Too touristy? Too polluted? Too dangerous? In other words, is Halong Bay worth a trip? Here are the top Halong Bay travel concerns debunked.

1. Addressing the Top Halong
Bay Travel Concerns

2. So, you’re considering a Halong Bay
visit but you’re hesitant because
you’ve heard something on the
grapevine that’s putting you off.

3. We are going to look at the top
Halong Bay travel concerns and
debunk them based on personal
experience, deep research, and
testimonials from other travelers.

4. POLLUTION#1
Halong Bay has unfortunately not been immune
to the nasty pollution that plagues a lot of
Southeast Asian waters.
But recent years have seen some of the
renowned emerald Halong waters turn brown
with pollutants- however, the times are a-
changing in the world famous bay. There are big
efforts (led by the local government) underway
to reverse the damage that has been done.

5. The International Union for Conservation
of Nature in collaboration with the
Halong-Cat Ba Alliance and some local
cruise companies have banded
together to create a campaign that will
“clean up the dirty Halong”.

6. The campaign framework
supports locals (mainly
youths and students) in
joining together and
cleaning up the area-
either by combing the
beaches collecting litter
or on the water by kayak.

7. CRUISE SAFETY#2
If you’ve heard a ‘budget’
cruise horror story from Halong
Bay, you’re not the only one. It
might be a case of Chinese
whispers, granted, but either
way, your safety on the water is
definitely not something you
want to take lightly, especially if
you are traveling with children.

8. On a budget? Totally fine, you don’t
have to be flush with cash to go on a
Halong Bay cruise, and you don’t
need to sacrifice your safety or take
any risks just because you’re
choosing a budget option. Take Rosa
Cruise, or Aclass Legend for example-
super standard of cruising, great
service, and some of the cheapest
on the market.

9. Or, if you don’t mind parting with a
little bit more cash, try out Pelican
Cruise (they claim to be one of the
few Halong cruises that employ
full radar and sonar equipment, plus
smoke alarms, life jackets, the whole
shebang). Check out our article on
the top budget friendly Halong
cruises if you want to know more.

10. If you’re someone with strict, specific
dietary requirements you’ve probably
been in many a situation where you’ve
had to exclude yourself because of it.
We know plenty of vegans who say
they regularly have to resort to eating
little more than a garden salad when
they go out because there is simply no
other option for them.
Cruise Menu for Vegetarian,
Vegan, Seafood-free Passengers#3

11. Thankfully, this is absolutely not the
case when dining on a Halong Bay
cruise. As long as you notify the
cruise management far enough in
advance the chefs on board will
ensure you have just as much
choice as everyone else. Exemplary
cruises are Pelican Cruise, Orchid
Cruise, and Garden Bay Premium
Cruise.

12. Too Touristy?#4
Going on a day cruise (or even a one night
cruise) means that your boat won’t have time
to travel too far away from the port, so you’ll be
staying in the most populous area of the bay
with all the other boats. The scenery is still
completely stunning here, but it has to be said
that sharing the view with 100+ other boats
takes away a bit of the romance.

13. If you have the time, booking a 2-night
cruise means that your boat will have the
time to sail off further away from the
crowded areas, into the regions of the
bay where few other cruises travel.
Keep an eye out in particular for cruises
(like Orchid Cruise or Azalea Cruise)
whose route go through Bai Tu Long or
Lan Ha Bay, areas which are just as
impressive in terms of scenery as Halong,
but lack the same levels of tourism.