Discovering HA LONG BAY: Is It Really a Must-Visit or Just Overrated?

In this video we are discovering Ha Long Bay in Vietnam and answering the question: is it really a must visit or just overrated? A Ha Long Bay cruise is a trip that everyone tells you to do when visiting Vietnam, but it’s also one of the most expensive so we wanted to experience it and see if it’s a place worth visiting. Most cruises range from $250 to over $500 USD per person, including food and activities but if you shop around you can find some deals.
Ha Long Bay was recognized as one of the new 7 natural wonders of the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We did a 2 Day 1 Night cruise with V’Spirit Cruise which included the standard activities like kayaking and a bamboo boat tour through caves. The views are incredible but there are a lot of things that surprised us on this trip. Stay tuned to the end of the video to hear our final opinion because it was a rollercoaster of emotions.
Travel vlog 70 l #Vietnam #HalongBay
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[krystlebefort]

Thank you for sharing this! I keep going back and forth about visiting Ha Long Bay especially when other vloggers are posting perfect experiences and not including the whole truth about it. I appreciate your honesty and for confirming that I made the right choice to visit Ninh Binh instead!

[yesbeautyfly]

Rubbish problem in the rural areas are not easy to resolve. Lack of sufficient collecting services, recycling facilities, modern incinerators & ash melting furnace, what do you expect them to do?

[justcruisinmom]

I’m new to your channel did you guys do a video with all the cost of hotels that you stayed out in Vietnam? I’m really trying to use Chase Sapphire points and I’m not sure how to spend 8 days in Vietnam and where to stay really love the 1 night cruis3 just staying on the boat would be sweet so different from the typical royal Caribbean cruise.

[matthowe]

so sorry to hear about the garbage. Last Dec we chose Ninh Binh and opted out of Ha Long Bay. No garbage and we hope it keeps that way. We were rowed by boatmen, some were women. There are oars on board if we wanted to give a hand, and I could see in many boats, the passengers did, that was heartwarming!

[yesbeautyfly]

In Vietnam, plastic bags are not completely banned nationally & tap water is not always available. Bottled water is essential & clearer, SE Asians & Chinese do not always drink tap water even boiled.

[yesbeautyfly]

SE Asia is like that, it is very common. Many thousands of island in Ha Long Bay alone, just tip (also known as landfills) of iceberg.

[doodahgurlie]

I think to get away from the crowd/tourists, you have to book the 3 day cruises. Those may cost more, but you get a better experience as many will have their own private islands for you to visit and a more intimate experience overall. Also, if you're going during the weekend, holidays, or when school is out, you'll be swarmed by others doing the same thing...the same thing that happened to "Flora and Note" last year (although they said they enjoyed it still).

[yesbeautyfly]

If you not like garbage, then visit Tokyo Bay instead, all/most linked artificial islands are made from the residues from 19 incinerators plus ash melting facilities in Tokyo to make air & water clean.

[doodahgurlie]

All that trash is really sad and heartbreaking, etc. I've seen others do the trip and it wasn't that trashed up...that's just crazy. I wonder if maybe there was something that happened to bring in more trash than normal (I heard trash from neighboring countries can be brought in by storms). It also doesn't help that locals, Chinese and other tourists aren't taught to take better care of the land. I hope you guys mention this to the cruise line so they are aware that this is not okay at all.

[yesbeautyfly]

No need to surprise about the garbage, ONLY need to surprise if they do not have many floating on the sea. If Hanoi is like that, why should anyone expect Ha Long Bay would be clean?

[subhamagarwal]

Cat ba islands is a much better alternative

[yesbeautyfly]

I think book a helicopter flight then then the garage would be too small to be seen.

[hungcuongnguyen]

When did you film that video ? because since March 2023 all plastics were forbidden on the cruise boats . But unfortunately some people are still smuggling those polluting objects aboard despite the government's rules . In 1990 I was in Ha Long bay for the first time and it was so clean, so peaceful and not many tourists . We were only 4 people on a small sampan and felt like we were lost in Wonderland. Today Ha Long Bay is becoming so famous that it's victim of its popularity . For financial reasons VN is selling it's soul to the Devil, it's virginity to tourists (I am sorry for these crude expressions) . It's really very sad but it's the truth .

[khanhmai]

The trash is true. But Halong’s beauty is also true. Dont write title like that. It’s not overrated, but UNESCO-rated. What you should put on the title is human behavior.

[DucNguyen-lhld]

Ha Long bay there are a lot of trash. Did you report to boat people services?