Last updated 15 October 2026 by the Ava Travel team in Hanoi. Boat and cabin counts are from the 96 overnight ships Ava Travel sells; stops are read from each ship’s own day-by-day programme; prices are Ava Travel’s prices today.
The short answer, from Ava Travel’s own catalogue: choose a cruise on Bai Tu Long Bay. Of the 96 overnight ships Ava Travel sells, only 10 sail Bai Tu Long, with 167 cabins between them, against 866 cabins on Halong Bay and 1,266 on Lan Ha Bay. The cheapest is Renea at $132 per person at Ava Travel. If you want more choice of ship, Lan Ha Bay is the middle option: it has the most boats, but they spread over more coves than the three famous Halong Bay stops, where 34 of the 37 Halong Bay ships go to Sung Sot Cave.
Boats and cabins on each bay
Every overnight cruise sails one of three routes, and the authorities license each boat for one of them. This is how the 96 ships Ava Travel sells split between the three. The number that matters for crowds is cabins: it is how many overnight guests share the same water.
| Route | Ships | Cabins | Typical ship | Cheapest 2-day cruise (Ava Travel) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Halong Bay | 37 | 866 | 21 cabins | $102 |
| Lan Ha Bay | 49 | 1,266 | 25 cabins | $137 |
| Bai Tu Long Bay | 10 | 167 | 16 cabins | $132 |
Two things the table does not show. Day boats from Halong City add many more visitors to the main Halong Bay stops between late morning and mid afternoon. And Lan Ha has more cabins than Halong Bay, but its boats spread over a much larger area with many small coves, so it feels quieter than the numbers suggest.
Where the crowds actually are: the same three stops
Crowding on a Halong cruise is not the whole bay. It is a few stops that almost every boat on a route visits at similar times. Reading the day-by-day programme of each ship Ava Travel sells:
- Halong Bay: 34 of 37 ships visit Sung Sot Cave, 28 stop at Ti Top Island and 25 kayak at Luon Cave. Most go at the same two times, early on day 2 (about 07:00 to 08:00) or mid afternoon on day 1, so the cave is busy at both.
- Lan Ha Bay: the common stops are Dark and Bright Cave (27 of 49 ships) and the overnight anchorage at Tra Bau (26). Because they are spread out, you rarely queue.
- Bai Tu Long Bay: 9 of 10 ships visit Thien Canh Son Cave and 6 visit Vung Vieng fishing village by rowing boat. With only 10 ships on the route, these stops are seldom busy.
The 10 cruises on Bai Tu Long Bay
These are all the Bai Tu Long Bay ships Ava Travel sells, cheapest first. Prices are per person, two adults sharing, 2 days 1 night, October to April, at Ava Travel.
| Cruise | Cabins | Vung Vieng village | From (Ava Travel) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Renea | 11 | No | $132 ($130 May-Sep) |
| Treasure Junk | 14 | Yes | $132 ($122 May-Sep) |
| Swan | 18 | Yes | $135 |
| Signature | 12 | No | $140 ($127 May-Sep) |
| Athena Royal | 22 | No | $150 ($140 May-Sep) |
| Dragon Pearl Junks | 10 | Yes | $165 ($155 May-Sep) |
| Cycad | 24 | Yes | $175 ($160 May-Sep) |
| Larissa | 28 | No | $197 |
| Dragon Legend | 24 | Yes | $220 ($200 May-Sep) |
| Prince | 4 | Yes | $220 |
The smallest are Renea, Signature, Dragon Pearl Junks and Prince: with 11, 12, 10 and 4 cabins they feel close to a private boat. For a full comparison of each, with cabins and the honest downside, see the Bai Tu Long Bay cruises ranked, or Swan vs Signature if you are choosing between those two.
Quieter choices on Lan Ha Bay and Halong Bay
- Lan Ha Bay, away from the usual stops: Venezia, La Casta, La Casta Regal, Ambassador Signature, Paradise Grand, Celina, Heritage Line Ginger include Viet Hai village or Ba Trai Dao beach, which few boats reach. From $148 per person at Ava Travel.
- Halong Bay without Sung Sot Cave: Bhaya Premium, Bhaya Soul, Emperor skip the busiest cave. From $220 per person at Ava Travel.
- Stay two nights: on a 3 day 2 night cruise the second day goes further out, after the day boats and one-night guests have left. See all 3 day 2 night cruises.
- Pick a small ship: the typical ship has 21 cabins on Halong Bay, 25 on Lan Ha and 16 on Bai Tu Long. Fewer cabins means fewer people at the kayak station and at dinner.
When the bay is quietest
- Holidays: avoid Christmas, New Year, Tet and the Vietnamese public holidays (30 April to 1 May and 2 September), when boats sell out. Summer is storm season, so check our guide to storms and cancellations if you travel June to October.
- Days: weekdays are usually quieter than weekends.
- Time of day: the hour after sunrise and the evening at anchor are quiet on every route. Most of the crowding happens between late morning and mid afternoon.
Frequently asked questions
Which Halong Bay cruise avoids the crowds?
A cruise on Bai Tu Long Bay. Only 10 of the 96 overnight ships Ava Travel sells sail there, with 167 cabins in total, compared with 866 on Halong Bay. Renea is the cheapest, from $132 per person at Ava Travel.
Is Lan Ha Bay less crowded than Halong Bay?
It feels less crowded, though it is no longer empty: 49 of the ships Ava Travel sells sail Lan Ha against 37 on Halong Bay. The difference is that Lan Ha boats spread over many coves, while most Halong Bay boats meet at Sung Sot Cave and Ti Top Island.
Is Bai Tu Long Bay worth it?
Yes, if quiet water matters more to you than the famous caves. You give up Sung Sot Cave and Ti Top Island and get a fishing village by rowing boat (on 6 of the 10 ships) and far fewer boats around you. Prices start at $132 per person.
Are day cruises more crowded than overnight cruises?
Yes. Day boats from Halong City mostly visit the same stops between late morning and mid afternoon. An overnight cruise gives you the evening and the early morning, when the day boats have gone.
Book a quiet cruise with Ava Travel
Ava Travel is a small travel agency in Hanoi that sells all 96 ships above. Choose a ship, pick your date and cabin on its page, then pay securely online; we confirm your cabin and pickup within one hour. Not sure which route? Send us your dates on WhatsApp and we will suggest two quiet options. Comparing bays? See Halong Bay vs Bai Tu Long Bay and Halong Bay vs Lan Ha Bay.
