Heritage Bình Chuẩn — 4D/3N Heritage Expedition Cruise
Heritage Expedition Cruise · 4 days / 3 nights · the Explorer itinerary plus an extra day to explore Cat Ba Island in depth — the largest cave (Trung Trang or Quan Y), the local market and beach via Gia Luan seaport · Viet Hai village · Dark & Bright Cave · 10 meals · embark & disembark Tuần Châu Marina · transfer from Hanoi NOT bundled.
📌 Quick answer
Heritage Expedition Cruise · 4 days / 3 nights · the Explorer itinerary plus an extra day to explore Cat Ba Island in depth — the largest cave (Trung Trang or Quan Y), the local market and beach via Gia Luan seaport · Viet Hai village · Dark & Bright Cave · 10 meals · embark & disembark Tuần Châu Marina · transfer from Hanoi NOT bundled.
Why book this cruise with us
Photos from this cruise
Choose your cabin & reserve
Build your price in one place: cabin tier → occupancy & dates → onboard add-ons → complete your trip. Everything rolls into one grand total. Reserve = request to book — we confirm in < 1 hour, no payment today.
Gala dinner is auto-charged only on Tết / Christmas / NYE departures — not an opt-in.
Other lengths on Heritage Bình Chuẩn
You're viewing the 4D/3N Heritage Expedition Cruise. Heritage Bình Chuẩn offers 2 more lengths below · click to see pricing matrix.
Day-by-day itinerary
Hanoi → Tuần Châu Marina → Lan Hạ Bay (Cát Bà Archipelago)
The day begins with an optional hotel pick-up from the Hanoi Old Quarter for the road transfer to Tuần Châu International Marina — note that this transfer is not included in the cabin rate. At the Heritage Cruises Lounge, guests board a speedboat for the 30-to-40-minute crossing to Heritage Bình Chuẩn anchored in the Cát Bà Archipelago. After a welcome drink, cruise briefing, safety instructions, and suite check-in, the ship moves into the limestone scenery of Lan Hạ Bay along an untouched route. Lunch is served at L'Indochine Restaurant as a Vietnamese set menu. Mid-afternoon brings a stop at Ba Trai Dao — Three Peach Beaches — or Tra Bau, a hidden area of beaches, caves, and coves where guests can kayak or swim in clear water. Back on board, a chef-led cooking class runs alongside Happy Hour, timed so the lesson plays out against the sunset over the Gulf of Tonkin. Dinner follows at Le Tonkin Restaurant. The evening is open: the top-deck bar offers bay views, the first deck hosts squid fishing lines, and the third deck has options for a movie or karaoke.
Meeting point / hotel pick-up (optional shuttle)
Transfer to Tuần Châu International Marina. ⚠ Transfer NOT included in the cabin rate.
Speedboat → board · welcome drink · check-in
30–40 minute speedboat to the boat, briefing and check-in.
Lunch at L'Indochine · cruise Lan Hạ Bay
Ba Trai Dao or Tra Bau · kayak & swim
Cooking class · Happy Hour · sunset
Dinner at Le Tonkin
Evening bar / squid fishing / karaoke.
Lan Hạ Bay hideaway · Viet Hai village
On the two-day Heritage Discover Cruise, the final morning opens at sunrise with a Vovinam session on the sundeck, followed by a light breakfast. Guests then board a bamboo boat to glide through the Dark and Bright Cave among sparkling stalactites. By mid-morning the ship turns back toward the mainland, serving brunch while under way. Disembarkation at Tuần Châu Marina leads into an optional shuttle back to Hanoi with hotel drop-off in the early afternoon. On the three-day and four-day itineraries, this same day is instead devoted to Lan Hạ Bay and a full excursion to Viet Hai Village: a speedboat or dayboat crosses to the island, then a bicycle ride or electric car passes through a rainforest tunnel inside Cát Bà National Park to a traditional house, with an optional visit to Tien Duc cave. Lunch is taken in the village or aboard the dayboat. The afternoon returns to the archipelago for swimming and kayaking at Ba Trai Dao if weather and tide permit, before cocktails, beer, and fine wine on deck as the sky changes. A second cooking class lines up with the sunset over the Gulf of Tonkin, and the evening closes with fine-dining dinner in the main restaurant.
Vovinam on the sundeck
Coffee, tea and pastries.
Full breakfast at Le Tonkin
Viet Hai Village · bicycle / electric car
Speedboat or dayboat to Viet Hai; bicycle or electric car through the national park to a traditional house (optional Tien Duc cave). Lunch in the village or on the dayboat.
Hidden coves & lagoons · swim & kayak
Leisure day meeting locals and exploring remote villages, coves and lagoons.
Sunset + cooking class
Fine-dining dinner
Cat Ba Island in depth · Gia Luan seaport
On the three-day Heritage Explorer Cruise, day three follows the same final-morning structure as day two of the shorter cruise: Vovinam at sunrise, a light breakfast or the optional pool breakfast served by the third-floor pool, then a bamboo boat excursion to the Dark and Bright Cave. Check-out and bill settlement happen on the return journey, brunch is served while the ship cruises back to Tuần Châu Marina, and guests disembark before an optional shuttle delivers them to their Hanoi hotel by early afternoon. On the four-day Heritage Expedition Cruise, this third day instead focuses on Cát Bà Island itself. A speedboat transfers guests to Gia Luan seaport, from where they can explore the largest island in the archipelago — visiting either Trung Trang or Quan Y cave, the local market, and a beach. Lunch and free beach time follow on the island before the return to the ship for sunset cocktails and dinner onboard.
Breakfast
Speedboat to Gia Luan seaport · explore Cat Ba Island
The largest island in the archipelago — visit its largest cave (Trung Trang or Quan Y), the local market and a beach.
Lunch · island & beach time
Return to the boat · sunset cocktails
Dinner onboard
Lan Hạ Bay → Tuần Châu Marina → Hanoi
The final morning of the Heritage Expedition Cruise opens with Vovinam on the sundeck at sunrise, then a light breakfast or the optional pool breakfast available at a surcharge. A bamboo boat carries guests into the Dark and Bright Cave for a last look at the stalactite passages before returning to the ship for check-out. Brunch is served as Heritage Bình Chuẩn makes its way back to Tuận Châu Marina. Guests disembark and, if booked, an optional shuttle returns them to their Hanoi hotel with a drop-off in the early afternoon.
Vovinam on the sundeck
Light breakfast (or pool breakfast, surcharge)
Bamboo boat to the Dark & Bright Cave
Return · check-out
Brunch while cruising back
Return to Tuần Châu Marina · disembark
Optional shuttle to Hanoi · drop-off 14:00–14:30.
⚓ Embark / Disembark ports
Tuan Chau International Marina Port
📍 Tuần Châu Island · Hạ Long City · Quảng Ninh
~2.5h drive from Hanoi (165 km) · luggage storage available · meet-and-greet at gate · 11:30 boarding standard
- ✓ luggage_storage
- ✓ cafe
- ✓ atm
- ✓ wifi
🗺 Route map
The Expedition follows the same itinerary as the Explorer (Discover Day 1 + Lan Hạ hideaway / Viet Hai Day 2), then adds a full day to explore Cat Ba Island in depth — by speedboat to Gia Luan seaport for the island's largest cave (Trung Trang or Quan Y), the local market and a beach — before the Dark & Bright Cave and brunch back to Tuần Châu Marina on Day 4.
Getting to the pier
| Vehicle class | Pax | Duration | Per-pax USD | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shuttle bus (shared) | 16 | ~2.5h | $18 | Scheduled pickup · shared with other guests |
| Thaco Limousine (9-seater) | 6-7 | ~2.5h | $32 | Reclining seats · individual A/C |
| D-Car VIP (Mercedes 9-seater) | 6-7 | ~2.5h | $45 | Premium · water/wifi · child seat avail |
| D-Car Luxury (private 4-seater) | 1-4 | ~2.5h | $68/car | Sole-use · flexible departure |
| Private sedan (3-seater) | 1-3 | ~2.5h | $52/car | Door-to-door · meet-and-greet |
✓ What's included & not included
✓ Included on board
- ✓ Welcome drink
- ✓ Speedboat transfer (marina ↔ boat)
- ✓ All cabins with bathtub & shower, private balcony, ocean views
- ✓ Fresh seasonal fruit, water, tea & coffee in rooms
- ✓ 10 meals (3 lunch · 3 fine-dining dinner · 3 breakfast · 1 brunch)
- ✓ Cat Ba Island day · Gia Luan seaport · cave + market + beach
- ✓ Viet Hai village excursion · bicycle / electric car
- ✓ Beach activities — swimming, kayaking, bamboo boating, caving, squid fishing
- ✓ Cookery demonstration · Vovinam · cycling · walking · games · gym · pool · library
- ✓ English-speaking experience manager & cruise director
- ✓ Free Wi-Fi · all sightseeing tickets
- ✓ Service charges & government tax
✗ Not included
- ✗ Hotel-to-pier transfer (Shared Limousine 475,000 VND/person/way · Private Limousine 6,700,000 VND/car round-trip)
- ✗ Accommodation pre- and post-cruise
- ✗ Air fares · personal expenses
- ✗ Massages & beverages
- ✗ Visa arrangements
- ✗ Tips & surcharges
- ✗ Fuel surcharge (if any)
- ✗ Anything not listed in the inclusions
📅 Departure schedule
| recurring days | On request · pick-up 08:00–08:30 Hanoi · return 14:00–14:30 |
| seasonal closures | Itineraries may change with weather, pandemic conditions or port-authority regulations. |
| booking lead time days | 14 |
🌧 Weather recovery tiers
| Scenario | Recovery | Re-book window |
|---|---|---|
| Bay closed BEFORE departure (Halong Mgmt Authority) | 100% refund OR rebook 3 months | 90 days |
| Trip cut short MID-cruise | Pro-rated refund + rebook window | 90 days |
| Itinerary changed (cave skipped) | Captain discretion · safety-first · no refund typical | — |
| Guest cancels for weather forecast | Standard cancellation matrix applies | — |
👋 Need a different itinerary length?
Robert Nguyễn
“Expedition (4D3N) is for travellers who want to live the destination, not just cruise through it — the extra Cat Ba Island day (cave, market, beach) is what makes it. WhatsApp me your dates.”