator’s currency.
| Day boat | Water and pier | On board | Price as read | Same company’s overnight boat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ambassador Day Cruise | Ha Long; Ha Long International Cruise Port | 09:45 check-in, ashore 16:45 (read 16 Oct 2026) | On request | Ambassador Cruise |
| Bhaya Legend (private) | Ha Long or Bai Tu Long | 4 or 6 hours, leaving in the morning or by noon | From US$175 per person on a private boat, taxes included, car extra (read 6 Aug 2026) | Bhaya Classic, Au Co |
| Catherine Horizon | Ha Long; Ha Long International Cruise Port | 09:00 check-in, ashore 16:30 | On request | Catherine Cruise |
| Cozy Bay Premium | Ha Long; Tuan Chau | 11:30 to 17:00 | From US$49 per person, round-trip limousine included (read 11 Oct 2026) | Cozy Bay Grand |
| Cozy Bay Tropical | Lan Ha; from Tuan Chau | 11:15 to 18:00 | From US$58 per person, transfer included (read 11 Oct 2026) | Cozy Bay Grand |
| Emeraude Min and Sayuri | Ha Long; Tuan Chau | Sold as 4, 6 or 8 hours; the 6-hour trip runs 12:00 to 18:00, the 8-hour trip 08:00 to 18:00 | On request | Emeraude Classic |
| Hera Luxury Day | Ha Long into Lan Ha; Tuan Chau | 11:30 to 17:45 | 1,900,000 VND per adult; transport extra at 500,000 VND (shuttle) or 600,000 VND (limousine) per person return (read 6 Oct 2026) | Hera Grand, Hera Classic Boutique |
| JadeSails | Ha Long into Lan Ha; Tuan Chau | 09:30 to about 17:30 (reseller listing, read 6 Aug 2026) | US$119 per person, operator tariff (read 10 Aug 2026) | Elite of the Seas; also Stellar of the Seas |
| La Casta Daily | Ha Long; Tuan Chau | 10:00 check-in, ashore 17:30 to 18:00 | On request; transport extra | La Casta, La Casta Regal |
| La Muse | Bai Tu Long; Ha Long International Cruise Port | 12:00 to 17:30; 4-hour and 8-hour trips too | On request; van extra | Dragon Legend, Dragon’s Pearl |
| Paradise Delight | Ha Long; Ha Long International Cruise Port | 09:00 check-in, ashore 16:30 | On request; transport extra | Paradise Elegance |
The overnight boats named in the table are separate vessels, and the day trip does not run on them. They show which company stands behind each day boat.
What is included, and what costs extra?
Lunch on board is included on every boat in the table; Ambassador, Cozy Bay, Hera, La Casta and Paradise Delight serve it as a buffet. Two things vary enough to ask about in writing. The van is one: Cozy Bay’s price includes it, while Emeraude, Hera, La Casta, La Muse and Paradise leave transport out of the fare. Kayaking is the other, because Ambassador, Paradise and Emeraude charge extra for the kayak or bamboo boat at Luon Cave.
The Ha Long day boats mostly follow the same circuit: Titov Island, Sung Sot and the lagoon at Luon Cave, in some order. That is the route Ambassador, Cozy Bay, La Casta, Paradise Delight and one of Emeraude’s eight-hour routes publish; Emeraude’s six-hour trip has you choose between Luon and Titov. La Muse goes the other way, into Bai Tu Long and Thien Canh Son Cave. Our Ha Long Bay page and the Bai Tu Long page cover what those two areas look like.
What do you miss compared with one night?
You miss dinner on the water and the morning on the bay after the day boats have gone in. The catch is the van and the crowd. On Hera’s and Cozy Bay’s day cruises, about seven of the thirteen hours door to door are spent on the road. Some shared day boats are big, too: Hera’s day boat takes up to 200 guests, and Paradise Delight takes up to 360 guests. Sung Sot, Luon and Titov are on most of the Ha Long day boats’ timetables, so expect company there.
On the timetables operators print, a two-day cruise is aboard from about noon to about 11:00 the next day, some 23 hours. Our two days and one night page walks through it hour by hour, and two days or three covers the longer option.
A night on board costs more. Across the 83 boats we publish with a one-night rate, the cheapest cabin works out from $105 to $423 per person, two sharing, with a median of $155 (rates read 6 August to 28 October 2026), before any transfer.
Who should take the day trip?
Take it if your Vietnam route has no spare night around Hanoi, or if someone in your group does not want to sleep on a boat. Book a boat that leaves Tuan Chau around 11:00 to 11:30 if you want the late-afternoon light, and a four-hour morning boat if you want the evening free in Hanoi, knowing that Emeraude’s starts with a 07:30 check-in at Tuan Chau and does not include the van.
Look elsewhere if the bay is the reason you came, or if seven hours in a van with a short cruise in the middle sounds like the wrong trade. Sea Lion, Lavoya and Paradise Explorer join these on our Ha Long Bay day cruises page, sorted by company. Our guide to getting from Hanoi to Ha Long covers the transfer options for either.
Common questions
How long is a Ha Long Bay day trip from Hanoi?
About thirteen hours door to door. Hera's day cruise collects from the Old Quarter at 07:00 and returns at 20:00; Cozy Bay's runs from 07:10 to about 20:30. Of that, the boat itself takes five and a half to eight hours on most shared boats, and the rest is the van. The drive is around two and a half hours each way, and hotel pickups and a rest stop add the remainder.
How much does a Ha Long Bay day cruise cost?
On the operators' own pages, Cozy Bay Premium was from US$49 per person including a round-trip limousine (read 11 October 2026), and Hera Luxury Day was 1,900,000 VND per adult with transport extra (read 6 October 2026). The A-Class tariff for JadeSails was US$119 per person (read 10 August 2026). Several operators quote only on request, so ask for a price that states whether the van is included.
Is a day trip to Ha Long Bay worth it?
If you have no spare night, yes. You get lunch on board, a cave, and on most Ha Long day boats a swim or kayak stop as well. What you give up is the night and the morning on the water, and you spend roughly as long in a van as on the boat.
Can you kayak on a Ha Long Bay day cruise?
On most Ha Long Bay day boats, yes. The usual kayak stop is Luon Cave, which Cozy Bay, La Casta and Ambassador all list. Ambassador, Paradise and Emeraude charge separately for kayaking or the bamboo boat at Luon, so check whether your fare covers it. If paddling matters to you, ask before you book.