Bãi Cháy is renowned as one of the most beautiful man-made beaches in the Halong travel region. When visiting the attractive tourist destination of Bai Chay in the summer, tourists in Halong not only immerse themselves in the cool, blue waters of the sea but also enjoy various exciting activities at this Bai Chay tourist area.
If you are planning to travel to Bai Chay and are unsure of what to pay attention to for the most enjoyable beach trip, then refer to Cuong’s article below on the essential tips for traveling to Bai Chay to fully enjoy a perfect beach vacation without encountering any unnecessary mishaps. It will surely be very useful for your beach trip.
1. Notes when booking a room at Bai Chay
It is never too much to research hotels, guesthouses before traveling anywhere, especially to a famous destination like Halong, such as Bai Chay.
Bai Chay is near Halong, so there are many hotels, guesthouses in Bai Chay. However, you should go at the beginning or middle of the week to avoid high room rates because usually on weekends at beach tourist destinations, room rates can skyrocket. If you do not research beforehand, you may easily be overcharged. Depending on the time and budget, tourists in Halong can choose to stay at a hotel or budget guesthouse. It is advisable to book a room 2-3 weeks in advance. If you are traveling to Bai Chay in a large group, for safety and to ensure the best quality trip, Cuong advises you to book or buy a Halong tour package is the best because with these tours, you do not have to worry about choosing a suitable hotel or guesthouse, everything has been taken care of by the travel company from A to Z. If you prefer to plan your own Halong trip, enjoy Bai Chay beach, you can choose a hotel in 3 areas that are recommended by many people on travel forums for convenience and reasonable prices, which are the area near Halong street, the area of the Navy intersection, and the area of the Peach Garden. Note that you should choose hotels or guesthouses near the tourist spots for easier travel, ensuring the best health to experience all the fun activities at Bai Chay. However, if the hotel location is closer, the price is usually slightly higher, but it will save travel costs, so overall, you won’t lose anything.
2. Clothing and essential items to bring
Clothing
–Swimwear: Before going to Ha Long travel, bathing at Bai Chay beach, you should prepare at least 3 swimsuits to be able to change and prevent when the laundry is not dry yet. Shorts, skirts, short-sleeved shirts are also a suitable choice for you. Currently, Cuong sees many different swimwear brands with extremely diverse and beautiful designs for you to freely choose, so try to choose swimsuits that suit your body shape to enhance your beauty and hide your flaws.
–Large bath towel: Soaking in the sea for too long can easily make you cold, so a large bath towel can wrap you up to reduce the cold when bathing is very necessary.
–Thin wrap towel: If you are a girl, prepare a thin colorful wrap towel to put on. This not only makes you more attractive, attracting more attention, but also can protect your skin from direct sunlight.
–Beachwear: Prepare thin clothes, such as shorts, t-shirts or if you are a girl, you can choose floral dresses, thin cool fabric… to wear for a walk on the beach in the early morning and evening. When going to Ha Long travel, especially bathing at Bai Chay beach, why not change into beautiful dresses to make your trip more interesting?
–Shoes, sandals: Sandals or flip-flops are the best choice when going to Bai Chay beach, with this choice you can freely stroll along the beach without worrying about getting wet or sand in your shoes at all.
Essential items when going to the beach
–Wide-brimmed hat: This is an essential accessory for days spent traveling to Ha Long, swimming at Bai Chay beach on hot summer days. It not only helps protect your hair but also shields your face from the harsh direct sunlight at the beach. You can also bring sunglasses to avoid glare.
–Swimming goggles: If you are traveling to Bai Chay beach with children, make sure to get them a pair of swimming goggles to prevent water from getting into their eyes as children’s eyes are very sensitive.
–Personal hygiene items: Towels, toothpaste, toothbrush, shampoo, etc. These items are usually available at hotels, but they may not be as good as the ones you use daily, so it’s best to bring your own.
–Non-waterproof camera and camcorder to capture family moments.
–Cosmetics:
- Sunscreen: To protect your skin from the sun when at the beach, it’s essential to bring sunscreen with a high SPF, around 35-45, for the most effective sun protection. Apply sunscreen 30 minutes before sun exposure. Due to the high temperature at the beach, reapply sunscreen every 1-2 hours.
- Mineral spray: Prolonged sun exposure can dehydrate your skin, so bring a small mineral spray to moisturize when needed.
- Lipstick: Choose a long-lasting, matte lipstick to enhance your beauty while exploring the beach.
Tips when traveling with children
If you are traveling with young children, it’s advisable to bring along some other items such as: towels, wet wipes, diapers, a stroller, a pram, extra daytime/nighttime clothes, warm jackets, socks, toys, milk box, milk bottle, milk mixing tools, a coat (even if the climate is hot, as air conditioning in restaurants can be very cold for children). Additionally, mothers should carry some common medications such as fever reducers, anti-diarrheal medicine, cough medicine, digestive enzymes, personal bandages, sunscreen, and some toys for children to play with on the boat or at the hotel. If possible, bring a stroller and a swim seat so the child can sit comfortably at the beach with the family.
Read more: Travel Experience in Ha Long, Visit Chua Ba Vang in Detail
3. Dining at Bai Chay tourist area
One of the attractions when traveling to Ha Long is enjoying seafood, and of course, each beach tourist area has its own famous seafood dishes. For Ha Long travel destinations like Bai Chay beach, there are some dishes that tourists visiting Ha Long should try at least once, such as grilled cuttlefish and sweet and sour fried sam. It must be said that once you try these two dishes, you will never forget them. According to Cuong’s guide to delicious and affordable dining in Bai Chay, to enjoy these delicious dishes in Bai Chay, Ha Long visitors should not eat at restaurants but should eat at the night market in Ha Long, specifically at the Ha Long night market, which offers good quality food at a reasonable price.
-Grilled cuttlefish: You should buy at the Ha Long market or at the hand-crushed cuttlefish establishments Hoai Phuong in Block 4 – Zone 2 – Hong Gai Ward – Ha Long City (Phone: 0988.891.050), Minh Hau establishment (Phone: 0968.308.346). Just a click and these cuttlefish establishments will deliver to your hotel room. The price of cuttlefish is around 300,000 – 400,000 VND/kg.
-Sweet and sour fried clams: This is a dish that cannot be missed. Really! With a price of 200,000-300,000 VND/plate, it is truly worth every penny.
There are still many good restaurants that tourists visiting Ha Long can refer to in Bai Chay: in the Cai Dam area, there are restaurants like Kim Quy, Hai Dang, Thien Anh, Phuong Thuy… or in the Hon Gai area, there are restaurants like Huong Duyen, Phuong Loan, Ngoc Lan….
4. Buying souvenirs
When going on a 3 days 2 nights Ha Long tour or a 2 days 1 night Ha Long tour, it is probably a good idea to allocate a small portion of your budget to buy some cute souvenirs such as conical hats, beautiful shell necklaces, sea flower made from seashells… to give to your loved ones, friends, which is very important. A little “sea flavor” doesn’t affect your financial situation much but it conveys a big message of love and care you have for the recipient. The memories of the beach trip become even sweeter when you can bring back unexpected joys to the “people at home.”
The best harvest when visiting Ha Long tourism, swimming at Bai Chay beach is fresh seafood, especially crabs, mantis shrimps, or fresh squid. Remember not to release the live crabs, mantis shrimps, or squid into the water immediately after catching them, as after a long and tiring journey under the hot sun, they will go into a state of shock. You should transport these seafood items back home in a foam box lined with ice at the bottom. Place a layer of newspaper on top of the ice and then place the crabs and mantis shrimps on it, avoiding direct contact with the ice, as they may freeze to death instantly.
See more: 11 Must-Visit Ha Long Tourism Spots
5. Parking at Bai Chay Beach
Bãi biển Bãi Cháy is located in the center of the Ha Long tourism area, this is an artificial beach invested by Sungroup stretching 4 km. Bai tam Bai Chay is currently divided into 4 beach bathing areas, respectively called beach number 1, 2, 3, 4. Beach number 1 is near the lighthouse, beach number 2 is in the central area, beach number 3 is at the entrance to the right of Sun carnaval square and beach number 4 is near Vinpearl. Since June 20, 2019, the Traffic Police of Ha Long City has implemented a ban on cars entering beach areas number 1 and number 2. Therefore, Ha Long tourists will walk, ride motorcycles, or electric cars to the beach.When tourists go to the beach by car, if they enter from the tourist port, they will have to park their vehicles here and walk about 1km to beach number 1. Motorcycles and electric cars are allowed to enter the beach. For Ha Long tourists when going to Bai Chay beach by electric car, they will take you to beach number 2 if it is a yellow car and beach number 1 if it is a green car. If driving a car, from beach number 1 and 3, walk to beach number 2 only about 300m, a little effort to walk but you will be able to swim at the most beautiful beach in Ha Long.Regarding services at Bai Chay beach, the seat costs 30k, services have listed prices to buy and pay directly at the counter. Shower costs 15k. Beach number 2 has showers right on the beach, for storing belongings and toilets, you can go across the street. Beach number 1 has showers across the street, while beach number 3 has to go to beach number 2 for services.
6. Safety principles for beach bathing
When visiting Ha Long Bay for a beach day at Bai Chay, tourists should follow these rules to avoid danger and accidents:
-Before entering the water, ask the locals which beach area is safe to avoid risks such as collapsing sand, jellyfish, sharp rocks, etc. Do not swim too far from the shore or to deep spots. The easiest way is to pay attention to the swimming limit flags that most beach areas have or be aware of the people around you. Always be cautious of sand collapses and waves that can take you far from the shore.
-Before going into the sea, spend 5-10 minutes identifying the offshore currents at the beach where you plan to swim. Offshore currents can be extremely dangerous as they pull swimmers away from the shore, causing exhaustion and panic leading to drowning when trying to swim against the current. The water surface where there are offshore currents is usually calm and less wavy, which can be misleading as a safe area. People may move to swim in those areas instead of where safety signs are placed. When swimmers enter those offshore currents, they can immediately be swept out to sea. Therefore, when swimming, remember that calm waters do not necessarily mean safe waters.
-When a group goes swimming, it’s best to split into smaller groups for easier management. When engaging in activities like speedboat rides, surfing, parasailing, kayaking, or diving, follow the safety requirements provided by the guides. Avoid venturing too far from the safe area and steer clear of obstacles in the water.
-To ensure safety, be cautious while swimming, avoid going too far from the shore, steer clear of whirlpools, and do not go beyond safety signs.
-Additionally, bring snacks like pastries, fruits, canned food for a post-swim snack, as activities like swimming and walking can deplete your energy and make you hungry. Light meals help sustain the fun and ensure adequate nutrition. Note that individuals with diabetes should carry their own food to avoid sudden spikes in blood sugar levels.
7. Things Not to Do When Swimming at the Beach
– It is not advisable to choose Ha Long tourism, swimming at Bai Chay beach in the sea area often has a strong undertow because this water flow is very dangerous for swimmers if they do not know how to swim to safety.
– Do not leave important documents, money in checked baggage. Also, when going to the beach, you should not wear jewelry because the sea waves can easily wash them away. Do not go into the water on an empty stomach or when too full.
– Do not jump into the water right away, go into the water slowly. The first time in the water should not exceed 15 minutes. Do not swim too far from the shore, 15m or in water deeper than 5m. Do not hold your breath too long when diving. Do not sunbathe too long before going into the water.
Above are Cuong’s real sharing about things to know when traveling to Bai Chay, Quang Ninh. Hopefully, with Cuong’s advice above, you, your family, and friends will have memorable moments at this famous Bai Chay beach. If you need more information or support on Ha Long full-package tours, leave a comment for Cuong. Remember to like, share, and subscribe to support the channel to receive more useful travel information from Cuong’s travel!
