Beyond Ha Long Bay: Vietnam's Quieter Corners

Ha Long Bay earns its reputation, and we still send plenty of people there for good reason. But it's also the most photographed stretch of water in the country, which means it's also the most crowded. If part of what you want from Vietnam is quiet, somewhere without a queue for the view, here are four places worth knowing, one of them almost nobody's heard of.

What are the best alternatives to Ha Long Bay?

For the same limestone scenery with fewer boats, choose Lan Ha Bay from Cat Ba, or Ninh Binh's river karsts. For something completely different and quiet, choose Pu Luong in the mountains, the Ha Giang Loop if you have four or five days, or the Nam Du Islands in the far south.

Nam Du Islands: the one almost nobody's heard of

Nam Du is a small archipelago off Kien Giang province in the far south, reached by a roughly two and a half hour ferry from Rach Gia. It has clear water, quiet beaches, and none of the big resort development that's reshaped Phu Quoc, its better-known neighbour. Most visitors are Vietnamese, not foreign tourists, which is a large part of the appeal if what you want is somewhere that hasn't been arranged for visitors yet.

It's a genuine detour, not a quick add-on, so it suits travellers with some flexibility in the itinerary rather than a tight week. But for exactly that reason, it's the kind of place that's still worth writing about while it's quiet.

Pu Luong, if you want mountains without the crowds

Pu Luong sits about three hours southwest of Hanoi, a valley of stepped rice fields and Thai stilt-house villages that most first-time visitors to the north never see, because it isn't on the standard Hanoi-Ha Long route. It's essentially Sapa on a smaller scale, closer to the capital and with a fraction of the visitors. We cover it as part of a longer route in our northern Vietnam itinerary, which walks through how to fit it in alongside Ninh Binh and Ha Long Bay without any day feeling rushed.

It's also the first stop on our Valleys to the Bay sample trip: two nights in Pu Luong, a rowing boat through Tam Coc, then an overnight cruise to finish. The best months are September and October, when the terraces turn gold before the harvest, and May to June, when they're flooded and bright green. If you're weighing it against the better-known mountain town, our Sapa vs Da Lat comparison explains what Sapa does better.

Ninh Binh, "Ha Long Bay on land"

Two hours south of Hanoi, Ninh Binh has the same limestone karsts as Ha Long, except they rise out of rice fields and rivers instead of the sea. You see them from a small rowing boat at Tam Coc or Trang An, often rowed by a local woman using her feet, and the boats are a fraction of the size of a cruise ship. It's busier than Pu Luong, but early in the morning it's still quiet. Ninh Binh is part of our Hanoi, Ninh Binh and Ha Long trip, which gives you the famous bay and its calmer cousin in one week.

The Ha Giang Loop, for the ones with time

This is the bigger commitment of the group, four to five days done properly, and we don't run it as a trip ourselves. But if you have the time, the Dong Van Karst Plateau and the Ma Pi Leng Pass are as dramatic as northern Vietnam gets, and the villages along the way are lived-in rather than staged. Our full Ha Long Bay vs the Ha Giang Loop guide goes through what the loop actually involves and how to decide if it's the right trade for your trip.

Cat Ba, the quiet side of the same bay

If a full detour isn't realistic but you still want quieter water, Cat Ba is the easy swap. It sits at the edge of the same bay system, sharing the scenery with Ha Long but carrying far less boat traffic, especially around Lan Ha Bay on its southern side. It's a short ferry away rather than a different trip entirely, which makes it the simplest of these four options to actually fit in. Our Ha Long Bay or Cat Ba guide walks through how to choose between the two.

If you do stay with Ha Long, the trick is choosing the right boat and route rather than skipping the bay. Smaller cruises that head into Lan Ha Bay or the outer parts of Bai Tu Long see far fewer boats. Our Ha Long Bay cruise guide explains how to pick one.

Where pickleball fits

Most of these quieter spots are, by nature, further from the pickleball hubs in Hanoi, Da Nang and Saigon. That's fine, they're not meant to replace a morning session, they're meant to be the contrast to it: a couple of days where the plan is simply to look at something quiet instead. If you want both in one trip, our Hanoi pickleball guide makes it easy to fit a morning game in on either end.

Quiet Vietnam: FAQ

Is Ha Long Bay too crowded?

The main day-cruise routes from Tuan Chau harbour can be busy, especially at weekends and in summer. Overnight cruises into Lan Ha Bay or Bai Tu Long Bay see far fewer boats, and the scenery is just as good.

Is Lan Ha Bay better than Ha Long Bay?

It's quieter rather than better. Lan Ha Bay, reached from Cat Ba Island, has the same limestone islands with fewer boats and more places to kayak and swim. Ha Long has more cruise choice and is easier to reach. Our Ha Long Bay or Cat Ba guide compares them.

How do you get to Pu Luong from Hanoi?

By car, about three to four hours southwest of Hanoi. There is no train or airport, so most visitors come with a private driver or a shuttle from their homestay. Two or three nights is the right amount of time.

Can I see Ninh Binh and Ha Long Bay in one trip?

Yes, and it's the most common way to see the north. Spend a night or two in Ninh Binh, then transfer to Ha Long for an overnight cruise. Our Hanoi, Ninh Binh and Ha Long trip is built exactly that way.

Can I play pickleball near these places?

Not easily in Pu Luong, Ha Giang or Nam Du, which are rural. Hanoi has hundreds of courts, so the usual approach is a morning game in Hanoi before or after a few quiet days in the countryside.

The bottom line

Ha Long Bay is popular for a reason, and it's still worth seeing. But it isn't the only water, and it isn't the only mountains. Cat Ba, Ninh Binh, Pu Luong, the Ha Giang Loop and Nam Du are the quieter versions of the same trip, and depending on how much time you have, some of them are worth choosing instead, not just as well. If this is a return visit, our guide to a second trip to Vietnam has more places most first-timers miss.