For more on tours to Halong Bay, see on our cruise site. It is hard to do it any cheaper on your own, but some travellers prefer to steer their own course. Travelling independently allows you to take more or less time in places, depending on the weather. The downside is that it is hard to arrange an overnight on a boat this way. You can take a bus to Halong City from Hanoi (70, 000d, 3½ hours).

Route
The new route from 2010: Hanoi- Bac Ninh-  Halong (155km)
From Hanoi Centre to Sai Dong: 10km
From Saigon to National Highway: 23 km
From Bac Ninh (National Highway number 18)- Pha Lai- Chi Linh- Dong Trieu- Uong Bi- Halong: 122

Hanoi- Hai Duong-  Halong
It is an convernient way to travel from Hanoi to Halong via Hai Duong City, reaching Nam Sach, turn left to National Highway number 183, through Sao Do town, then Dong Trieu- Uong Bi- Halong. The travel time is 3.5 hours

Noi Bai Airport- Bac Ninh- Halong (160km)
The road condition is very good now from Noi Bai Airport to Halong Bay, if by a private car, the travel time is just 3 hours with the following route:
Noi Bai Airport- Bac Ninh (32 km), when reaching Bac Ninh & hitting the Highway number 18A, turn to Pha Lai then Sao Do, driving straight to Dong Trieu, Uong Bi and Halong.

Contact First Choice Travel to book the car/ mini van

Air
Northern Airport Flight Service Company (04-827 4409; fax 827 2780; 173 Pho Truong Chinh, Hanoi) offers a helicopter charter service from Gia Lam in Hanoi to Halong Bay on Saturday from 8am. Free transfers are available from the Sofitel Metropole Hotel. The cost for the charter service is US$175 per person, but it only runs with a minimum of six guests. The same helicopters can be privately chartered for US$3695 round trip.