15 Cruises & Boat Tours in Vietnam to Build a Day Around

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

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

A practical review of Hanoi’s Ha Long Bay day cruise, covering caves, kayaking, swimming, lunch, transport, guides, and value at $41.

“My partner and I had a great time! Our guide, Sunny was amazing! He gave us lots of informations about the Vietnamese culture, which we loved. The cruise was really fun! The view is amazing and all the activities were really cool. The only thing which wasn’t as amazing was the food on the cruise… But other than that, I would highly recommend it! 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

Ride a traditional basket boat through Hoi An’s coconut forest, watch net fishing, try crab catching, and enjoy lively local guides.

“Amazing from start to finish. Hospitality on arrival to boat driver was top class. Highly recommend. Great photo opportunities along the way!”

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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

Review of a Ninh Binh day trip from Hanoi covering Hoa Lu, Tam Coc by boat, village cycling, Mua Cave, lunch, and practical costs.

“I liked it better then ha long bay! Cycling was great. Go hiking as high as possible. I'd even recommend to stay there for a night!”

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

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

Amanda Cruise explores Ha Long and Lan Ha Bay with caves, kayaking, meals, transfers, and overnight cabins, but ship quality can vary.

“We have marked this down one star as the company emailed us with one day's notice to say they were changing our boat to the Hera Grand. The reason being that the one that had previously been confirmed to us was then allocated to a larger group that had come in. That may be good business for them, but isn't customer friendly for people who have booked so far in advance. Other than that, we still enjoyed the trip. The cabin was very nice and the food was excellent. All staff were efficient, friendly and approachable. One big drawback was the lack of internet, even though it is advertised as…”

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

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

Cook four Vietnamese dishes, shop Hoi An Market, ride a basket boat, and try fishing in Cam Thanh for $28.90.

“The day started with a banana boat ride. It was a little bit of a trap for tips but the ride itself was nice. We then headed to the markets with Chef Hai and then afterwards to our cooking class. The class itself was fantastic and we learned a lot and laughed a lot as well. We cooked 4 dishes all which were unique and very tasty. All in all a top experience!”

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

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

Review of Cozy Bay’s Ha Long Bay day cruise from Hanoi, with cave, Ti Top Island, kayaking, buffet lunch, sunset party, and practical tips.

“Ideal trip for someone low on time but yet wanting to catch the best of halong bay. Every moment is fun filled and full of picturesque views. For the kayaking/ Bamboo boat part, I would recommend kayaking if no kids else the bamboo boat is Read more”

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

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

Review of a 2-day Halong and Lan Ha Bay luxury cruise from Hanoi, with balcony cabin, kayaking, caves, meals, tai chi, and practical tips.

“Food was very good. The bamboo boat trip was not as spectacular as I thought it would be”

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

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

Review of the $32.90 Cu Chi Tunnels and Mekong Delta tour from Ho Chi Minh City, with boat rides, lunch, guides, and practical tips.

“The excursion is great. Jackie was so good! However is a full day a most of time you are travelling.”

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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

Review of Mon Chéri Cruise’s 2-day Halong and Lan Ha Bay trip, with kayaking, caves, fine dining, sunrise views, costs, and practical tips.

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

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

Review of Kim Travel’s $16.85 Mekong Delta day trip from Ho Chi Minh City, with boats, villages, lunch, coconut candy, and Vinh Trang Pagoda.

“A full day of activities, highly recommended. Our guide Phong (aka Handsome) was full of energy and enthusiasm, ensuring that everyone had a good day.”

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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

Review of Doris Cruise’s 2-day Halong and Lan Ha Bay trip, with private balcony rooms, kayaking, meals, transfers, and practical booking advice.

“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

Explore the Mekong Delta from Ho Chi Minh City by boat, tuk-tuk, bicycle, and sampan, with local food, music, honey tea, and coconut candy.

“it was wonderful. Our guide was a very successeful, likeable and good guide. Thanks for everything to Little Trung”

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13.Market Tour, Basket Boat Ride and Cooking Class

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

Explore Hoi An’s market, paddle a coconut forest by basket boat, and cook four Vietnamese dishes in this excellent-value half-day tour.

“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

Review of CozyBay Cruise, a budget 2-day Ha Long Bay trip with Hanoi transport, meals, kayaking, cave visits, and private cabins.

“Cabin a little basic but a fabulous small boat experience with a nice group of people. Loved the kayak experience”

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15.Hoai River Boat Trip by Night and Floating Lantern

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

Review of Hoi An’s $8 nighttime river boat ride, including lantern release, private boats, queues, timing, value, and practical tips.

“We met our guide who then took us to the river. It was beautiful on the lake and our boatman was very helpful with getting us on and off and also took photos for us. He also lit the candles of our lanterns which we then put on the water. A lovely 20 min trip.”

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