If you have followed my blog, you may remember that my daughter Andrea’s birthday is December 26. It’s not a good day for a birthday. In 2023 we were in Budaphest, Hungary on her birthday and went for an evening dinner cruise on the Danube River to celebrate. This year we went for another boat experience. It was much longer and on a nicer boat. The trip was in Halong Bay, Vietnam.
Halong Bay is a few hours east of Hanoi and a popular tourist destination. The area is a declared UNESCO site for its unique landscape. There are a number of boats that sail the bay, and one can take a two or three day cruise as well as just a one day adventure. We chose the latter. The one day doesn’t cover as much of the bay, but it certainly provides a sense of what the bay has to offer.
It was another early morning pick up for us. The bus was to come at 7:45, and they were pretty much on time. The bus was fairly similar to the bus we had taken to Ninh Binh. This time our tour leader was Victor, another friendly and helpful young man. We keep finding that the Vietnamese people are by nature very kind and want to help you in any way they can.
It was a little over a two hour drive to get to Halong Bay and our catamaran. We did make two rest stops along the way. At the second one we had an opportunity to check out pearls. As we walked in, we encountered women placing “seeds” into oysters so they would produce pearls. It seemed a very tedious process. After that demonstration we entered a shop where many pearl items were on display. One of the things we saw were different colors of pearls including gold ones. I didn’t even know they existed.
Back on the bus (without any pearls) we had about another hour before we reached Halong Bay. When we arrived, we had a short wait for a small boat to take us out to the catamaran. They required us to put on life vests, but the trip lasted all of three minutes. We were surprised when we got there so fast.
The boat also surprised me. It was much nicer than I expected. The crew lead us to a large dining area with various table configurations. Since there were six of us, we sat at a table with a long bench along the window which was quite roomy and comfortable.
Our time together started with a five course meal, yes it was a gourmet meal in many ways and well presented. We started with a squash soup followed by a salad. Next we were offered a seafood dish. We thought this was the main meal, but then they brought a chicken dish out which apparently was the main meal. Finally, of course, we had dessert. While I don’t usually take photos of food (I leave that to my wife and daughter) I had to take a photo of the dessert. It was beautiful and creative.
During the meal our boat began to move through Halong Bay. I was getting up from time to time to go outside and take photos. The landscape here is very unusual. There are a lot of limestone sea stacks and islands sticking up out of the water. Some are sort of jagged looking. These peaks began to layer with each other. You would see one, and then beyond it was another and then more farther back.
As we sailed along, we were having a very foggy day. In some ways it was hard to see all the details of the rocks and peaks, but in other ways it created a very mysterious feeling landscape as the rock seemed shrouded in mystery. It was hard to stop taking photos. I would see one scene I thought looked great, but then as we moved, another scene would emerge from the fog. In some locations the fog provided a white backdrop so that the boats seemed to be sailing in the middle of nowhere. It was a fun place to be taking photos. It was also fun to try different processing of the photos.
Once we had eaten our meal, the boat stopped at a location near some of the limestone islands. Victor offered two options of activities to do. Kayaks were provided for those who wanted to take them out. However, Victor informed us we would get wet so we needed to be dressed appropriately. For those who didn’t want to kayak, a flat bottom boat with a rower was available to take us out. None of us had prepared to get wet so we chose the rowed boat. Unfortunately Aaron and Michelle ended up in a different boat than we got into.
The boat trip was similar to the one we had take at Ninh Binh, except it was on the ocean. There were also not as many boats out. Again our rower was a woman although we did see more men rowing than in Ninh Binh. As we moved about, we saw the kayakers from time to time, but we also followed our own route. The trip included passing through a cave. It was not too low. The trip was very peaceful for the most part and lasted maybe twenty minutes.
They moved the boat to a different location once everyone was back on the boat, but we didn’t go too far. For the next hour or so we could just relax or enjoy getting wet in the green water of Halong Bay. Off the back of the boat were two slides for those who wanted to slide down into the water. They also had a trampoline sitting in the water for folks to enjoy. On the deck was a hot tub. Despite the fog and clouds, it wasn’t really too cold so a number of the passengers enjoyed being in the water. Since no one in my family came prepared for water play, we just sat around and talked while enjoying some Vietnamese coffee.
For our final activity of the day, the cruise offered a cooking glass. Well, it wasn’t really cooking. The chef showed how to make a rose out of a tomato. His food artwork was generally quite impressive. At the end of the table sat a bird he had carved out of vegetables. After his demonstration everyone was give an opportunity to make a spring roll.
Tea was then provided which was fruit and some sweet treats along with fruit juice or tea. With that we began our journey back to shore. This time our boat went right to the dock so there was no need to take another boat to shore.
Our bus made one stop on the way back. This time it was the location of an art shop. They featured Vietnamese scenes created with silk threads using an embroidery technique. The work is really beautiful to see. We were tempted but didn’t buy anything.
While we had not been particularly active throughout the day, we were all tired when we got back to our hotel. Riding a bus for two hours is never very relaxing. We are looking at one more full day in Hanoi, and then we will be off to our next destination.
I hope you are enjoying reading about our trip to Vietnam so far. There is still a lot more to come. Be sure to share any thoughts or personal experiences you have had in Halong Bay in the comment box below. Also be sure to sign up for my weekly post if you haven’t done so already. See you next week.
Credit: Jacob Fuentes took the photo of the family on the bus and me taking a photo.
Beautiful captures of Halong Bay. I had no idea there were so many different colours of pearls either. I’ve only ever heard of white and black ones.
Halong Bay is such an interesting place. However, I began to feel all my photos were looking alike with the gray skies. Thanks for the positive comment.