How to visit Ha long Bay on a budget - Vietnam Travel Guide

1/4/2019

Halong Bay is your typical postcard view, and one of the first image to come to mind when people think of Vietnam. Huge limestone rock formations jutting out of the saturated blue waters, it's definitely a must-see destination and one of the top things to do for anyone traveling to Vietnam!

Unfortunately, Halong Bay tends to be more of a luxury activity and often takes up a good chunk of a travelers' budget. Now, if you've been following The Dime Travelers for any length of time, you know that we like to save money anywhere we can. Halong Bay was no exception and we found the best way to do so by staying in the lovely fishing village of Cat Ba!

Want to have a cheaper Halong Bay experience too? Here's how!

How to Visit Ha Long Bay on a Budget - Vietnam Travel Guide

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Most Halong Bay tours depart from the capital city of Hanoi and last 2 to 3 days. These tours typically include a bus or van (which they call limousine) to Dinh Vu Portwhere you will then board a boat that will have you on your way to the impressive limestone cliffs of Halong Bay. You will find that these boats range from luxury yacht-like private rooms, to rickety wood things where you may share a dorm with a few strangers. Regardless of which option you go with though, they are all somewhat expensive to very expensive. Especially when comparing that to the low costs typical in the rest of Vietnam.

In other words, you either pay a load of money for a cramped tour with a bunch of party-goers or you pay three times that and get a nice luxury 2-day tour. If you can afford it, then it's definitely a great option! However, we were aiming to stay under 600 CAD per week and this did not work for us.

We couldn't afford the latter's higher price tag, and the first option was not the experience we were looking for. So, this is how we ended up in Cat Ba! A quiet little island, only accessible by ferry, this was the perfect solution. We took a bus to Cat Ba, spent two nights and two days there, and on one of those days we set out on a magical Ha Long Bay and Lan Ha Bay boat tour. Here how you can do it too!

How to get to Cat Ba

The first step is getting there. There is no airport on Cat Ba island, so the only way to get there is either by bus or shuttle, then hopping onto a ferry and finally taking another bus or shuttle to town which is located on the opposite side of the island.

Don't worry, it sounds more complicated than it actually is. The lovely tour companies of Hanoi and Cat Ba have already done the leg work for you and arranged for both buses and the ferry so all you need to do is follow the group.

The length of the trip is approximately 3.5 hours when you include the pick-ups, ferry and drop-offs.

Frog Island - How to Visit Ha Long Bay on a Budget, Vietnam Travel Guide

Frog Island in Ha Long Bay - named so for the shape similar to that of a frog

Where to stay in Cat Ba

There are not hundreds of hotel and accommodation options in Cat Ba to choose from since it's quite a small town. We stayed at the Sea Dragon Hotel but would not recommend it because of the rude staff and the fact that it was very noisy at night. Instead, you might want to try the Ireland Hotel which is very well rated on TripAdvisor.

Don't forget to always check previous guests' reviews before booking any kind of accommodation. It's the best way of making sure you will be comfortable during your stay.

Plan your Vietnam trip well by hitting up each of the best places to stay in Vietnam - check it out here!

Ha Long Bay tours and cruises from Cat Ba

There are a few different companies offering Ha Long Bay tours with a departure from Cat Ba. You will find that the prices are generally much more affordable because you can select a daytrip versus the multi-day trips leaving from Hanoi. The Cat Ba tours also pass through the very similar, while not as grand, Lan Ha Bay on your way to the UNESCO site - so you get two for one!

Most hotels will offer to book for you, but you can also check the companies’ websites directly (if they have one…) to see if you might be able to save on a markup by booking directly. If you like to talk to people directly, you can also take a walk to the center of town, in front of the pier, where you will always find a few representatives selling tours. If you choose the latter option, make sure it’s legit by asking lots of questions, and if possible checking reviews of their tours on sites such as TripAdvisor.

We opted for the tours from Cat Ba Express, the same company as the bus that we chose to take us to Cat Ba. Although it was slightly more expensive than the other offers (23 USD vs. about 20 USD) we found that the reviews were generally better than the competition.

Now for a tour company, their choice of guide is often the make or break factor that will determine their guest's satisfaction. We always recommend checking a tour company's recent reviews before booking anything with them as it will say a lot on the current crew.

Click here to find everything you need to plan your perfect Vietnam Vacation!

Cat Ba Pier Cruise boats - How to Visit Ha Long Bay on a Budget, Vietnam Travel Guide

Grey skies weren't going to ruin our day! Time to get on the boat!

What to Expect on a Ha Long Bay Tour or cruise

Most tour companies have the same type of itinerary when it comes to the Ha Long Bay tours, though not necessarily at the same time or the same order.

On your Halong Bay tour from Cat Ba, you can expect a shuttle to pick you up from your hotel within the city and bring you to the port. Once on the boat, the captain will head towards the smaller Lan Ha Bay and you will quickly see the limestone formations jutting out of the sea all around you! Floating villages and fishing boats will be on either side, with the boats departing or arriving from their work day. Ha Long Bay will be the next views in sight as you inch closer to the UNESCO World Heritage site.

There are always a few activities offered from tour companies such as kayaking, SUP, swimming, hiking, and swimming with bioluminescent plankton, depending on your choice of company, tour and time of departure.

With Cat Ba Express, after sailing for a bit we started with a pit stop on a Floating house where we saw the "Lucky Fish" which made me quite sad (although I'll keep this for another day, I don't think this fish considered himself very lucky at all with being trapped in a net and gawked at by humans his entire life…). But once the Lucky Fish's story was told, we hopped on some kayaks and headed out with our guide to see these rocks from up close!

Beginner kayakers should beware on rough sea days. After the previous day's storm, our kayak experience was something we'll never forget! We dealt with hand blisters and sore arms for a few days afterwards from having had to paddle like crazy in order to make our way back to the boat! If you're not a confident swimmer, you might be better to stay on the boat and avoid being roughed around by the waves in these conditions.

Nevertheless, after this adventure we were starved, and the dinner served did not disappoint! Our boat captain's wife must had been cooking all morning before we headed out because a feast appeared in front of us in no time. A buffet style meal, we had authentic Vietnamese cuisine including fish, beef, chicken, pork, rice and spring rolls. We should have taken a picture, but we couldn't wait to dive in!

Our captain later anchored the boat, so we could go for a swim, but again the previous day's storm meant it was chilly and most people stayed on the boat. No big deal for The Dime Travelers though! We are Canadian and used to cold waters! We ended up being the only two to jump in the surprisingly warm waters of Ha Long Bay!

If you like this tour, you will love Phu Quoc Island in Southern Vietnam! Click here for all the best things to do on Phu Quoc Island, including Pineapple Island, the world's longest cable car and more!

Rooftop deck Cat Ba Express - How to Visit Ha Long Bay on a Budget, Vietnam Travel Guide

The rooftop deck of the boat always has the best views!

How to get around on Cat Ba island

Once you get on Cat Ba island, the easiest way to get around is to rent (hire) a motorbike. Since the roads are much quieter than much of the rest of the country, it’s also a perfect place to start if you have never before.

It was raining and stormy during our stay (as you can tell by our mostly grey pictures!) so we decided to stay close to town and walked everywhere we wanted to. You can also hire a taxi to take you around, they even have very affordable rates for all-day hires which is especially convenient if you’re a small group (we did this in Phu Quoc!)

What to do on Cat Ba Island

Cat Ba is a place to enjoy the quieter side of Vietnam. Being the small island, you find a refuge from all the noisiness of the mainland. Here’s a few things to do during your stay on the island

Cat Ba National Park covers a large portion of the island and is a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve. You can take a self-guided hike to Ngu Lam Peak or hire a guide if you prefer to venture off-trail (always follow a guide when venturing off-trail in Vietnam, a lot of the rural areas are still contaminated with unexploded bombs from the Vietnam War).

Beach it up! Being on a small island means you are never far from the beach. Some are even walking distance from Cat Ba town.

Visit Monkey Island, a famous island where you are pretty much guaranteed to see monkeys. But make sure you bring comfortable footwear because best of all on this island, is the view of Lan Ha Bay!

Rock climbing, cave exploration, snorkelling and kayaking are also activities you can take up during your stay here.

Where to eat in Cat Ba

The restaurants that you will find in Cat Ba town are for the most part catering to tourists. If you’re looking for good fries you won’t have to look for very long. But on the flip side, if you’re looking for authentic tastes, you might be disappointed.

We spent quite some time at the Oasis Bar having some iced coffee and drinks. We were quite happy with what we found there to eat, sometimes a little taste of home can be good no!?

Although we didn’t try it since we had limited time on the island, we were told that you can find very good authentic restaurants by getting out of town, direction north.

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