Booking Ha Long Bay in advance

I will be arriving in Vietnam after about a month in China and I'm not sure of my exact itinerary so I won't be able to book a Ha Long Bay tour very far in advance. Will be in the area at the end of Aprlil or early May.

If I plan to book thru Handspan or another of the high-end companies, how far in advance will I need to contact them in order to ensure I get a spot on the nicer junks at that time?

Thanks.

We booked ours the day before we wanted to do it. No problems with full tours when we were there....ok, that was October...but maybe the same when you go.

Book the day before - we did it 10 days ago - no problem.

cheers

We booked a day in advance in October of last year.
However we got the last room on the Lagoon Explorer, that only takes 8 people.
The Dragon Pearl that takes 30 was fully booked.
I think it is "just take your chances", and maybe the time of year you go.
ONE LOVE !!
Mike

All the tours are much the same, cheaper to book through a Sinh Cafe when you are there - there is always availability.