Cruising Halong Bay

As a UNESCO World Heritage Site located just a few hours drive from Hanoi, Halong Bay – comprised of a picturesque collection of 2000+ limestone islands in the Gulf of Tonkin – is one of the most visited attractions in northern Vietnam. Along with Angkor Wat in Cambodia, Halong Bay was one of the places in Southeast Asia that I looked most forward to seeing, and I was not disappointed. During our time in Hanoi, we booked a two day cruise to visit this extraordinary natural wonder, which ended up being the highlight of our time in northern Vietnam. 

On the first day, we were picked up from our hotel early in the morning in an AC bus, and made the 3.5 hour drive to Halong City. During the drive, we saw rice paddies, water buffalo, and small towns typical in rural Vietnam. When we arrived at the Halong City pier, the dock was full of tourists, guides, and touts, which was a little overwhelming. Luckily, we made a beeline straight through the crowd to a small transit boat which took us to our larger cruising ship (known in Halong Bay as a “junk”). Our junk had three levels – the first being guest rooms, the second a dining floor, and the third was a rooftop deck with chairs for sunbathing and relaxing. We ate lunch immediately after checking into our rooms, complete with spring rolls, deep fried corn, rice, chicken and vegetables in a family-style setting. By the end of the meal, we had already cruised out to the first limestone islands, so most of our group went to on the top deck to get a panoramic view Halong Bay.

After weaving through hundreds of limestone islands, we eventually arrived at one of the main attractions for Halong Bay junks – Amazing Cave. We got off of our boat and hiked up to a lookout point before descending into the cave, which we walked through in about thirty minutes. After leaving Amazing Cave, we had the opportunity to go kayaking through the Halong Bay islands, where we were surrounded by stunning scenery while we paddled alongside the islands and into their caves and explored a floating village. Kayaking was definitely the highlight of the trip – and is a must-do for a trip to Halong Bay. 

Halong Bay Junk

Kayaking Area

Getting back on the boat, we travelled about fifteen minutes to small inlet where we would spend the night, alongside several other junks. After we settled into our spot, we went “swimming,” which really meant that we were jumping off the second story of the boat into the water (something that would definitely be against safety regulations in Canada, but was eagerly encouraged by our guide). We spent about an hour jumping off of the boat and swimming, and eventually made out way to the top floor of the boat to watch the sun go down and dry off.

We had another excellent meal at dinner, and afterward, went to the top of the boat to stargaze and play games under the direction of our guide that were usually nonsensical, but always hilarious. We spent the entire night laughing with the rest of the guests of the tour, who all ended up being really nice and easy-going. I’m not necessarily a fan of package-type tours, but one of the benefits of being in a group is meeting other travelers from all over the world. In this part of the world it is also immensely useful, since most people have already visited parts of Southeast Asia that we will be seeing during the next month. We met a retired Australian couple, a German girl travelling solo after spending three months in Cambodia, an adorable South Korean couple, a group of British backpackers on an 8-month round-the-world trip, two Swiss/French guys, and a British couple slightly older than us. Our guide, Kevin, was also funny and quick-witted, and made sure we had a good time (i.e. making us play old camp games, sing, dance, and have push-up contests). After spending the better part of the night on the rooftop, we eventually went to sleep in our cabins, and woke up to turquoise waters and limestone cliffs right beside our door in the morning. 

For most of the second day, we cruised through the Halong Bay to Cat Ba Island, and eventually made our way back to the Halong City pier by the afternoon. Again, the scenery was amazing, and is better justified through picture than words. Definitely one of the most beautiful places I have been to, and something that everyone should see (and kayak through!) at least once in their life.