Your base for exploring this destination is the city of Hanoi. For travel information about Hanoi, go to Hanoi Travel Guide. Looking for budget accommodation in Hanoi? Use our Budget Accommodation Guide!
Bai Chay is a town in northern Vietnam whose only call to fame is that it is the gateway to the world renowned Halong Bay. Bai Chay itself is a town of little character or attraction. It has a harbour when all the leisure junks are parked, and tacky souvenir shops selling tourist trinkets like keychains. I had to stop at Bai Chay to board my leisure junk when I was visiting Halong Bay with a small group of AsiaExplorers members.
There isn't much to tell about Bai Chay, except that it now has the 3rd longest suspension bridge in Vietnam. The 903m Bai Chay Bridge connects Bai Chay to Hon Gai across Cua Luc Straits. Both Bai Chay and Hon Gai are parts of Halong City, created in 1994 to encompass these two town as well as the surrounding districts.
The tour office at Bai Chay for booking trips to Halong Bay.
How to go to Bai Chay
Let's get this straight: Bai Chay is not a tourist destination, Halong Bay is. We would only pass by Bai Chay on our way to Halong Bay. You can choose plenty of tour options for Halong Bay at any travel agency in Hanoi, but if you wish to use the tour that I used, you can contact Mrs Moon of Golden Sun Hotel, 23 Hang Hahn Street, phone: +84-4-8286316, email: goldensun_hotel@yahoo.com. Tell her that Tim of AsiaExplorers sent you, and perhaps you'd get a discount. No, I am not getting any commission from Mrs Moon, but I would recommend any establishments that satisfied me, so that, should I return to Golden Sun Hotel, I can expect VIP treatment!
Leisure junks parked in the sea at Bai Chay.
Halong Bay Travel Guide
Useful information to help you prepare for your trip to Halong Bay.
Halong Bay Photo Gallery
Photo Album of the panoramic sights in Halong Bay.
Halong Bay at Night
View Halong Bay when darkness falls and the lights come on.
Bo Hon Island
Click enter to see scenic views of beautiful Bo Hon Island.
Cat Ba National Park
We went kayaking at this national park to explore its beautiful caves and passages.
Fighting Cock Island
This is a pair of rocky outcrops in Halong Bay.
Me Cung Cave
This is a cave in Halong Bay.
Sung Sot Cave
This is the biggest and grandest grotto in Halong Bay.
Titov Island
This is the island with a scenic viewpoint pavillion at its highest point.
Places of Interest in Vietnam
Vietnam is a land of cultural and natural beauty. Click enter to view many of the sights in Vietnam.
Thank you, thank you, thank you, for the opportunity to explore the world, to document, to photograph, and to share the information with you. My name is Tim, I'm the writer of this website, and I want to tell you how grateful I am for your visit. This is one of over a dozen websites that I write - you can click my thumbnail photo above to randomly visit any one of them. All my photos are available for commercial printing - find out the photo usage rights here. If you wish to share you photos on this website, upload them to www.panoramio.com and send the URL to me for consideration. And, if you'd like to correspond with me, send your mails to my address as shown below:
About the Author: AsiaExplorers is researched and written by Timothy Tye. We take reasonable care to check and verify the accuracy of the content. However, we disclaim any responsibility for any inconvenience, mishap, injury or death resulting from following the advice provided directly or indirectly by AsiaExplorers and the comments on its pages. All the photographs in AsiaExplorers are available for publication. Please contact AsiaExplorers at the following email address for your enquiries:
