Making the most of Halong Bay Cai Lan
Use these notes to shape a realistic day ashore, then confirm any time-sensitive information for the date of your call.
Arriving at the port
Large cruise ships once anchored offshore and tendered passengers to the city wharf. The November 2018 opening of Halong’s international passenger port changed this arrangement, allowing ships to berth beside the new Hon Gai International Passenger Terminal.
Apart from Halong Bay itself, there is little to see in the Halong Bay or port area.
UNESCO recognises Ha Long Bay as a World Heritage Site, and it is widely regarded as Vietnam’s outstanding attraction. Its dramatic landscape includes caves, vast rock arches, tranquil coves and around 3,000 limestone islets emerging from the Gulf of Tonkin. Ha Long translates as "descending dragon". Legend says an enormous creature created the extraordinary bay from the rock as it fought its way towards the sea. Vietnamese poets have long celebrated this romantic landscape, whose remarkable formations are among the world’s most exotic natural wonders.