Bai Chay Tourist Wharf in Halong Bay

Halong Bay Bai Chay Jetty

The Bai Chay Tourist Wharf in Halong Bay is your main gateway to the famous UNESCO world heritage site in Hanoi, Vietnam.

Here, you will embark on your amazing Halong Bay Cruise, and this article shares the details I experienced while exploring this stunning place in 2010.

As I had a good nine days to spend in Northern Vietnam, I fully utilised my time here at Ha Long. I landed in Hanoi (as most flights would) and then caught a public bus to Halong City.

Bai Chay Tourist Wharf

Usually, if you book your tour through your hotel or tour agent in Hanoi, they would shuttle you via a tour van, where the journey takes about three and a half hours. 

Instead of doing the normal, I wanted to experience how the locals do it, so I opted for a public bus. The journey here took me about five hours, an ear-deafening experience I will never forget.

I got off at the junction of Tuan Chau Island, just before Halong City, as I was putting up at the Holiday Villa Halong Bay for two nights. (Update: The hotel is no longer the same, it is a different brand now)

Halong Bay Tourist Jetty
Bai Chay Tourist Wharf and Jetty.

On arrival at the wharf, you will see a massive archway with the name in Vietnamese and English. The place is quite huge, but there are two entrances. This one in the picture above is by the main road.

Getting here, you will most likely pass through Halong City along the coastal road. Once you arrive, you will see a prominent landmark: the Halong Bay Casino on your right.

Right after that, you can spot the wharf on your left. Several local shops line the road on the opposite site selling local coffee and food.

Tourist information Center Halong Bay
Halong Tourist Information Center.

Once you arrive here, you will most likely be approached by freelance vendors who will try to sell you tickets to Halong Bay. A tourist information centre is on your right as you enter, so if you need more information here, please feel free to use the services.

Signboards are seen around the main building and in English. (What a save). However, you plan to book only if you have not bought your tickets should you ask carefully about the cruise, as they offer many types of boats rated in stars. 

Ha Long Bay Boat Information
Boat information for Halong Bay.

Ha Long Bay Visitor Guide
Visitor guide to Halong Bay.

There are generally two types of Halong Bay Cruises which is the day cruise, where you pay about VND30000 to 40000 for a 4 to 5-hour cruise, and the famous Halong Bay Overnight Cruise, which is anywhere from US$25 to US$250 depending on the type of junk boat and service you require.

The day cruise departs hourly, and the previous junk is scheduled to leave at about 1 pm. However, on weekends, this may differ, so please check first. The boats make their way back to the city by about 5.00 pm to 6.00 pm.

*The price has increased over the years, so please note this.

Ticket Office for Halong Bay Cruise
Ticket Counter in the main building.

As for me, I wanted to take the day cruise, so I got in at about 1.00 pm only to find out that the boat was filled fast and left earlier than scheduled. It was a weekday too.

Asking around, I realised there were no more junk boats for the day, but the lady I talked to suggested that I rent the entire junk boat as it only costs VND 600,000.

Immediately I thought she was mad! There were only three of us, and to rent the entire boat? I brushed her off and went to have some Vietnamese Coffee across the road.

Discussing with the others, we realised that 600,000 VND was actually about US 30.00 and not $300 as we thought.

Was I out of my mind? 30 bucks for an entire junk boat to ourselves? Immediately we finished our coffee and rushed back to the jetty to look for this lady.

Halong Bay Boat Ticket
Ticket to Halong Bay.

Finally, after re-negotiating with this lady and her friend, we managed to knock the price down to VND500,000 for an entire Vietnamese Junk Boat!

That was $25 each for the three of us, but I was a little sceptical about this whole thing.

So I kept asking her if it was one of those big junk boats as I saw some tiny ones. After the third time, she pointed out one of those larger boats that can seat about 40 people.

She said, 'Same that boat', among the hundreds of junks parked around the wharf.

Seriously, I never have seen so many junk boats in one area and remembering what the postcards of Halong Bay looked like, this was not what I had in mind.

On top of that, we were required to buy a VND40,000 Bay and Cave ticket for each of us. So in total, we spent a good 620,000 VND.

She also told me that it would take about thirty minutes for our boat to arrive at the wharf, and she asked us all to just hang out.

You can also read my guest post on WildJunket about 5 Essential things to do around Halong Bay while waiting it out if you arrive early.

Various stalls sell food, drinks and souvenirs at the wharf.

For those heading out to do the overnight cruise here, I recommend you buy snacks and drinks before boarding the junk.

Prices on board are double what they are on the mainland. It's a tourist industry, so those who enjoy snacking and drinking should prepare for this.

The stalls around the wharf sell just about everything and anything. Sunblock, straw hats, toys, swimsuits, and the list goes on if you forgot something for your trip.

Junk Boats Halong Bay
Vietnamese Junk Boats lined up at the wharf.

Tourist at Halong Bay
Passengers waiting to board their junk boats.

Boat Jetty at Ha Long Bay
A junk approaches the hetty and gets everyone excited.

I should note that Bai Chay Tourist Wharf is swarmed with travellers from all corners of the world. You get to see the backpackers, flashpackers, luxury travellers and even the local Vietnamese people here going for the Halong Bay Cruise.

With the crowds swelling here, you should be careful about which is your junk boat. Usually, when you follow an agent, they will be with you and ask you to gather in one group so that when your ship arrives, everyone boards safely.

Halong Bay Tourist Boat
Travellers get on board systematically.

If you are buying the day cruise, you should ask the person you purchased your boat ticket from, and they will tell you where to wait.

If you leave the tickets in the hands of your agent, please keep an eye out for him or her, as you would not want to miss your boat.

Boarding the junk boats are also very simple and basic, but there is no railed walkway like proper jetties.

You simply step onto the boat as it docks by the wharf. The main journey out to Halong Bay will take about 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the type of junk you get.

Some are faster than others, while some just cruise casually with no urgency.

Photo of Halong Bay Jetty
Locals moving around the junks at the wharf.

Video of Bai Chay Wharf in Halong Bay
Public Buses to Halong Bay from Hanoi
  • Long Bien or Gia Lam Station (another side of Red River, 2km from Hoan Kiem Lake).
  • Luong Yen station to Bai Chay (Halong City).
  • Buses depart every 30 minutes from 6.00 am to 6.00 pm, costing 50,000 dong/person each way.
  • There is also a tourist bus from Travel Agencies near the Hoan Kiem Lake, which costs US$8 per person one way. 
  • The journey takes about 4-6 hours, depending on the traffic.
  • Bring an iPod or MP3 player; trust me, you WILL need it.
What to prepare for your overnight cruise;
  • Bring drinks and snacks.
  • Insect repellent
  • Swimsuit or trunks
  • Towel
    Conclusion

    My day cruise was memorable with all the excitement and drama in missing the initial main boat, resulting in a bonus where I had the entire boat to myself.

    You may also be asking if it is worth going on this cruise? Personally, I would say yes. This is worth every penny for the unique experience here.

    If you have the additional time, I recommend taking both cruises as they go on different paths around the bay and also visit other caves.

    The day cruise took me to see the Thien Cung Cave at Halong Bay which was quite spectacular, and all available cruise boats depart from the Bai Chay Tourist Wharf in Halong Bay.

    Malaysia Asia

    Blogging since 2007, but writing online since 1997. I belong to the 1st generation of worldwide bloggers, which is of course old-school. Since 2008, I created Malaysia Asia and this travel, flood, gadget and lifestyle blog has won numerous physical awards from tourism boards around Malaysia. (Not those online awards). After 12 years of blogging, I have semi-retired and now blog about things I like, do product reviews and enjoy life. My work has been featured in Lonely Planet, CNN Travel, Yahoo Travel, Wall Street Journal, and many other international publications. Find out more about me and thank you.

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