Peony Cruise

Peony sails Lan Ha, not Ha Long. That is the first thing to settle, because most people book this boat while searching for the other bay, and the two trips are not the same. Lan Ha is quieter, the swimming is better, and you will see fewer boats at anchor. You will also spend longer in the van getting there.

It is a twenty-cabin steel boat launched in 2018, and it sits in the part of the market where most people actually book: around $145 a head for two days and one night, sometimes $130 when the summer promotion is running. Nothing about it is extravagant. What it does have is a sensible size — twenty cabins means the tender to the cave goes in one trip, and you are not queuing behind ninety other guests for brunch.

What you are actually booking

The standard cabin is 26 m², which is generous for the price. For comparison, a number of boats charging over $200 on Ha Long put you in something smaller. The suites run from 45 to 56 m² depending on which the operator has available, and the difference between them is mostly balcony rather than floor.

The boat has three decks and a jacuzzi on the top one. We list that as single-source rather than verified, because only the operator mentions it and we have not seen it independently confirmed. Treat it as a nice-if-true rather than a reason to book.

Departure is from Tuan Chau Marina, not the Ha Long International Cruise Port. This matters more than it sounds. The two are twenty minutes apart, drivers occasionally take you to the wrong one, and if you are arranging your own transfer rather than taking the boat’s van, say “Tuan Chau” and say it twice.

Where it costs you

Kayaking is the loose thread. One listing includes it in the fare, another sells it as an add-on, and the operator’s own summer promotion advertises it as included. We have not been able to reconcile these, so we have marked it conflicting rather than guess. Ask before you pay, and get the answer in writing.

The other thing we cannot tell you is when the boat was last refitted. A 2018 hull is not old, but eight seasons in salt water shows somewhere, and the operator does not publish refit dates. If interior condition matters to you, ask for photographs dated this year rather than relying on the gallery.

The day, roughly

Pickup from your Hanoi hotel is between eight and half past. You reach Tuan Chau somewhere between half eleven and half twelve, which means the morning is mostly road — about three and a half hours with one stop. Boarding is straight off the van, lunch is served as the boat leaves, and the cave visit takes the afternoon.

The second morning is short. Brunch is back on board at half nine, you are off the boat between half ten and eleven, and back in Hanoi around half two. If you have a flight, do not book anything before six in the evening; the boat’s own guidance says the same, and traffic into Hanoi in the late afternoon is unpredictable.

Cabins and what they cost

Two days and one night starts at $145 per person, three days and two nights at $264. We last checked both on 2 August 2026, and across the listings we track the same cabin has been seen between $130 and $297 depending on season and promotion. Book in September and you will pay near the bottom of that range; book for late December and you will pay near the top.

Who it suits

Couples and small groups who want Lan Ha rather than Ha Long, who would rather have a larger cabin than a swimming pool, and who are not trying to make the boat the most expensive part of the holiday. It is a good second night in Vietnam rather than a honeymoon centrepiece.

Who should look elsewhere

Anyone who wants a pool deck, a spa, or a room with a bath. Anyone travelling with three or more children, since the family configurations here are limited. And anyone on a tight schedule flying out the same evening, because the road back from Tuan Chau does not reward optimism.