KayakHalongBay.com

If you have any choice in the matter, stay on a boat in the bay rather than in a hotel in Halong City. The majority of visitors who do I stay here opt for Bai Chay. There are hundreds of hotels located here, and keen competition keeps prices down, especially if you can avoid the commission-seeking touts. Prices rise in the peak season (summer) or during the Tet festival. There are also accommodation options in Hon Gai, but it’s noisier and dustier across the water.. .coal dust that is! 

The nearby island of Dao Tuan Chau has been overhauled as a luxury resort retreat, an attempted antidote to the mistakes made in the development of Halong City.