Quan Lạn

One of the outlying islands of the Ha Long Bay region and in Bai Tu Long Bay, Quan Lạn has been sparsely inhabited for quite some time. There are a few thousand residents and an influx of local tourists from Hanoi on weekends and holidays. The island is pretty sandy and has little in the way of forest, unlike others nearby such as Ban Sen. There are ports at the northern and southern tips of the island. It is a less developed and less touristy alternative to the more popular Cat Ba Island.

There are two larger villages on the island with some scattered houses and guesthouses on the roads in between. Minh Chau village is in the north and has a strip of hotels, guesthouses and cabanas along the white sand beach. Quan Lan village is in the center of the island with a street of guesthouses, restaurants, and karaoke venues. The Son Hau beach area has a few resorts and guesthouses near its white sand beach. The beaches of Minh Chau and Son Hau have been claimed to be some of the best in northern Vietnam, if not all of Vietnam, by locals and foreigners.

Buses leave for the ports in Halong City and Cai Rong from Luong Yen or My Dinh bus stations in Hanoi.

For the Halong City port, catch a bus going to "Hon Gai" which will take about 4 hours. From Hon Gai (Halong City) the ferry leaves at 13:00 or 13:30 and comes back at 06:30 (or at in the summer) and takes around four hours. As of May 2012 the price was 70,000 dong for Vietnamese and 130,000 dong per person for foreigners. This route gives you a scenic boat ride through Bai Tu Long bay and drops you off at the port just south of Quan Lan village.

For the Cai Rong port, catch a bus going to Cua Ong and tell the staff you want to get off at "Cho Cua Ong" (Cua Ong market) and they will drop you off at an intersection in front of taxis that can take you to Cai Rong town about 12 km away. The trip will take 5-6 hours to get to this point. From Cai Rong port there is a ferry at 07:00 (or 06:3 in the summer) and 14:00. Boats from Quan Lan going back to Cai Rong leave at 07:00 (or 06:30 in the summer) and 2 PM. The ferry takes two hours. There is a speed boat that makes the trip in 45 minutes that leaves at 07:00, 08:00, 23:00 and 14:00 from Cai Rong for 140,000 dong per person. Return boats leave around similar times. Private wooden boats can also be chartered for 1,600,000 dong per boat and take around three hours.

Ferry boats will drop you off at the port south of Quan Lan village while private chartered boats can drop people off at the northern port near Minh Chau.

Transport is pretty limited: there's really nothing on the road after sundown. The island is about 15 km and getting around on two wheels on your own is fairly easy.

Hiring a local to drive you somewhere can be an expensive proposition compared to metered taxis elsewhere but you do travel in a xe om (tuk tuk) that is less common to see in bigger cities in Vietnam. Prices are given per vehicle so it is cheaper if you travel with groups. A ride to get half way up the island costs foreigners 100,000 - 150,000 dong. From Minh Chau port or beach to Quan Lan village, almost the entire way across the island, is 250,000 dong. It is best to organize early morning rides to the port with a guesthouse or hotel the evening before. There are a few buses that cost 10,000 dong that only run on weekends.

Bicycles can be rented from hotels or guesthouses for 50,000 - 70,000 dong of varying quality. Motorbikes can be rented for 100,000 - 150,000 dong. Petrol can be found at the corner stores at the intersection in Quan Lan village for around 40,000 - 50,000 dong. Look for the large water bottles full of Ecto Cooler looking neon green liquid. The roads are generally in decent condition but still have potholes, are often covered in sand, and have construction cars careening across them. There would appear to be little vehicle crime as locks are not given with rentals.

Half-way down the island, the western side features an industrial port at the tip of a very long breakwater that dissects an expansive tidal mangrove flat.

On the eastern side of the island directly east of the breakwater is a fantastic beach, which can be reached either by trudging across undeveloped dunes and tidal waters, or heading south slightly then following the road down to the single building on the beach, billing itself as a hotel.

There are a few temples scattered across the island.

Walk about and explore, or swim. Don't expect much except scenery, and you'll have a good time.

Visit Minh Chau (northern) or Son Hau (central/eastern) beaches with beautiful water and soft white sand. Minh Chau beach has cabanas lining the beach with rentable hammocks, loungers, and chairs. There are inner tubes and volleyball nets for rent as well.

There are no ATMs on the island. A few small shops scattered in the villages carry the straw, coolie and safari hats you can see locals wearing as well as some clothing. There is a fish market at 05:30 - 06:30 and 14:30 - 15:30.

Food can be more expensive than the mainland. The cheapest food is generally found in smaller family run guesthouses. During the week food can be hard to come by and visitors should get used to variations of things made with instant ramen noodles. Staying at resorts and guesthouses out of town usually involves informing the staff of future meals and some heavy bargaining and negotiation for high prices.

Food in Quan Lan village can be found for around 25,000 - 50,000 dong for a noodle, rice noodle or congee (rice soup) dish. Rice and noodle dishes later in the day can be found for 25,000 - 80,000 dong. Seafood dishes abound in town and can be found for a wide range of 60,000 - 150,000 dong.

Food in Minh Chau is more expensive and can get into the 100,000 - 200,000 dong range. There is western, particularly French, food available at Le Pont hotel.

Coffee is the strong and bitter Vietnamese variety served black or with condensed milk and can be found for 15,000 - 40,000 dong. Beer can be found at places labeled "Bia Hoi" for around 10,000 dong for draft beers and 15,000 - 30,000 for cold cans. Cold drinks are hard to find as electricity is not constant. Ice cream in smaller stores have the consistency of melted and refrozen treats.

Most menus do not have prices and it would be wise to ask before ordering. Vietnamese menus are generally more extensive than the one- to two-page English menus. Wandering around town at off hours may also mean that staff are napping or off site and inquiring with neighbors is the fastest way to see if anything is available.

Prices are higher during weekends and holidays as many people go to Quan Lan Island as a weekend trip from Hanoi. The prices during high season (mid April - mid September) can be as high as double low season rates. The accommodation in Minh Chau and Son Hau tend to be more expensive as they are walkable to the nicer beaches. The lodging and food is generally cheaper in Quan Lan village. Not much English is spoken although most people are happy to write down prices for you on paper or using their cell phone. Electricity is only on from 10:00-14:00 and 18:00-23:00 by generator with some of the larger hotels and resorts having their own personal generators but controlling the hours air conditioning can be used.

Cai Rong and Cat Ba are two other prominent outlying islands of Ha Long Bay.