Things to do in Ha Long Bay

Ha Long Bay, roughly 150-180 kilometres east of Hanoi, is not one bay but a shared gulf split into three distinct areas that travellers routinely lump together under a single name: Ha Long Bay proper, quieter Bai Tu Long Bay to the north-east, and Lan Ha Bay off Cat Ba Island to the south.

Each has its own limestone scenery, cruise routes and pace, and each is covered on its own page on this site, along with a separate page for Cat Ba Island and the gateway city of Hai Phong. Ha Long Bay itself was recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994, and the listing was extended in 2023 to take in the Cat Ba Archipelago.

This page is an orientation to the wider gulf, not a guide to any single bay's cruises or itineraries.