Lan Ha Bay cruise from Hanoi: Light & Dark Cave, Viet Hai
You bike through a jungle tunnel to reach a fishing village wedged between limestone cliffs.
A 3-day cruise from Hanoi to Lan Ha Bay aboard a 5-star vessel, with guided exploration of Light and Dark Cave, biking through Viet Hai village, and kayaking at Ba Trai Dao Beach. Hotel pickup and drop-off in Hanoi, all meals, and a professional English or Vietnamese-speaking guide are included. You overnight on the boat both nights.
Step-by-step itinerary
Day 1: Hanoi to Lan Ha Bay cruise
- Pick up from Hanoi hotel
- Arrive at La Regina lounge, Tuan Chau Marina
- Board La Regina Cruises and orientation
- Cruise to Lan Ha Bay with lunch
- Explore Light and Dark Cave by boat or kayak
- Swim in emerald waters
- Return to cruise for sunset and happy hour
- Join spring roll cooking class
- Dinner on sundeck or restaurant
Day 2: Viet Hai village biking and beach activities
- Morning Tai Chi or leisure time
- Breakfast at restaurant
- Board day boat to Viet Hai village
- Bike 30 minutes along lagoon and jungle path
- Lunch at village or on board
- Visit Ba Trai Dao Beach for swimming and kayaking
- Return to main boat and leisure time
Day 3: Lan Ha Bay to Tuan Chau Marina
- Morning Tai Chi on sundeck
- Light breakfast at Ha Long Restaurant
- Tour Cat Ba World Biosphere and Trung Trang cave
- Return to boat and check out
- Lunch on board while cruising to harbor
- Disembark at Tuan Chau Marina
What’s included
- Hotel pickup and drop-off from Hanoi Old Quarter with two-way air-conditioned bus transfer.
- all breakfasts, lunches and dinners.
- bottled water throughout.
- two nights accommodation on the cruise.
- professional guide in English or Vietnamese.
- cave exploration by local boat or kayak.
- 30-minute bike ride at Viet Hai village.
- swimming and kayaking at Ba Trai Dao Beach.
- visit to Trung Trang Cave on Cat Ba Island.
- optional Tai Chi sessions on the sundeck.
Times
- Every day 08:00
Before you book
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The experience
The pickup starts at 8 a.m. from your hotel in Hanoi's Old Quarter. By 11:30 you're at Tuan Chau Marina, where you board the cruise after a welcome drink and orientation. The boat leaves at 1 p.m., and lunch is served while you cruise toward Light and Dark Cave: one of the main attractions on Lan Ha Bay. You arrive around 3:30 p.m. and explore by local boat or kayak, then swim in the bay's emerald water. Back on deck by 5:30 p.m., you watch the sunset during happy hour. If you want, you can join the chef in the kitchen to learn how to make traditional spring rolls. Dinner is on the sundeck or in the restaurant.
Day two starts early. You can join a Tai Chi session on the sundeck at 6 a.m. or stay in your cabin. Breakfast is at 7:30, then you board a day boat at 8 a.m. heading toward Viet Hai fishing village. The 30-minute bike ride takes you along a lagoon, through a tunnel carved into the limestone, and down a jungle path to the village itself: a small settlement nestled between the cliffs and water. Lunch is served either at the village or back on the main boat. By 3 p.m. you're at Ba Trai Dao Beach, where the water is clear and safe for swimming and kayaking. You return to the main boat for the evening.
On the final morning, another Tai Chi session is optional at 6 a.m., followed by light breakfast at 6:30. At 7:30 you visit Trung Trang Cave on Cat Ba Island. About a 30-minute transfer from where the boat is anchored. Back on board by 9:30, you check out and the crew helps with luggage. Lunch is served as the boat returns to Tuan Chau Marina, where you disembark around 11 a.m. and head back to Hanoi by speedboat, arriving in the afternoon.
Is this one for you?The guide speaks English or Vietnamese, so choose the language that matches your group. The fixed three-day schedule keeps the cave, village and beach inside one trip without you building the itinerary: transport, meals, guide and timing are all arranged, so the days hold together.
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Top questions
What languages is the tour guided in?
Live guide in English and Vietnamese.
What is Light and Dark Cave like, and how do you explore it?
Light and Dark Cave is one of the best-known attractions on Lan Ha Bay, visited on the afternoon of day one. You explore it by local boat or kayak, then swim in the bay's water around the cave area.
How long is the bike ride through Viet Hai village?
The bike ride at Viet Hai village lasts about 30 minutes on a paved road along a lagoon, then through a tunnel cave and down a jungle path to the village itself.
What meals are included each day?
Breakfast, lunch and dinner are included all three days. On day one, lunch is served while cruising and dinner is on the sundeck or in the restaurant. Days two and three include breakfast on board, lunch either at the village or on the boat, and dinner in the evening.
Do I need to arrange my own transport from Hanoi?
No. Hotel pickup and drop-off are included. The tour provides a two-way air-conditioned bus transfer between your Hanoi hotel in the Old Quarter and Tuan Chau Marina.
What is Ba Trai Dao Beach good for?
Ba Trai Dao Beach has clean, clear water safe for swimming and kayaking. On sunny days you can see the bottom, and the beach is visited on the afternoon of day two.
Lan Ha Bay cruise from Hanoi: Light & Dark Cave, Viet Hai
3d · EN +1 · at your hotel
from US$ 499 per person
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