Businesses cancel Ha Long Bay cruise tours as super typhoon Yagi approaches

Most travel agencies offering tours to Ha Long Bay this weekend have informed customers of cancellations or schedule changes.

Tour operator Best Price said nearly 100 foreign customers booked for a three-day tour in Ha Long and nearby Lan Ha Bay from Sept. 7 to 9. The company is currently negotiating with them to find a solution and will offer refunds if rescheduling is not possible.

A cruise ship carrying tourists to tour Ha Long Bay on Sept. 5, 2024. Photo by Duy Anh

Duy Phu, the owner of Orchid Cruises, which operates five ships in Lan Ha Bay off Hai Phong, around two hours from Hanoi, announced the cancellation of overnight tours scheduled for Thursday, affecting around 150 guests.

Drawing on his 40 years of experience and the latest storm updates, Phu said that Yagi is an especially dangerous typhoon, prompting the early suspension of services to ensure the safety of tourists.

Other tours have been canceled through Saturday, affecting 450 guests.

Yagi intensified into a super typhoon around noon on Thursday, with maximum sustained winds of 201 kph. The storm is expected to reach the northern Gulf of Tonkin by Saturday morning before making landfall between Quang Ninh and Ninh Binh areas that are home to UNESCO heritage site Ha Long Bay.

Authorities in Hai Phong have ordered all boats and cruise ships to safely move to their anchorage locations by Friday afternoon.

Mon Cheri Cruises, also operating in Lan Ha Bay, returned to shore on Thursday to seek shelter, with its representative saying the typhoon's impact "could be very severe."

However, some cruise ships continued to operate as no official ban had been issued yet.

Lan Ha Bay in Hai Phong City on Sept. 5, 2024. Photo by Minh An

Minh An, the owner of another cruise ship in Lan Ha Bay, said his overnight boat had just departed with 20 guests but would return by Friday afternoon as required.

He has since canceled all tours from Friday to Sunday, returning deposits to guests, most of whom are foreigners with limited time in Vietnam.

Pham Tri Tuyen, head of the Department of Culture, Information, Sports, and Tourism of Cat Hai District in Hai Phong, reported that by 11 a.m. Thursday, about 2,000 tourists remained on Cat Ba Island. Most are expected to return to the mainland by Thursday night after being informed about the typhoon.

On Co To Island off the coast of Quang Ninh, only 10 tourists remained as of Thursday, all of whom are expected to leave for the mainland by that evening.