An independent guide to Ha Long Bay, Lan Ha and Bai Tu Long
Plan the visit
Ha Long Bay routes VHL1 to VHL8 and their fees
Every sightseeing boat on Ha Long Bay is licensed for a numbered route, and your entry fee is for that route. This page lists the routes, what each one visits, how long it takes and the fee set by the provincial authorities.
The routes and their fees
| Route | Main sites | Duration | Entry fee per person |
|---|---|---|---|
| VHL1 | Thien Cung and Dau Go caves; Cho Da, Dinh Huong and Trong Mai islets; Ba Hang area | 3–4 hours | 250,000 VND |
| VHL2 | Sung Sot Cave, Ti Top Island, Luon Cave, Soi Sim island and other caves | 5–6 hours | 250,000 VND |
| VHL3 | Cua Van floating village, Tien Ong cave, Ba Ham lake, Ba Men temple | 6–8 hours | 200,000 VND |
| VHL4 | Hang Co, Hang Thay, Cong Do, Cap La, Vung Vieng fishing village | 6–8 hours | 200,000 VND |
| VHL5 | Thien Cung, Hang Thay, Dau Go, Ba Hang, Gia Luan | 6–8 hours | 250,000 VND |
| VHL6 | Hon Chan Voi, Ba Cua, Tung Lam island, Cap Bai islet, linking Gia Luan and Lan Ha Bay | Varies | 150,000 VND |
| VHL7 | Combination of VHL1 to VHL4 | Full day | 600,000 VND |
| VHL8 | Tuan Chau marina or Bai Chay cruise port to the area south of the White Bridge | Short | 70,000 VND |
VHL6, VHL7 and VHL8 were added by Quang Ninh's Resolution 51/2025/NQ-HĐND, effective 1 May 2025, which also renamed routes 1 to 5 as VHL1 to VHL5 and kept their fees unchanged from a 2017 resolution. The fees for VHL1 to VHL5 shown here are the figures reported since July 2022, consistent with those reported in 2018. Site lists and durations come from ticket guides; boats may skip or reorder sites on the day.
Sources: Ha Long Bay Management Board — fees for three added routes, Resolution 51/2025/NQ-HĐND; Báo Văn hóa — Quảng Ninh ends the 50% ticket discount (June 2022); Thương hiệu & Công luận — planned fee adjustment, with fees then in force (2018); Green SM — Ha Long Bay ticket guide (commercial, July 2025); Sun Paradise Land — Ha Long Bay routes and ticket prices (attraction operator) · last checked .
Overnight fees and the port fee
| Item | Fee | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Overnight on VHL2, 1 night / 2 nights | 550,000 / 750,000 VND | Reported |
| Overnight on VHL3 or VHL4, 1 night / 2 nights | 500,000 / 650,000 VND | Reported |
| Overnight range, all routes | 500,000–750,000 VND | As reported in 2022 |
| Port passenger fee | About 60,000 VND | Printed on the same ticket at Tuan Chau |
At Tuan Chau the ticket has two parts: a stub for the port fee and a stub for the bay entry fee, so a day ticket for VHL1 or VHL2 comes to about 310,000 VND and for VHL3 or VHL4 to about 260,000 VND. The boat itself is paid separately; reported shared-boat prices were about 150,000 VND on route 1 and 200,000 VND on route 2.
Sources: Green SM — Ha Long Bay ticket guide (commercial, July 2025); Báo Văn hóa — Quảng Ninh ends the 50% ticket discount (June 2022); Sun Paradise Land — Ha Long Bay routes and ticket prices (attraction operator) · last checked .
Buying tickets
At Tuan Chau International Passenger Port the ticket counters are on the right after the main entrance. The ticket is issued per person and per route, with the port fee and the bay entry fee as separate stubs. If you join a shared or private boat through a seller, the seller may buy the entry tickets and hand them out at the pier; keep yours until you are back ashore.
Children's discounts are applied at the counter, so have proof of age ready. If you buy a package, ask for the route number printed on the ticket: it is the simplest way to check that you are getting the route you paid for.
Sources: Green SM — Ha Long Bay ticket guide (commercial, July 2025) · last checked .
Discounts
- Children under 7 and under 1.2 m tall: free.
- Children aged 7 to under 16, Vietnamese or foreign: 20% off.
- Vietnamese citizens aged 60 and over: 50% off.
- People with severe disabilities: free.
Bring passports for children if you are claiming an age-based discount. Discounts apply to the bay entry fee, not necessarily to the boat or the port fee.
Sources: Sun Paradise Land — Ha Long Bay routes and ticket prices (attraction operator) · last checked .
How fees have changed
Fees on Ha Long Bay are set by the provincial People's Council, not by boats or agencies. They were raised in 2017 and have been stable since. Proposals to raise them again in 2018 and 2019 did not go ahead: in October 2019 the provincial People's Committee ordered the management board to call off a plan that would have raised day fees by up to 25% and overnight fees by up to 73%. In the first half of 2022 a temporary 50% discount applied to help tourism recover; it ended on 30 June 2022.
If someone quotes you an entry fee very different from the table above, ask which route it is for and whether it includes the port fee and the boat.
Sources: Thương hiệu & Công luận — planned fee adjustment, with fees then in force (2018); Tuoi Tre News — Quang Ninh halts plan to raise bay fees (2019); Báo Văn hóa — Quảng Ninh ends the 50% ticket discount (June 2022) · last checked .
Choosing a route
- Half a day, caves first: VHL1, for Thien Cung and Dau Go.
- The classic day: VHL2, for Sung Sot, the Ti Top climb and beach, and Luon Cave by kayak or rowing boat.
- Fewer boats, village life: VHL3 for Cua Van or VHL4 towards Vung Vieng, at the lower fee.
- Towards Cat Ba: VHL6, which links to Gia Luan and Lan Ha Bay.
- Everything in one day: VHL7, if you accept a long day and little time at each stop.
Access notes for the caves and villages on these routes are on the caves and islands page; kayaking rules at each spot are on the kayaking page.
Common questions
Questions readers ask
How much is the Ha Long Bay entrance fee?
250,000 VND per person for routes VHL1, VHL2 and VHL5, and 200,000 VND for VHL3 and VHL4, plus a port fee of about 60,000 VND. Newer routes VHL6, VHL7 and VHL8 cost 150,000, 600,000 and 70,000 VND.
Is the entrance fee included in a tour price?
Often, but not in every case. Ask whether the bay fee and the port fee are included, and for which route.
What does VHL mean?
It stands for Vịnh Hạ Long, Ha Long Bay. Since May 2025 the routes have been numbered VHL1 to VHL8.
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