Cruising in Vietnam: Ha Long Bay is being loved to death

I AM LOOKING TO BOOK A HALONG AND BAI TU LONG BAY CRUISE IN VIETNAM IN OCTOBER BUT WITH SO MANY WEBSITES SELLING THEM I DO NOT KNOW WHICH ARE LEGITIMATE. ARE THERE QUIETER AREAS FOR CRUISING THAN HALONG BAY?

D. GAPPS, EMU PLAINS

Halong Bay is a victim of its own outstanding beauty and sadly, it's being loved to death. Bai Tu Long Bay is the north-east section of Halong Bay, extending close to the Chinese border, and since its more remote it's a better bet if you want to escape the crowds, although you won't be alone.

Throughout the region there's a correlation between how much you pay and what you get. Cheaper cruises use bigger boats, they take more passengers and visit only the most popular parts of the bay. Pay a higher price and you can expect a more luxurious transfer between Hanoi and the bay and better food, guide and facilities on board.

Indochina Junk indochina-junk.com operates about a dozen boats in the Halong Bay region with the focus on Bai Tu Long Bay, they're not huge and there's a wide choice of itineraries, including overnight voyages. Reviews on TripAdvisor are good. If you're looking to voyage to more remote parts, Indochina Junk's signature three-day, two-night cruises is the one to go for.

October is usually a good month to visit the bay, with temperatures cooling, rainfall dropping off and a daily average of around six hours of sunshine.