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Cruises Holidays around Hanoi and Halong Bay

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Hanoi and Halong Bay Travel Information

Plan Your Holiday to Hanoi and Halong Bay

Helpful Travel Information

Travelling to Hanoi and Halong Bay? Browse our top tips for making your holiday to Vietnam the best it can be with our handy Hanoi and Halong Bay Travel Guide.

Flying to Hanoi from the UK: Non-stop flights depart from the UK for Hanoi on a daily basis, with some non-direct flights too.

Currency: Vietnamese dong (VND)

VISA for Vietnam: No VISA required for stays of up to 15 days.

Getting Around: Taxis are readily available and reasonably priced, though may require some bartering with the driver. Buses run regularly between major cities, and there is a good train system also.

Flight Time From the UK: The flight time from London to Hanoi is 11 hours and 15 minutes.

Time Difference: GMT +7

Languages in Vietnam: Vietnamese. Some Chinese is also spoken, and people living in tourist areas and cities tend to speak some English.

When to Visit: Autumn (September-November) and Spring (March and April) are considered the best times to visit Hanoi and Halong Bay, when the weather is milder and there is less rain. Northern Vietnam can drop below 10°C in the winter and temperatures and humidity soar in the summer months, averaging 28-35°C.

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Travel Tips & Advice for Hanoi and Halong Bay

Hanoi and Halong Bay Attractions

Hanoi is a melting pot of cultures, its streets brimming with intriguing history and ancient sites. Wander through Hanoi’s chaotic Old Quarter, where labyrinthine streets are lined with all manner of shops and stalls. The city’s streets are littered with countless ornate temples, including the Bach Ma Temple, founded in 1010 during the Ly dynasty. The formidable Imperial City was built around the same time as the Bach Ma Temple on the remnants of a 7th-century Chinese fortress, offering an insight into another era. South of the citadel stands the Temple of Literature, a part-museum honouring Vietnam’s most treasured scholars that is believed to have been the country’s first university. In Halong Bay, overnight or multi-night cruises typically include visits to rural fishing villages floating on the bay’s emerald waters, along with stops at some of the many islands which scatter the dreamy landscape. Other activities might include kayaking, diving and hiking.

Hanoi and Halong Bay Food and Drink

Vietnam is renowned for its aromatic cuisine, and in few places is it as dynamic and delicious as in Hanoi. The heavenly smells of authentic Vietnamese street food waft through Hanoi’s busy streets, where you can find countless vendors and restaurants spilling out onto the streets where locals gather to eat and mingle. Hanoi’s most famous dish is bun cha, a succulent brothy dish comprising smoky, slow-cooked pork and Vietnamese herbs. You’ll also find national classics like pho, banh mi, spicy curries and iconic egg coffee, which originated in Hanoi. Considering Halong Bay is largely defined by its dramatic seascape, it is perhaps no surprise that the cuisine here centres around the bounties of the ocean. Try sticky rice with grilled squid, oysters and horseshoe crabs, along with an aromatic array of stir fries incorporating locally caught seafood and fresh herbs and spices.

Hanoi and Halong Bay Activities

In Hanoi, one of the best activities to add to your itinerary is a walking tour through the Old Quarter. Your guide will take you to some of the best food spots as well as some of the city’s most important historical sites. Away from the city’s bustling centre, many visitors to Hanoi opt for day trips to some of the surrounding sites, including the ancient capital of Hoa Lu and the jaw-dropping landscapes of Trang An and the Mua Caves. While floating around Halong Bay, one of the most impressive places to investigate is the Sung Sot Cave, one of the largest in the area, where visitors can enter this extensive cave system and wander around its vast caverns. In nearby Cat Ba National Park, you can hike along a nine-kilometre trail that winds through the rainforest for the chance to glimpse the endangered golden-headed langur plus macaques, hornbills and giant black squirrels.

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