Bai Tho Mountain in Ha Long City is no longer a secret, but still the best view of the famous UNESCO World Heritage site Ha Long Bay. I was super lucky to stumble across a real travel blogger (I mostly compile links for friends) and her post on access to this hike.
Explorer On a Budget has listed SO MANY helpful details including the exact google map location of the entrance I found, and a picture of the dark alleyway. All credits goes to her and I’m eternally grateful I found her piece before my Vietnam trip.
Additional notes from my own hike
If the gate is locked like it was at 5AM when I arrived. The door on the left hand side right BEFORE the gate is where the family lives. I had a Vietnamese speaker with me so we politely asked to be let in.
They change the entrance fee whenever they feel like it. We were charged 10,000 Dong per person while the Canadian hikers an hour behind us were charged 25,000 Dong. I simply had the money ready in my pocket and handed it to him quick, it was too early in the morning for him to make me look for more money, haha!
There were quite a few dogs past the gate. I personally thought they were kinda cute but it can be intimidating when you’re walking through a pitch black alleyway towards the sound of growling/barking dogs. Just keep going, don’t stop. They’ll stop following you after the hike gets tougher
Even if you don’t plan on seeing the sunrise, go early if you can because it gets really hot while you’re hiking the steep steps up Bai Tho Mountain, but the view is so worth it!
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