Boat Trips in Vietnam: 15 From Three Dollars to a Balcony Cabin

1.Ha Long Bay Day Cruise – Swimming, Meal, Kayaking

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 7,415 reviews · from $41Our pick

You’ll leave Hanoi early for a full day on Ha Long Bay, visiting Sung Sot Cave, kayaking or taking a bamboo boat at Luon Cave, and swimming or hiking on Titop Island. Guides such as Sunny, Alex, Ken, and Henry are known for keeping the long day lively. Expect a busy, well-priced cruise with lunch, transport, and sunset drinks included.

“Sunny really showed all the places very well and his humorous is very funny and keep us very lively. Thank you Sunny.”

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2.Basket Boat Ride in the Coconut Forest

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 4,956 reviews · 50 minutes - 3 hours · from $3Best value

Spend about 50 minutes on the water at Bay Mau Coconut Forest in a traditional round basket boat. Your English-speaking guide may show you crab fishing, local net casting, and how to paddle. Guides such as Ding, Hung, Kim, and An are known for lively rides, photos, singing, and optional boat spinning.

“We were actually half an hour late for the tour and they still allowed us to join. Everyone was really lovely and we truly reccomend the tour.”

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3.Ninh Binh Full-Day Tour from Hanoi to Hoa Lu, Tam Coc & Mua Cave Via Boat & Bike

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 4,384 reviews · from $33Top rated

Escape Hanoi for a 12 to 13-hour small-group trip to Ninh Binh. An English-speaking guide leads you through Hoa Lu, a short village bike ride, a 1.5-hour Tam Coc boat journey, and the steep climb at Mua Cave. Pickup, transport, bikes, lunch, and water are included. Sunny is one guide frequently praised for his humor and storytelling.

“We got really excited about this but it’s a long day and pretty touristy. We didn’t have a great guide unfortunately, I think that would have made a difference if we did (he didn’t really have a great grasp of English and wasn’t very informative). The highlights were the boat ride and the hike. If I was to do this again I’d pay a bit more and arrange a private transport.”

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4.Amanda Cruise – Ha Long, Lan Ha Bay – All Inclusive 2D1N & 3D2N

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 4,358 reviews · from $56

Spend two days and one night aboard Amanda Cruise, sailing from Hanoi through Ha Long Bay or Lan Ha Bay. Expect Ti Top Island, Hang Luon kayaking, Sung Sot Cave, Tai Chi, cooking, squid fishing, meals, and a seaview cabin. Guide quality, boat condition, and route can vary, so confirm your exact ship and cabin before paying.

“It is a wonderful experience to travel by a cruise like Amanda.value for money.Courteous people on board to assist you”

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5.Cooking Class Hoi An:Local Market, Basket Boat, Fishing & Cooking

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 3,660 reviews · from $28

Spend about 4.5 hours with a local chef such as Hai, Ly, Lily, or Phuong. Visit Hoi An Market, ride a bamboo basket boat through Cam Thanh’s nipa palms, try net fishing, then prepare four Vietnamese dishes and enjoy eight foods. Central Hoi An pickup is offered, with morning and afternoon departures.

“Amazing cooking experience with chef Hai. It has been very nice and funny. We prepared many dishes :)”

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6.Cozy Bay Halong 5-Star Day Cruise, Buffet, Cave, Kayak, Swimming

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 3,512 reviews · from $48

Spend a full day exploring Ha Long Bay from Hanoi by comfortable shuttle bus and five to six-hour cruise. You’ll visit Sung Sot Cave, climb Ti Top Island, kayak or ride a bamboo boat, and eat a buffet lunch. Guides such as Minh, Tim, Duc, and Tony are praised for clear explanations and good group care.

“So much that is good but we were super impressed with our tour guide (Minh) who made contact with everyone the night before departure and so no last minute worries about pick up points and times”

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7.2-Day Halong & Lan Ha Bay 5-Star Cruise with Balcony

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 3,300 reviews · from $188

Travel from Hanoi to Halong and Lan Ha Bay aboard a 5-star cruise with a private balcony cabin, full meals, kayaking, swimming, cave visits, tai chi, cooking, and squid fishing. Guides such as Jackie, Mike, Tom, Hao, and Duy have helped make the trip personal and well organized, but the exact cruise and day-two stop can vary.

“The ship , food and accomodation excellent. Did not enjoy trip to the hospital cave- waste of 2 hours, wish I had stayed on the boat”

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8.CuChi Tunnels & Mekong Delta-Boat,TukTuk,Coconut Village SmallGroup

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 3,113 reviews · from $32

Travel from Ho Chi Minh City to the Cu Chi Tunnels and My Tho with an English-speaking guide such as Xem, Jackie, or Lockie. Crawl through a tunnel, ride motorboats and sampans, visit a coconut village, taste tropical fruit and honey tea, eat Vietnamese lunch, and hear traditional music. Expect a small group, lots of driving, and a full 11-hour day.

“The Trip was wonderful. The guide - Mr Tim , guided us and had wonderful stories to tell. The group was small , hence had ample opportunities to explore various spot in details. Loved it”

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9.Mon Chéri Cruise 5 star: Unique 2 Days Tuan Chau – Halong bay – Lan Ha Bay

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 2,422 reviews · from $195

Spend two days aboard Mon Chéri Cruises, sailing from Got Pier through Lan Ha and Halong bays. You’ll have an overnight suite, meals, cave visits, kayaking, swimming, a bamboo boat ride, sunset views, a cooking class, and squid fishing. Hanoi transfers cost extra, and the cruise accepts up to 35 people.

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10.Mekong Delta Boat,Khotcake cooking Coconut Village,SmallGroup

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 2,374 reviews · from $16

Spend about nine hours exploring My Tho and Ben Tre by coach, motorboat, rowing boat, tuk tuk, bicycle, and on foot. You’ll taste honey tea and coconut candy, try making khot cakes with a local chef, visit a coconut workshop, hear traditional music, and see Vinh Trang Pagoda. Guides may include Phong, Tim, Tam, Lu, or Niem.

“Good day trip from HCM city but a little long in the tourist trap items. Many of the activities are unguided and just boat/canoe rides with little explanations as even a small group gets split up. Lunch is okay - Served outdoors and it’s still hot eRead more”

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11.Doris Cruise 5 star cruise 2 days visiting Halong Bay Lan Ha Bay private balcony

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 2,338 reviews · from $235

Travel from Hanoi to Doris Cruise for two days among Ha Long and Lan Ha Bays. You get a private balcony cabin, meals, kayaking or a rowboat, swimming, Tai Chi, a cooking class, and a Dark and Bright Cave visit. Hosts including Emily, Mona, and Jessica are praised for attentive service, though the boat is not the most luxurious in its class.

“Very nice rooms , vegan food, well planned activities and the sundeck.”

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12.Mekong Delta Islands Boat & Tuk-Tuk Tour with Tastings

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 2,285 reviews · 9 hours · from $14

From Ho Chi Minh City, travel to My Tho for a full Mekong Delta day with motorboat and sampan rides, village tuk-tuk travel, coconut candy, honey tea, tropical fruit, lunch, and folk music. Guides such as Steve, Phong, Lam, and Little Trung are known for clear English and lively storytelling. A luxury option adds Vinh Trang Pagoda.

“Nice excursion! The energy of Lam is contagious, highly recommend. Go banana!”

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13.Market Tour, Basket Boat Ride and Cooking Class

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 2,208 reviews · from $17

Meet your English-speaking guide at the Ivegan shop for a market visit, a roughly 40-minute bamboo basket boat ride through water coconut palms, and a hands-on Vietnamese cooking class. You may cook bánh xèo, bánh cuốn, phở, and chè, with recipes and plenty of food to enjoy at the end.

“Perfect activity made loads of food and was in a lovely location”

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14.CozyBay Cruise-The Best Small Group 2D/1N inHalong-All inclusive

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 2,199 reviews · from $122

Spend one night aboard Cozy Bay Cruise on a small-group Ha Long Bay trip from Hanoi. You’ll visit Sung Sot Cave and Ti Top Island, kayak, join a cooking class, watch sunset, and sleep in a private air-conditioned cabin. Guides such as Tam, James, Michael, and Charlie are praised for their friendly help, though cabin quality can vary.

“The photo is deceiving. Cabins do not look like what is pictured. Our cabin was spartan. The pearl farm was redundant after having stopped at the factory on the way down.”

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15.Hoai River Boat Trip by Night and Floating Lantern

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 1,988 reviews · 20 min · from $8

Meet your English-speaking guide at the Kazimierz Kwiatkowski bust on Tran Phu Street. You’ll walk five minutes to the dock, board a private wooden boat for up to five people, and release one paper lantern per person as Hoi An glows around you. The ride lasts 10 to 15 minutes and focuses on scenery, not commentary.

“This was well worth booking… the normal queue for the boats was long and chaotic. My guide messaged me earlier in the day with meeting point, so met there and he escorted us down to the river and immediately onto a boat. No messing around, was great experience”

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