Halong Bay.
Ha Long means "descending dragon". Local legend says that a family of
dragons descended onto the bay to protect Vietnam from invaders by
spitting large jade and jewels into the water, forming thousands of
island barriers against the invaders. Afterwards, the dragons decided
to stay and make these waters their home. We think you will quickly see
that the islands are reminiscent of dragons resting in the water.
Apparently,
we saved the best experience for last! We think this UNESCO World
Heritage site and 7 New Wonders of Nature is one of the most stunning
natural landscapes we've seen so far on our trip. Right up there with
Plitvice Lakes in Croatia. Yes, Machu Picchu (Peru), Angkor Wat
(Cambodia), and the rice terraces of Sapa (Vietnam) were also
awe-inspiring, but they are largely man-made wonders. The two thousand
limestone formations that pepper the northernmost bay of Vietnam was
formed naturally over millions of years through erosion. Even more
amazing are all the hidden caves and lakes inside these hollow islands,
where many have yet to be discovered.
As a result, Halong Bay
was definitely on our "must-see" list, but we didn't know how to best
experience this place. Do we just find transportation to Halong Bay
on our own, then find a day boat to take us around? Do we sign-up for a
one or two night cruise? Should we just go to Cat Ba island, the
backpacker capital, and admire the limestone formations from the shore?
Although
we prefer DIY travels, this is one place that is best experienced by
joining a tour. Unfortunately, it seems every hotel and business in
Hanoi has a cousin or brother-in-law that supposedly runs a tour. There
are soooooo many tour operators to Halong Bay
that it is hard to know what's legitimate and what's not. After much
research, we decided on a 3-day/2-night cruise through the less
touristed Bai Tu Long Bay just northeast of Halong Bay for a full and unhurried experience.
We wrote an unsolicited infomercial on how we researched and selected Red Dragon Cruise as well as other options at the end of this blog.*
DRAGON'S PEARL I
After a 3+ hour minivan ride from Hanoi to the port along Halong City, we waited only a few minutes at the Red Dragon Cruise, Inc. terminal until we were escorted to a small boat that took us on board the 22-capacity Dragon's Pearl
. Besides us and the 13-member crew, there were 16 others on board: 2
Canadians, a couple from Switzerland, two Aussie couples, and a family
of 8 from Tasmania traveling through Vietnam for their 25th wedding
anniversary with their grown children and partners. The mom from
Tasmania is an ICU nurse for 29 years, and one of her daughters is a
CRNA, so between the 3 of us, we had medical skills and supplies for
anyone who decided to get sick or hurt!
We lucked out with a beautiful upper cabin in the rear of the boat with a large window taking in the panorama.
It
was already 1:30 pm by the time we got settled in to our room, and it
was time for lunch on the deck of the boat while we sailed away. The
9-course lunch, heavy on locally harvested seafood (fish, prawns, crab,
squid, clams, oysters), surprised all of us. We soon discovered that
most meals would be a multi-course "event". We thoroughly enjoyed the
gourmet food and can't remember the last time we ate so much. Chef Viet
was also very accommodating to any food allergies or preferences, so
Akiko got something else during the shrimp and crab courses.
A
typical meal onboard! This was a 9-course lunch which came with a big
bowl of rice. Pumpkin soup; salad; corn battered in rice flour, fried,
and sprinkled with sugar (very delicious!); Mike got grilled prawns and
Akiko got squid; beef with sesame sauce; sweet and sour fish; roasted
pork and green bananas; stir-fried veggies; and fruit.
Red Dragon Cruise avoids the crowded Halong Bay, instead opting to cruise through Bai Tu Long Bay for a more off the beaten track excursion.
The
myriad of limestone formations in every unique shape conceivable,
jutting out of the calm blue waters was a sight to behold. The grey
overcast of the fog added an ethereal and mysterious element. You
cannot imagine the vast expanse of this landscape that seemed to have
gone on forever. In 3 days, we never did see the wide open sea, ever.
CONG DAM FISHING VILLAGE
On the second day, we cruised to the Cong Dam fishing village, one of the furthest villages in Bai Tu Long Bay,
close to the wide open ocean. Village ladies met us at the boat to row
us to their village in their bamboo boats. The 3-year old trying to
help mom row stole all of our hearts. Here's a YouTube video of our
boat ride to their village.
The villagers of Cong Dam
used to be nomad fishermen along these waters until they established a
floating village 18-years ago. This 180-member village has been largely
isolated until Red Dragon Cruise started establishing relations with them since 2008 - the first time Cong Dam saw any foreigners.
The village has a community center, a primary school where children attend from ages 6 to 11, floating houses, and fisheries.
Their
schoolhouse. Teachers from Halong City come and stay during the week to
teach the children. School is compulsory from ages 6 to 11. After that,
the children go out on the fishing boats with their parents.
Osaka University in Japan is a partner with this village in supporting community improvement projects. Note the Japanese flag.
Recycling and trash program set-up for the village instead of throwing them in the water, as it was the case before Red Dragon Cruise got involved.
PARADISE ISLAND - THIEN CANH SON
We then cruised to Paradise Island - a private island that Red Dragon Cruise
acquired for their cruise business. From here, guests can sunbathe
(brrrrr in December), kayak, swim (the water is surprisingly warm), play
impromptu soccer on the beach, or just stay on the boat! The other Indochina boats were also here and their red/brown sails were beautiful against the islands.
GOURMET DINNER IN CAVE
There
is a cave in the middle of the limestone formation that makes up
Paradise Island. It can be accessed by trekking up ~80 steps. Our
guide, Tony, didn't want us getting a sneak preview of the cave while we
were relaxing on the island because the crew had a surprise planned for
us.
After
the sun went down and we were back on board to freshen up, the walkway
up to the cave was lit up and we couldn't wait for the surprise. Once
we walked up the stairs, we crawled into the cave through a narrow
opening and immediately opened up into a huge cave full of stalactites
(from above like icicles) and stalagmites (on the ground like a cone).
We were then ushered into an even larger cave room where the entire
staff greeted us. The space was lit with soft lights and candles. The
tables, chairs, tablecloths, china, and silverware were all carried up
from the boat and placed in the cave. BBQ was
the theme for the night. Dinner included char-grilled meats and
seafood such as chicken wings (one of the best we've had!), prawns,
squid, fried rice over coals, etc. Of course, our meal wasn't complete
without a few vegetable carvings.
BACK TO HALONG CITY and HANOI
The
next day, we started our 3.5 hour boat ride back to Halong City. We
enjoyed more scenery while the chef demonstrated vegetable carving.
Akiko thinks she's found a new hobby. Once we got back to the
terminal, we were promptly put back in vans and driven back to Hanoi.
And we're back to Halong City...
---------------
*HOW WE CHOSE Red Dragon Cruise
We
decided that this is not the time to be on a low-budget. There are
cheaper cruise operators (including Halong Party Cruises, if that's your
style), but we heard plenty of sketchy stories such as terrible onboard
room conditions, staff stealing belongings, staff unable to communicate
important information in English, bad food, etc. We didn't want to be
stuck on a boat for 3-days feeling miserable. Obviously, the worst case
scenario is a boat sinking due to lack of adherence to proper safety
standards, which did occur last year and quite a few foreigners drowned.
So,
from a quality and safety perspective, we narrowed down our options to 3
seemingly reputable companies. Our research included reviews from
TripAdvisor and Booking.com, their company websites, and blog entries
from other travelers. We looked at:
Marguerite Junk Cruise (3-star luxury cruise) starting at $400/double
Bhaya
Cruise (4-star luxury cruise) starting at $700/double. This company
got reprimanded online and spammed by some travel websites for poaching
their websites and writing fake reviews (e.g. at travelfish.org).
Interesting.
Red Dragon Cruise, Dragon's Pearl (3-star luxury cruise) for $525/double
We
also heard very good things about Kangaroo Cafe's organized cruises
from Hanoi, but we didn't know about them at the time. Their website is
very confusing so it's difficult to decipher the real cost, but perhaps
starting at $95 for a 2-day/1-night cruise (?).
Red Dragon Cruise won out for these reasons:
Excellent, near-perfect reviews.
Mid-range prices. Not too low, not too high.
Shuttle
service to/from any Hanoi hotel included in cost and service. The
other companies charged extra for the service, or we had to find our own
way to a central meeting point.
Goes to a more remote area northeast of Halong Bay called Bai Tu Long Bay
with the same stunning scenery, but with no other cruise ships around
except for Indochina boats. (Need a minimum 2-night cruise to get out
off the beaten path. One-night cruises stay closer to the city).
Has
an actual sales office in Hanoi at 11/12B Ly Nam De Street (side street
off Ly Nam De between buildings with address of 11 and 12), where we
could speak to professional agents and book our trip directly without a
middleman and avoid paying commission.
Everything clearly written, including receipt, cancellation policy, itinerary.
Not an over-ambitious itinerary. Lots of free time and less structure.
Once we boarded The Dragon's Pearl I junk boat, they exceeded all of our expectations, as follows:
A very professional service staff and ship crew of 13 people, catering to the 18 of us on board.
Multi-course
meals prepared by a trained chef, complete with intricate displays of
vegetable carvings. These were some of the best gourmet meals we've had
in all of our trip! The menu is heavy on locally harvested seafood:
prawns, crab, squid, oyster, clams, fish. Every staff asked about any
food requirements or allergies. Akiko was the only person with a
shellfish allergy and they went out of their way to prepare something
other than prawns or crabs for her during those courses.
Clean room with big window and great views.
Red Dragon Cruise has actually acquired one of the islands, Paradise Island and Beach, and been given exclusive rights as a cruise to travel the waterways in this area, so the only other boats we saw were a few Red Dragon Cruise boats and fishing boats.
Red Dragon Cruise
is a culturally and environmentally responsible organization, sensitive
to preserving and sustaining the livelihood and scenery that has
persisted in this area for thousands of years. They've developed
relationships with the 180-member Cong Dam fishing
village who only saw foreigners for the first time in 2008! This
floating village allows Indochina to bring tourists to learn about their
way of life. They brings some tourist dollars to supplement their
meager fishing income, supports their school, and educates them on
environmental practices such as recycling plastics and collecting trash
instead of dumping everything into the ocean.
One-of-a-kind excursions such as dinner in a cave!
Professional guide who speaks good English and very knowledgeable about Halong Bay, but also knew how to have fun by going kayaking with us and organizing a soccer match on the beach with the guests versus crew!
Extremely
efficient, organized and punctual with the transportation, transfers,
luggage service, meal times, service, etc. We didn't worry about a
thing.
High safety standards.
Entire fleet looks well-maintained, fresh paint, clean.
More details at http://www.reddragoncruise.com/company-profile/reviews/cruisingthebaitulongbay
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