City Discovering
In the city area of Halong, recommended activities for visitors are to seek out the attractions, enjoy endless fun at entertainment parks, and immerse in local scenes at bustling leisure venues. Here is the detailed rundown of the best places to visit in Halong City.
Quang Ninh Museum
The museum's striking black exterior is inspired by the area's renowned mineral - coal. On the first floor, you will find exhibits about marine life. The second-floor houses valuable ancient artifacts, and the third floor presents the history of coal mining. The admission fee to enter Quang Ninh museum is 40,000 VND (1.6 USD).
The symbol of Halong City
Amusement Parks
Halong City has several large-scale amusement parks with various entertainment themes.
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Sunworld Halong: The most famous amusement complex in the city. It has 3 areas of Dragon Park, Typhoon Water Park, and the Queen Cable Car with Sun Wheel located on a hill.
Entry fee: 300,000 to 800,000 VND (12 - 32 USD)/day.
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Tuan Chau Park: This park owns the children's world park, thrilling rides, dolphin show, and the dinosaur park.
Entry fee: 100,000 - 350,000 VND (4 - 14 USD/day).
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Lan Be Park: The main theme of this park is floral, so it is also known as Flower Park. People often head to the park to take a casual walk, see art exhibitions and displays, or partake in recreational activities.
Entry fee: Free.
Having endless fun at entertaining worlds in Halong
Bai Chay Night Market
Bai Chay Night Market is also known as Bai Chay Old Quarter. Actually, it is not an authentic old quarter but rather features streets lined with classic Vietnamese-style houses. Bai Chay night market is a favorite hangout for youngsters to visit and take photos. The market area includes dining venues, cafes, bars, pubs, massage parlors, and shops selling food and souvenirs.
What are the places to visit in Halong at night
Beach Clubs
Beachside clubs are lively hotspots for buzzing nightlife in Halong City. Here, patrons can get absorbed in lights, music, performances, sparkling drinks, soft sandy beaches, and enjoy the cool breeze from the sea.
You can visit Chill Beach Bar to wait for the sunset from 3 pm. Some bars that open at night are Valley Beach Club and Bistro Fou Beach Club. Night bars are open from 7 pm until late at night. Drink prices usually start from around 2 USD.
Relax at beach bars
Local Markets
Markets are good places for you to discover souvenirs, native merchandise, or indulge in authentic street food. In Halong, you can visit wholesale markets such as Halong Market 1 and 2, Vuon Dao Market, Halong Marine Market, and Cai Dam Market.
Long Tien Pagodas
This is the largest pagoda in Halong City and also the city’s top spiritual destination. The pagoda worships Buddha and Vietnamese historical heroes. It is located at the foot of Bai Tho Mountain, which is famous for its spectacular views of Halong Bay from land.
Long Tien Pagoda Halong City
Wonders in the Bay
Right beside the bustling and adventure-filled Halong City is the UNESCO-recognized Halong Bay, one of the top 7 natural wonders of the world. The bay is teeming with fascinating sights that every visitor will undoubtedly want to see.
Sandy Beaches
Halong’s beaches are characterized by fine white-brown sand, clear emerald-green water, cool temperatures, and calm waves. You can have fun swimming at beaches on the city shoreline such as Bai Chay, Hon Gai, Tuan Chau, and Sun Premier Beaches.
Beaches in Halong
If you venture a bit further to the beaches on the islands within the bay, you will find some of Halong Bay’s stunning island-side beaches such as Ba Trai Dao, Titop, Soi Sim, and Ngoc Vung.
At these Halong beaches, you can swim, paddleboard, and kayak. If you are on a Halong cruise, the cruises often stop in the middle of the bay for swimming, and some boats are equipped with inflatable slides.
Unique Islands
Next, we could not miss mentioning islands on this list of places to visit in Halong Bay. Halong is well-known for its thousands of islands jutting out from the bay’s water. Many of these islands boast beautiful shapes and landscapes that are great for discovering.
Among the most famous and must-visit small islands in the bay are Titop, Soi Sim, Mat Rong, and Bo Hon. If you plan to spend 2-3 days on a larger island, Minh Chau - Quan Lan Island, Co To Island, and Ngoc Vung Island are my recommendations.
Recommended places to visit in Halong
While on the islands, you can enjoy the landscapes, go hiking, swim, experience the local island life, try fishing and catching shells along the shore, or visit temples. You can consider renting a motorbike for your island-hopping adventure.
Impressive Caves
Halong is indeed a place of layered beauty. Next to the city is the bay, within the bay, there are islands, and within the islands, there are various natural limestone caves.
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Sung Sot: The most famous cave with vast space and incredible stalactites formations.
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Tam Cung: This cave is divided into three chambers, each resembling a room with distinct and unique natural decorations.
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Luon Cave: Unlike the dry caves mentioned above, this is a wet cave in Halong Bay. After threading through the cave entrance, you will find an immense, expansive lake inside.
Halong one-of-a-kind beauty
Besides these, there are many other notable caves like Sang - Toi Cave, Dau Go Cave, Trinh Nu Cave, Me Cung Cave, etc.
Fishing Villages
In the midst of Halong Bay’s natural scenery is the vibrant life of its fishermen. Upon entering the bay, you will see faint outlines of small wooden boats, fishermen donning conical hats hauling nets, and aquaculture farms and pearl farms.
To delve deeper into the human scene within the bay, you can visit Cua Van Village, Vung Vieng Village, Ba Hang Village, and Cong Dam Village. These fishing villages are home to just a few hundred households floating atop the water. When visiting these places, you can row a boat to tour or participate in fishing activities for squid, fish, and clams.
Things to see and places to visit in Halong Bay
Continue your exploration by reading Best time to visit Halong!
Above is a well-defined list of places to visit in Halong. You can choose a few attractions based on your interests to visit in a day or spend several days within the bay and additional days on land for a comprehensive experience. More details about Halong Bay and Vietnam tours are available on our website. Feel free to browse and leave a message if you need advice from our local travel experts.
