Last updated 1 October 2026 by the Ava Travel team in Hanoi. Prices checked the same day on our own booking pages.
The short answer, using Ava Travel’s own prices: the best 3 day 2 night Halong Bay cruise for most travellers in 2026 is Kairos on Lan Ha Bay, from $295 per person ($245 from May to September): a 2025 ship with a balcony and bathtub in every cabin, and a middle day cycling Cat Ba Island and swimming at Ba Trai Dao beach. For the quietest water pick Athena Royal on Bai Tu Long Bay (from $285), and on a tight budget Syrena from $222.
80 of the 96 ships Ava Travel sells run a 3 day 2 night trip. It usually costs about 1.9 times the 2-day price, and the middle of the range is about $314 per person in high season.
How to read the prices: “from $X per person” is the lowest price for two adults sharing one cabin for the whole 3 days 2 nights, in high season (October to April), with all meals on board. Where the ship is cheaper from May to September we give that low season price too. Prices are a snapshot from 1 October 2026. Transfer from Hanoi is extra: $20 per person one way or $35 return by shuttle.
Quick comparison: the 10 best 3 day 2 night cruises
| # | Cruise | Best for | Bay | Cabins | Oct-Apr (Ava Travel) | May-Sep |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kairos | Best overall value | Lan Ha | 29 | $295 | $245 |
| 2 | Mon Cheri | Two days ashore on Cat Ba | Lan Ha | 18 | $325 | $300 |
| 3 | Athena Royal | Quiet bay, almost one price all year | Bai Tu Long | 22 | $285 | $280 |
| 4 | Cycad | Newest ship on Bai Tu Long | Bai Tu Long | 24 | $335 | $300 |
| 5 | Amanda Luxury | Cycling in Cat Ba National Park | Lan Ha | 20 | $282 | $260 |
| 6 | Dragon Pearl Junks | Small wooden junk | Bai Tu Long | 10 | $310 | $290 |
| 7 | Heritage Binh Chuan | A Vietnamese-style ship | Lan Ha | 20 | $405 | $345 |
| 8 | Stellar of the Seas | Top-end service | Lan Ha | 22 | $560 | $505 |
| 9 | Syrena | Cheapest with a balcony option | Halong | 17 | $222 | $215 |
| 10 | Annam Junk | Cheapest 3 day cruise we sell | Halong | 7 | $202 | n/a |
2 days or 3 days: what the extra day adds
A 2 day 1 night cruise boards around noon, spends one afternoon kayaking or swimming, anchors for the night, and fits one excursion (usually a cave) into the second morning before you are back at the pier between about 10:30 and 12:30. It is a good trip, but it is short.
On a 3 day 2 night cruise the middle day is the difference. On most of the ships below you switch to a smaller day boat and go further into the bay than the overnight ships reach: Viet Hai village on Cat Ba Island by bicycle or electric cart (Kairos, Mon Cheri, Amanda Luxury, Heritage Binh Chuan, Stellar of the Seas), or Vung Vieng fishing village and Thay Cave on Bai Tu Long (Athena Royal, Cycad). You are back on the ship for sunset, a second night and a second sunrise. Not sure the second night is worth it? See Lan Ha Bay: 1 night or 2 nights.
- Choose 3 days if this is your main stop in the north or you want to see Cat Ba or the Bai Tu Long villages properly.
- Choose 2 days if you are short on time, travelling with young children, or watching the budget: you see the bay for a little over half the price.
- Book 3 days from May to September if you can. On several ships the low season saving on two nights is $40 to $60 per person.
1. Kairos: best overall value
From $295 per person ($245 May to September). 29 cabins, launched 2025, Lan Ha Bay.
A new ship with a balcony and bathtub in every cabin, from 30 sqm, at one of the lower 3-day prices on Lan Ha Bay. Day one is kayaking or swimming in the Tra Bau area. On day two a day boat takes you to Cat Ba Island for Viet Hai village by bicycle or electric car, then kayaking between the small islands and a swim at Ba Trai Dao beach. Day three is Dark and Bright Cave by kayak or rowed sampan, and you are ashore at 12:30.
Downside: the seasonal swing is large: high season costs $50 more per person than May to September. There is no family room, so four people need two cabins.
2. Mon Cheri: two days ashore on Cat Ba
From $325 per person ($300 May to September). 18 cabins, built 2018, Lan Ha Bay.
Mon Cheri is the 3-day trip with the most time on land. Day two is the day boat to Viet Hai village, by bicycle or electric cart through the forest, then kayaking in a quiet lagoon. Day three goes ashore again for Trung Trang Cave on Cat Ba, about 30 minutes by road from Gia Luan jetty. Every cabin has a balcony, from 35 sqm.
Downside: the published day three lists breakfast only, not the brunch most ships serve before you disembark, and the hull is from 2018.
3. Athena Royal: quiet water at almost the same price all year
From $285 per person ($280 May to September). 22 cabins, sailing since 2017, Bai Tu Long Bay.
Bai Tu Long sees a fraction of the boats on the main Halong route, and a 3-day trip there is where it pays off. Day one anchors in the Cong Do area with swimming and kayaking. Day two takes a day boat to Vung Vieng fishing village and its pearl beds, then kayaking at Thay Cave and a tea introduction. Day three climbs close to 200 steps to Thien Canh Son Cave. Every cabin has a balcony, and high season costs only $5 more.
Downside: the entry Deluxe Balcony is only 25 sqm, it departs from Halong International Cruise Port rather than Tuan Chau, and the Thay Cave visit depends on the tide that day.
4. Cycad: the newest ship on Bai Tu Long
From $335 per person ($300 May to September). 24 cabins, launched 2025, Bai Tu Long Bay.
A 2025 ship on the emptiest of the three bays. Day one visits Vung Vieng fishing village by kayak or rowed bamboo boat. Day two is a day boat into the Cap La area, with small beaches and lagoons, then the Thay Cave area for kayaking and swimming. Day three is Thien Canh Son Cave. See the best Bai Tu Long Bay cruises.
Downside: the cheapest cabin, the Deluxe Seaview, has no balcony, and the operator publishes floor areas for the three largest cabins only.
5. Amanda Luxury: cycling in Cat Ba National Park
From $282 per person ($260 May to September). 20 cabins, built 2017, Lan Ha Bay.
An active middle day: a 5 km cycle to Viet Hai village inside Cat Ba National Park, lunch on the day boat, then kayaking around Tai Queo Cave. Day three is Dark and Bright Cave. Every cabin has a balcony, and the 45 sqm Royal Suite costs little more than the 30 sqm cabins.
Downside: you board by tender from Tuan Chau, the spa is charged on board, and a 5 km ride is not for everyone.
6. Dragon Pearl Junks: a small wooden junk
From $310 per person ($290 May to September). 10 cabins, wooden junk from 2010, Bai Tu Long Bay.
Ten cabins means about twenty guests on a proper timber junk. Day one is kayaking in the Cap La area. Day two visits Thien Canh Son Cave, kayaks around Hon Co, then moves to the Cong Dam beach for a barbecue lunch, weather permitting. Day three goes into Vung Vieng fishing village on a bamboo boat rowed by local fishermen.
Downside: one cabin type with no balcony, the operator does not publish its floor area, and there is no spa.
7. Heritage Binh Chuan: a ship that feels Vietnamese
From $405 per person ($345 May to September). 20 suites, running since 2019, Lan Ha Bay.
Mornings start with Vovinam, the Vietnamese martial art, instead of Tai Chi, and dinner is in a proper restaurant rather than a buffet hall. Day two goes by speedboat or day boat to Viet Hai village and a traditional house, then swimming and kayaking at Ba Trai Dao or a quiet stretch of the bay. Day three is a bamboo boat through Dark and Bright Cave. All four suite types have balconies, from 33 sqm.
Downside: high season adds $60 per person, the spa is charged on board, and the cave trip on the last morning leaves at 07:15.
8. Stellar of the Seas: top-end service
From $560 per person ($505 May to September). 22 cabins, running since 2018, Lan Ha Bay.
The highest-rated ship we sell on Lan Ha, chosen for its service and kitchen. Day one kayaks in Ao Ech lagoon. Day two starts with a golf class on the onboard course and a tea ceremony, then a speedboat to Viet Hai village for a guided cycle through the valley and lunch in a bamboo house. Day three is Dark and Bright Cave by rowing boat or kayak.
Downside: cabins are small for the price, 28 to 32 sqm. You pay for how the ship is run, not for space.
9. Syrena: a cheap 3 days with a full middle day
From $222 per person ($215 May to September). 17 cabins, wooden junk from 2010, Halong Bay.
Syrena packs a lot into the price. Day one is Sung Sot Cave, one of the largest in Halong Bay, and Titop Island. Day two is a day boat to Dark and Bright Cave for kayaking, a swim at Ba Trai Dao beach and a pearl farm. Day three is Luon Cave in a bamboo boat rowed by a local. More cheap options in our best budget cruises guide.
Downside: the cheapest cabin has no balcony, there is no jacuzzi, and the operator does not publish cabin sizes.
10. Annam Junk: the cheapest 3 day cruise we sell
From $202 per person in high season. 7 cabins, wooden boat from 2005, Halong Bay.
Seven cabins on a small wooden junk, with all meals. Day one stops at a pearl village and Titop Beach. Day two is a smaller boat and kayak to Van Gia village and the Halong ecology museum, with a barbecue lunch on the sundeck. Day three is about an hour and a half at Sung Sot Cave before a farewell lunch.
Downside: a twenty-year-old boat with no balconies at all, no spa and no Tai Chi, and we have no separate low season price to quote yet.
Also worth a look
- Peony (3 days from $295, $275 May to September): our best-value Lan Ha ship on 2 days, with a balcony on every cabin.
- Celina (3 days from $362, $327): the newest and largest Lan Ha ship, every balcony cabin 45 sqm, but 62 cabins.
See every 3-day trip we sell, sorted by price, on our 3 days 2 nights cruises page.
Frequently asked questions
How much is a 3 day 2 night Halong Bay cruise?
On the 80 ships we sell with a 3-day trip, prices run from $202 to $745 per person in high season, two sharing, with a middle of about $314. From May to September the middle is about $288. See the full Halong Bay cruise cost guide.
Is 3 days 2 nights worth it in Halong Bay?
Yes, if you want more than one excursion. The extra day is spent on a day boat deeper in the bay, often with a village visit and a beach, which a 2-day trip has no time for. If you only want the classic overnight, 2 days is enough.
Is a 3 day cruise twice the price of a 2 day cruise?
Slightly less. Across the ships we sell, the 3-day price is usually about 1.9 times the 2-day price, and on some ships as low as 1.3 times. Kairos, for example, is $150 for 2 days and $295 for 3 days in high season.
Which bay is best for a 3 day cruise?
Lan Ha Bay if you want Cat Ba Island, cycling and beaches; Bai Tu Long Bay if you want the fewest boats and floating villages. Compare them in Halong Bay vs Lan Ha Bay.
Is 3 days too long for children?
For children under about eight, 2 days is usually better. Older children often enjoy the middle day most. Cycad sells its four-berth Family Balcony on the 3-day trip.
Book a 3 day cruise with Ava Travel
Pick “3 days 2 nights” and your date on the cruise page and pay securely online, and we confirm your cabin and Hanoi pickup within one hour. Transfer from Hanoi is added at checkout if you need it. Not sure which ship fits? Message us on WhatsApp (+84 904 251 545) with your dates and budget. For couples see the best cruises for couples, for balcony cabins the best cruises with a private balcony, and for every style the 10 best Halong Bay cruises for 2026.
