1 A brief overview of Ha Long Bay
1.1 Ha Long Bay - Nature's giant ink wash painting
Ha Long Bay belongs to Quang Ninh province, bordered to the southwest by Cat Ba Island. It captivates travel enthusiasts with the majestic natural beauty of mountains harmoniously blending with the peaceful, serene charm of the sea. Nature has endowed this bay with lush green vegetation and picturesque clear blue waters. With such beauty, Ha Long Bay was honored to be recognized by UNESCO as a World Natural Heritage site in 1994 and 2000.
In particular, when taking in the panoramic view of Ha Long Bay from above via seaplane, you will have the opportunity to admire hundreds of thousands of islands resembling flawless sculptural and painterly masterpieces amidst the emerald green sea. This will certainly be an unforgettable experience on your Ha Long trip.
Overwhelmed by the poetic landscape of Ha Long Bay
1.2 What is the best time of year to visit Ha Long Bay?
If you are wondering which season is the best to visit Ha Long, summer, around May to August, is probably the most beautiful. That is because the skies are clear and the waves and sea are the calmest, making it ideal for soaring over the bay by seaplane. You can also combine exploring famous attractions in Ha Long with participating in sea entertainment activities. Those who love the gentle autumn, with cool fresh air slightly touched by the crisp chill of winter, can visit from August to October. The weather in Ha Long during this period is not too scorchingly sunny, pleasantly mild with little rain or flooding, which will give you the most fulfilling trip. MIA.vn recommends checking the weather forecast before planning your travel itinerary.
See more: Ha Long Tourism - Admiring Ha Long from a seaplane with Pham Duy Long
2 Suggested three Ha Long travel itineraries from above according to your budget
2.1 Traveling to Ha Long with a generous budget
Minimum duration: one day.
Total cost: starting from only 16 million VND (this cost includes transportation, dining, and cruise tour).
For more convenient travel, you can book a Hanoi – Ha Long round-trip itinerary. Currently, there are only 2 flights departing each day at 9:00 AM and 12:45 PM. To have more time exploring Ha Long, you should choose the morning flight. From the center of Hanoi capital, you can take a bus or taxi to Terminal T1 of Noi Bai Airport. Afterward, you will check in at Hall A, Counter 10.
The Hanoi - Ha Long flight takes about 60 minutes, during which you will have 15 minutes to admire the bay from an altitude of 500 m – 3,000 m. The landscape of hills and islands of all sizes rising majestically amid the clear blue water, like a natural ink wash painting, will unfold before your eyes. Take advantage of this time to capture once-in-a-lifetime photos as keepsakes.
The seaplane lands on Tuan Chau Island and takes off to return to Hanoi at 11:30 AM and 4:00 PM daily. Therefore, make the most of this brief time to explore Tuan Chau Island and buy meaningful souvenirs for your family and friends.
However, according to travel enthusiasts' experience, after admiring Ha Long Bay from above, you should book an additional cruise tour of about 3 hours to discover the beauty of the bay up close. You can enjoy an Asian-European style lunch prepared from fresh seafood right on board.
A peaceful view of Ha Long Bay seen from above
2.2 Exploring Ha Long from above on a moderate budget
Minimum duration: one day.
Total cost: about 9 million VND (this cost already includes travel, dining, and seaplane tickets).
To save costs and have a more flexible travel schedule, you can purchase a one-way Hanoi - Ha Long ticket and pre-book a coach or sleeper bus ticket to return to Hanoi. After soaring through the sky to admire Ha Long Bay from above, you can continue your travel itinerary by exploring Tuan Chau amusement park and enjoying the freshest seafood here.
Visiting Tuan Chau entertainment park, you will spend 300,000 VND on tickets and can enjoy unique performance shows such as dolphin and crocodile circus acts, musical water fountain shows... You can also explore the outdoor amusement area and try active water sports like surfing, parasailing, jet skiing... In addition, the Tuan Chau culinary area features a wide variety of "finger-licking good" dishes starting from only 150,000 VND / serving. You can freely recharge your energy to continue your journey of snapping photos in every nook and cranny here.
After having fun to your heart's content, take a taxi to the Tuan Chau welcome gate on National Highway 18 and catch a bus back to Hanoi at 5:00 PM. The coach ticket costs around 100,000 VND / ticket.
On a moderate budget, you have the opportunity to capture every breathtaking moment of Ha Long Bay
2.3 Option for those on a tight budget
Minimum duration: two days
Total cost: over 6 million VND (this cost already includes travel, dining, and seaplane tickets).
This is a super budget-friendly way for students to admire Ha Long from above. The best option is to take a coach or private vehicle to Ha Long. Afterward, you can sign up for a 25-minute scenic flight tour on a seaplane.
The seaplane will take off from Tuan Chau Port and return to the starting point after finishing its scenic flight around the Ha Long islands. There are 3 flights daily, departing at 10:30, 14:00, and 14:40. When coming to Tuan Chau Island, you should prepare a list of sightseeing spots you want to visit and choose good restaurants for lunch.
If you do not want to make a day trip, Bai Chay offers plenty of comfortable, well-equipped motels and hotels to choose from. Room rates here are not expensive, fluctuating around only 350,000 – 500,000 VND per room.
For just over 6 million VND, you already have the opportunity to experience a seaplane flight to admire Ha Long Bay
3 Some notes when traveling to Ha Long by seaplane
- Because you will be traveling on a seaplane, the maximum luggage weight you can bring is 20 kg.
- During holidays and Tet, seaplane ticket prices to explore Ha Long Bay may incur surcharges. Therefore, you should check ticket prices in advance when choosing this experience.
- The counter closes 25 minutes before departure time, so be sure to arrange your schedule to arrive early.
- Depending on seat availability, you may be able to change your flight time.
- You should bring a camera and a power bank to comfortably take check-in photos and capture these one-of-a-kind moments.
- Apply sunscreen and choose comfortable outfits for easier movement.
Be sure to save these tips so that your Ha Long seaplane trip will be as complete as possible
Above is everything MIA.vn would like to share with you for your Ha Long seaplane trip. Quickly pack your backpack with your close friends to explore Ha Long Bay and share your beautiful, meaningful moments with MIA.vn!
