Limestone karst towers rise from calm waters as a small boat passes through Ha Long Bay.

Understand the bays

Ha Long, Lan Ha or Bai Tu Long: which bay fits your trip

The three bays are parts of one landscape, so the choice is not about scenery so much as everything around it: how many boats you share the water with, how far you travel, whether you can swim or kayak, and which sights you came for.

By I Love Halong editors · Published 2026-10-25 · Last reviewed 2026-10-25 · Corrections

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The comparison

	Ha Long Bay	Lan Ha Bay	Bai Tu Long Bay
Administered by	Quang Ninh province	Hai Phong city	Quang Ninh province
Size and islands	About 1,553 km², 1,969 islands	Over 7,000 ha, about 400 islands	National park of 157.83 km², about 40 islands
Famous sights	Sung Sot, Thien Cung, Ti Top, Cua Van	Small beaches, Cat Ba, kayak lagoons	Vung Vieng, open water
Boat traffic	Heaviest	Moderate	Lightest
Swimming	Limited, Ti Top beach	Many small coves	Some small beaches
Kayaking	Designated spots, some closed	Suspended 2024, reported reopened 2025	Vung Vieng and lagoons
From Hanoi to the pier	About 2–2.5 h by car	About 3–5.5 h to Cat Ba	About 2.5–3.5 h
Planning estimate	Half day to 1 night	1–2 nights	1 night

Sizes come from different measures: the whole of Ha Long Bay, the waters of Lan Ha, and the national park in Bai Tu Long. They show scale, not a like-for-like comparison. Boat traffic is our reading of the sources, not a count.

Sources: Vietnam News Agency — Ha Long Bay–Cat Ba Archipelago, a world natural heritage; Wikipedia — Lan Hạ Bay; Wikipedia — Bái Tử Long National Park; Halong Bay kayaking guide 2025 (published by a tour company); Sun Paradise Land — Hanoi to Ha Long distance and routes (attraction operator); Vietnamtourism.com — getting to Cat Ba, 2026 transport guide (commercial guide); Vietnamtourism.com — Bai Tu Long Bay overview (commercial guide) · last checked 2026-10-25.

Ha Long Bay suits

First-time visitors who want the caves and the viewpoint they have seen in photographs.
Travellers with only one day from Hanoi: the piers are the closest, and the routes are short enough to fit.
Groups with mixed interests, since a single route combines a cave, a climb and sometimes a swim.
People who prefer a fixed, well-organised system: tickets, routes and piers are standardised.

The cost of all that is company. Routes 1 and 2 carry the most boats in the region in the middle of the day, and the landing stages at the main caves queue up at peak hours. If that is acceptable, Ha Long Bay is the simplest place to start. If not, keep reading.

Lan Ha Bay suits

People who want to swim and kayak more than they want to walk through caves.
Travellers with two nights or more, who can use Cat Ba Island as a base.
Anyone combining the bay with hiking in Cat Ba National Park.
Travellers coming from or going to Hai Phong, which is closer than Ha Long.

Lan Ha's islets are smaller and closer together than central Ha Long's, which gives it an intimate feel from a kayak or a small boat. The trade-offs are a longer journey from Hanoi, a busy and growing town on Cat Ba, and kayaking rules that have changed recently. Confirm what is licensed before you build a trip around paddling.

Bai Tu Long Bay suits

People whose main concern is avoiding crowds of boats.
Travellers who are interested in how the bay's fishing communities live and work.
Repeat visitors who have already seen central Ha Long Bay.
Those going on to Van Don, Quan Lan or Co To.

Bai Tu Long has no cave or viewpoint as famous as those in Ha Long Bay, so it suits people who are happy with scenery, quiet and a village visit. Because boats travel further from the pier, it also suits an overnight trip better than a day trip.

Rules of thumb when you cannot decide

If you have one day from Hanoi, choose Ha Long Bay and pick the route for what matters most to you.
If you have one night, choose Ha Long Bay for the famous sights or Bai Tu Long for fewer boats.
If you have two nights, consider Lan Ha, or a boat that crosses from Ha Long into Lan Ha.
If your dates fall between July and September, choose the trip with the most flexible cancellation terms, whatever the bay: storms close all three.
If anyone in the group has limited mobility, avoid itineraries built around Ti Top and the cave climbs, and ask how passengers transfer from boat to shore.

Combining bays

Ha Long and Lan Ha combine naturally. Since May 2025 the Ha Long Bay Management Board has charged a separate fee, 150,000 VND per person, for route VHL6, which runs from the Ha Long piers past Ba Cua and Tung Lam island to Gia Luan and Lan Ha Bay. Public ferries also link Tuan Chau and Gia Luan. Some boats spend the first afternoon in Ha Long Bay and the next morning in Lan Ha.

Ha Long and Bai Tu Long combine through route VHL4, which heads towards Vung Vieng from the Ha Long piers. Lan Ha and Bai Tu Long sit at opposite ends of the coast and do not combine sensibly in a single trip.

Sources: Ha Long Bay Management Board — fees for three added routes, Resolution 51/2025/NQ-HĐND; Cat Ba ferry guide (published by a cruise company); Green SM — Ha Long Bay ticket guide (commercial, July 2025) · last checked 2026-10-25.

Common questions

Questions readers ask

Which bay is least crowded?

Bai Tu Long Bay has the lightest boat traffic of the three, followed by Lan Ha Bay away from the coves nearest Cat Ba town.

Which bay is better for kayaking?

Lan Ha and Bai Tu Long have more open kayaking water, but Lan Ha's kayaking was suspended in 2024 and reported reopened in 2025, so confirm the rules for your date.

Is Lan Ha Bay the same as Cat Ba?

Cat Ba is the large island; Lan Ha Bay is the water and islets south and east of it. Both belong to Hai Phong.

Which bay should I choose for one day from Hanoi?

Ha Long Bay. Its piers are the closest to Hanoi and its day routes take three to six hours.

The bays · Ha Long Bay

Ha Long Bay

The central bay: official routes, the main caves, hours needed, seasons, fixed fees and when to skip it.

The bays · Lan Ha Bay

Lan Ha Bay

The bay beside Cat Ba: beaches, kayaking status, getting there, seasons, costs and when to skip it.

The bays · Bai Tu Long Bay

Bai Tu Long Bay

The quieter bay to the north-east: Vung Vieng, the national park, piers, seasons, costs and when to skip it.

Boats anchored among limestone karsts in Ha Long Bay at dusk, viewed through foliage from a hillside.

Choose a trip

Day or overnight

The trade-offs between a day trip and a night aboard, and a checklist of questions for any boat.

Tourists walk along a lit pathway through the vast limestone chamber of Sung Sot Cave in Ha Long Bay.

Understand the bays

Caves and islands

Access notes for Sung Sot, Thien Cung, Ti Top, Cua Van and Vung Vieng: routes, steps and crowds.

Aerial view of limestone karsts and cruise boats scattered across the turquoise waters of Ha Long Bay

The bays

How Ha Long Bay, Lan Ha Bay, Bai Tu Long Bay and Ha Long city fit together, side by side.

Start planning

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