Lan Hạ Bay's 326 routes split into two ways to climb: sport climbing on the sand at Tiger Beach, Moody's Beach and the rest, and 24 deep water soloing cliffs that grow straight out of the water. Deep water soloing needs a tide above 2 meters, so in winter it works on only a few days; spring (April–May) and autumn (September–November) are the seasons where both work. On top of that, climbing in the Ha Long Bay area is illegal, harbor police turn people away, and boat operators can lose their licenses.
The five disciplines differ in three ways: what stops a fall (water, yourself, a partner), what you climb on (rock, ice, snow) and how long you are committed (half a day to more than a week). Boulderers are closest to deep water soloing, provided they can swim; big walls need trad and multi-pitch skills; Taiwan has almost no natural ice. Of North America's 2024 climbing accidents, 71 were alpine, 52 trad and 35 sport — totals, not rates, so they cannot rank which is most dangerous.
DWS needs only shoes and chalk, but the risk has not gone away: the AAC notes at least three DWS deaths in Europe. The S0–S3 scale, created in Britain in the mid-1990s, rates what happens if you fall and assumes high tide; at low tide an S1 can become an S3. In a fall, enter feet first, legs together, arms tight to your body, eyes on the horizon — never look down. At Long Dong only a few rock-sheltered spots are climbable; elsewhere the rip currents are strong.