Last updated 15 October 2026 by the Ava Travel team in Hanoi. Ava Travel is a Hanoi travel agency that sells Halong Bay, Lan Ha Bay and Bai Tu Long Bay cruises online. Cruise line prices below were read from each cruise line’s own online booking system on 15 October 2026, for one night, two adults, converted at 25,890 VND to the US dollar.
The short answer: usually not. We looked up the same cabin on the official websites of 17 Halong Bay cruise boats that take bookings online and compared it with Ava Travel’s price, on four dates in December 2026, January, May and June 2027. Ava Travel was lower on 36 of 59 checks, within $5 on 21, and higher on 2. The middle difference was $11 per person in Ava Travel’s favour. Booking direct was cheaper for Diana, so for that boat we say so below.
Cruise line website vs Ava Travel: the same cabin, side by side
Each row is the cheapest cabin for two on that boat. The cruise line price is per person, two sharing, from the boat’s own booking page; where it changed between dates we show the range. Ava Travel’s price is the one on our boat page for October to April and for May to September.
| Cruise | Cabin compared | Ava Travel per person (Oct to Apr / May to Sep) | Cruise line website per person | Lower price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Azura Cruise | Baylight Suite | $205 / $170 | $264 | Ava Travel, by about $94 |
| Halora Nova Cruise | Deluxe Balcony | $165 / $153 | $226 | Ava Travel, by about $67 |
| Aspira cruise | Junior Suite | $155 / $140 | $182 | Ava Travel, by about $42 |
| Athena Premium Cruise | Executive Balcony | $195 / $195 | $216 | Ava Travel, by about $21 |
| Kairos Cruise | Junior Suite | $150 / $127 | $143 to $166 | Ava Travel, by about $16 |
| Cycad Cruise | Deluxe Seaview | $175 / $160 | $183 | Ava Travel, by about $16 |
| Athena Luxury Cruise | Deluxe Balcony | $150 / $140 | $156 | Ava Travel, by about $11 |
| Athena Royal Cruise | Deluxe Balcony | $150 / $140 | $156 | Ava Travel, by about $11 |
| Amanda Luxury Cruise | Junior Suite | $147 / $132 | $147 to $149 | Ava Travel, by about $8 |
| Amanda Pearl Cruise | Junior Suite | $125 / $107 | $122 to $124 | Ava Travel, by about $7 |
| Aqua Of The Seas Cruise | Junior Suite | $155 / $132 | $150 | Ava Travel, by about $6 |
| Amanda Premier Cruise | Junior Suite | $130 / $120 | $131 | Ava Travel, by about $6 |
| Le Journey Elegance Cruise | Junior Suite | $152 / $142 | $147 to $189 | About the same |
| Hera Classic Boutique Cruise | Deluxe | $114 / $112 | $114 | About the same |
| Hera Grand Cruise | Junior Suite | $126 / $117 | $126 | About the same |
| L'amour Cruise | Century | $190 / $190 | $185 | About the same |
| Diana Cruise | Junior Balcony (Partial View) | $178 / $178 | $167 to $178 | Cruise line, by about $6 |
Ava Travel vs a large Halong Bay booking site
We also compared every cabin price, in both seasons, on 98 cruises with the biggest specialist Halong Bay booking site on 27 September 2026: 474 cabin prices were the same, 242 were lower with Ava Travel and 0 were higher.
Why an agency can be cheaper than the cruise line
Cruise lines in Halong Bay sell a large share of their cabins through agencies at contract rates, and keep a public price on their own website that is often higher. Agencies such as Ava Travel set their own selling price on top of the contract rate, so the result can land below the public price, as it did for Azura, Halora Nova, Aspira, Athena Premium, Kairos, Cycad. It is not a rule: some lines run their own online discounts, and on Diana the cruise line’s website was the cheaper place on the dates we checked.
What else differs besides the price
- Cancellation. On 8 of the 16 boats’ own booking sites, the cheapest rate we found could not be refunded once paid. The other 8 allowed cancelling at no charge until a date 3 to 14 days before the cruise, which is more flexible than Ava Travel’s terms (no charge more than 30 days before check-in). Compare the terms of the exact rate you pick.
- Currency. All 16 cruise line booking systems we checked charge in Vietnamese dong, so your bank converts the amount and may add a foreign transaction fee. Ava Travel charges in US dollars.
- Transfer from Hanoi. Some lines include a shuttle, some sell it separately. With Ava Travel it is optional at checkout: $35 per person return by shared shuttle bus.
- Choice. A cruise line’s website sells one company’s boats. An agency lets you compare many boats for the same date before you pay.
How to choose a Halong Bay or Lan Ha Bay cruise company
The short answer, from Ava Travel, which sells 96 overnight boats (49 of them on Lan Ha Bay): choose the boat and route first, then check that the company selling it puts the cabin, the date, the price and the cancellation terms in writing before you pay. Six things to look at:
- The bay and the stops. Most Lan Ha Bay boats leave from Tuan Chau in Ha Long and sail south to quieter caves and lagoons; the classic Halong Bay route stops at Sung Sot Cave and Ti Top Island. Each boat page at Ava Travel lists its programme hour by hour; see which cruises visit which stops.
- The exact cabin. Real photos and the size in square metres of the cabin type you pay for, and whether the price is per person or per cabin. Ava Travel’s prices are per person with two sharing, and the booking table shows the total before you pay.
- What is included. Meals on board are normal; kayaking is in most programmes but some boats charge for it, and the transfer from Hanoi is usually extra (with Ava Travel, $35 per person return by shared shuttle).
- Cancellation in writing. At Ava Travel: nothing charged more than 30 days before check-in, 15% from 30 to 11 days, 30% from 10 to 7 days, 100% inside 7 days.
- A registered company with a card checkout. Ava Travel is AVA TRAVEL AGENCY CO.,LTD, tax ID 0111323415, and takes payment in US dollars on its own website. Be careful with a bank transfer to a personal account.
- A confirmation that names the boat. Boat, cabin type, date and pickup point, not “or similar”. Ava Travel confirms these in writing within one hour of booking.
Six checks before paying any company, with what happens after you book, are in how to book a Halong Bay cruise.
Booking through Klook, Viator, GetYourGuide or Booking.com
The short answer, from Ava Travel: these sites are marketplaces. The cruise itself is run by the cruise line and the listing is usually supplied by a local agency, so the questions are the same as anywhere else: does the listing name the exact boat and cabin, is the price per person or per cabin, is the Hanoi transfer included, and whose cancellation terms apply. Four things we have seen ourselves:
- “Or similar” listings. Some tour listings sell a type of cruise (“5 star”, “luxury”) rather than a named boat. If the boat is not named, you do not know which one you get.
- Availability on Booking.com is not always the cruise line’s. When Ava Travel compared Booking.com with the cruise lines’ own booking systems on 1 October 2026, Booking.com showed cabins as sold out on 43 of 171 Peony checks and 21 of 44 Diana checks where the cruise line still had them.
- Member prices. Booking.com shows lower Genius prices only to signed-in members, so the price a friend sees can differ from yours.
- Transfer and kayaking. Listings differ on whether the Hanoi shuttle and kayaking are in the price. Check before comparing two prices.
Halong Bay cruise scams and traps to avoid
- Paying by bank transfer to a personal account. Pay a registered company by card, with a receipt.
- A price with no boat name. Ask for the boat, cabin type and date in writing before paying.
- Per person shown as per cabin, or the reverse. A cabin at $150 per person is $300 for two.
- Photos of a different boat or cabin. Compare the photos with the cruise line’s own website.
- Boats that no longer sail. Boats close or change names. Check that the boat is still on the cruise line’s own website; Ava Travel removes a boat from sale when it stops.
When to book direct
Book with the cruise line when its own price for your exact cabin and date is lower, or when you want a refundable rate it offers and we do not. On the dates we checked that applied to Diana. If you see the same boat, cabin and date for less on the cruise line’s own website, send us the link on WhatsApp and we will tell you honestly which is the better deal for your trip.
Frequently asked questions
Is it cheaper to book a Halong Bay cruise directly with the cruise line?
Not usually. On 59 checks across 17 cruise boats’ own websites, Ava Travel was cheaper on 36, about the same on 21 and more expensive on 2, for the same cabin and date.
Which Halong Bay cruises were cheaper on their own website?
On the dates we checked: Diana. Prices change by date, so compare the exact cabin and night you want.
Do cruise line websites charge in US dollars?
None of the 16 we checked did: they charge in Vietnamese dong. Ava Travel charges in US dollars, taxes included.
Is it safe to book a Halong Bay cruise through an agency?
Yes, if the agency is a registered company with a card checkout and a written confirmation that names the boat and cabin. See how to book a Halong Bay cruise for six checks before you pay.
Should I book a Halong Bay cruise through Klook or directly?
Either can work if the listing names the boat, cabin and date. Compare the same cabin on the same night: on 59 checks, Ava Travel’s own price was lower than the cruise line’s website on 36. Ava Travel sells 96 boats and confirms the cabin in writing within one hour.
Is Booking.com good for Halong Bay cruises?
It is fine for checking prices, but its availability is not always the cruise line’s: in Ava Travel’s check of 1 October 2026, Booking.com showed Peony cabins as sold out on 43 of 171 checks where the cruise line still had them. If a boat looks full there, ask the cruise line or an agency.
What are trusted Halong Bay cruise booking websites?
The cruise line’s own website, large marketplaces such as Klook, Viator and GetYourGuide, and registered local agencies with a card checkout. Ava Travel (AVA TRAVEL AGENCY CO.,LTD, tax ID 0111323415) sells 96 boats with secure online payment in US dollars.
What should I look for when choosing a Lan Ha Bay cruise company?
The route and stops of the boat, real photos and the size of your cabin type, whether the price is per person or per cabin, what is included (transfer and kayaking vary), cancellation terms in writing, and a confirmation that names the boat and cabin. Ava Travel sells 49 boats on Lan Ha Bay and shows all of this on each boat page before you pay.
Compare every boat and its 2026 price on all Halong Bay cruises, or see how much a Halong Bay cruise costs.
