Review of a 5-day, 4-night trip to Ha Long costing under 2 million VND

1 Preparation before heading to Ha Long

1.1 Choosing and booking a hotel - Review of a 5-day, 4-night trip to Ha Long

To prepare for a trip to Ha Long, the first thing to do is book a hotel. Bui Ly shared: “Ha Long City is divided into two areas connected by Bai Chay Bridge. On one side is Hon Gai ward, the city's economic center, which has fewer rooms and higher rates. On the other side is Bai Chay ward, which is newly developed, packed with tourists, and has cheap hotel rooms, especially close to the Sun World complex. You should prioritize booking rooms in Bai Chay ward for easy entertainment and dining.”

Bui Ly booked a decent room at Ha Long Bay View Hotel (formerly Thuy Duong Hotel) for 220,000 VND/room/night. The room rate already includes breakfast; the rooms in this hotel all have nice views and are notably well-decorated and fully equipped. In addition, there are many other nice Ha Long hotels at reasonable prices, or you can opt for a homestay if you prefer that vibe. Recently, Ha Long has also seen investments in quite a few lovely homestays with fairly affordable prices.

1.2 Choosing transportation to Ha Long

A safe ride will make your trip more complete and meaningful. After researching Ha Long travel experiences and bus company information, Bui Ly chose Hoang Cong bus, a reputable operator offering top-notch service on the Hanoi – Ha Long route. There is a departure roughly every 60 minutes with tickets costing only 130,000 VND / person; the operator also offers door-to-door pick-up and drop-off, so you don't have to worry about transfers.

1.3 Renting a vehicle in Ha Long

Motorbike rental services in Ha Long are limited, and those at hotels are mostly older models. Bui Ly also shared that since tourists to Ha Long mostly travel on package tours, motorbike rentals are somewhat scarce and not as good as in other tourist destinations. Fortunately, Bui Ly still managed to rent an older-model Nouvo to cruise all around Ha Long.

See more: What is interesting about the overnight cruise experience in Ha Long?

2 Delicious and affordable dishes in Ha Long

In Ha Long, there are mainly large restaurants and the most famous food is still seafood, along with quite a few eateries catering to tour groups. To save on costs, Bui Ly chose several eateries on Vuon Dao Street (near Ha Long Bay View Hotel). The eateries here offer a full range of popular budget dishes, such as rice plates, pho, beef stew in red wine sauce, noodles, etc., giving tourists plenty of choices. In addition, the pedestrian street in front of the Sun World gate is also a culinary paradise, with delicious, wholesome, and affordable snacks.

3 5-day 4-night Ha Long trip review – Sightseeing itinerary

3.1 Day 1: Straight to Ha Long

Departing from Hanoi, Bui Ly took a coach to Ha Long via the expressway, leaving at 14:00 and arriving before 17:00. Ly went to the hotel to drop off her luggage, rested, and then headed to Bai Chay Bridge to take photos, check in Ha Long at night, enjoy some food and drinks, and return to the hotel to rest.

3.2 Day 2: Wandering around Ha Long

Bui Ly had breakfast at the hotel at 7:00 AM and began her journey to explore Ha Long City. Quang Ninh Museum and the library are right next to each other, so Bui Ly combined visits to both places. Having lunch near the hotel was considered the most "spot-on" choice; as mentioned above, there are plenty of dishes to freely choose from.

In the afternoon, the Queen Cable Car and the Mystic Mountain complex were the two destinations chosen by Ly. At 19:00, she returned to the hotel, had dinner, and then went back to her room to rest.

- Note: Sun World Ha Long offers a 3-park combo: Water Park + Queen Cable Car + Dragon Park for 500,000 VND/person, but if purchased separately, 1 park costs 350,000 VND/ticket. Seeing this price, many people will choose the combo thinking it is cheaper and allows visits to all 3 parks. However, if you are up for spending the whole day here from morning to night, go for the combo; but if you have limited time, you should only buy a ticket for 1 park!

3.3 Day 3: Admiring Ha Long Bay – A natural wonder of the world

A trip to Ha Long would be incomplete without a cruise to admire Ha Long Bay, one of the world's natural wonders. To buy cruise tickets for Ha Long Bay, tourists on a Ha Long tour must go to Tuan Chau Island to purchase them. From Bai Chay Bridge to Ha Long Bay is about 14km, so you should try to go early to experience the bay more fully.

Currently, Tuan Chau sells Ha Long Bay sightseeing tickets for 2 routes:

- Route 1: lasting 3 hours, visitors will visit Cho Da Islet, Dinh Huong Islet, Trong Mai Islet, Thien Cung Cave, and Dau Go Cave.

- Route 2: lasting 5 hours, visitors will visit Cho Da Islet, Dinh Huong Islet, Ba Hang Fishing Village, Trong Mai Islet, Sung Sot Cave, Ti Top Island, Me Cung Cave, and Luon Cave.

In the afternoon, return to the hotel to rest and take a stroll around Ha Long Night Market; it is quite crowded with tourists and features many food stalls with delicious dishes all around.

3.4 Day 4: Leisurely exploring Ha Long

Deciding not to rent a motorbike, Bui Ly chose to admire the Ha Long sea in the early morning, stroll around the hotel, and then return to rest. In the afternoon, Bui Ly headed out to Sun World's Dragon Park for sightseeing

3.5 Day 5: Farewell to the port city of Ha Long

A morning sipping coffee, admiring the scenery of Ha Long, relaxing the mind, and breathing in the fresh air on the last day in Ha Long was the best. By noon, Bui Ly checked out of the hotel, had lunch, and boarded the bus back to Hanoi.

4 Some beautiful photos by Bui Ly

See more: Setting foot in Ba Hang fishing village - Small, peaceful, and poetic

Bui Ly's review of the 5-day, 4-night Ha Long trip is very suitable for young people. The cost is low while still offering a complete trip experience. Hopefully, Bui Ly's sharing will serve as a useful reference for you to plan your own trip right away.