Travel Dates: March 2018 for 3 days, 2 nights
Travel Buddies: Ben + Stacey
Ha Long Bay (bay of the descending dragon), is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a New 7 Wonders of Nature site. The countless limestone karsts jutting out from the water create an otherworldly landscape that stretches for miles.
Being only a 3.5 hour drive from Hanoi it is naturally one of the most visited spots in Vietnam, and is best experienced by boat. The tourism industry is strong here and there are literally hundreds of “junk” boats that will take you through the bay, exploring inlets and caves. The boats vary in size and trip lengths range from day trips to multiple overnight trips. From surface level researching, we found most of the boat options felt a bit cheesy and inauthentic. Most boats have giant sails that are just for looks, you are packed on with many other travelers, and all meals are buffet style. Being a place that emulates tranquility, we felt the bay would be best experienced with more solitude. We learned that while most all boats dock in Ha Long Bay, you can avoid some of the tourism traffic by starting out of Lan Ha Bay, just to the South off of Cat Ba Island. All of the bays are interconnected and it is literally the same scenery. We found a company with a two cabin boat called the Oriental Sun. It is a real 66′ long sailboat and you have it all to yourself with a crew of 2 captains/chefs and 1 guide. There are a handful of other companies like this. We opted for a 3 day 2 night trip starting in Hanoi.
After boarding our boat from Cat Ba Island, we set out into the bay. The first channel is lined with floating fishing villages. Families live here farming fish in a grid of boardwalks and net partitions. It is also their base for fishing by boats throughout the bay. The string of these villages and boats add a colorful splash to the landscape and it is truly beautiful.
Much of the 3 days was spent motoring around the bays. The boat has a lovely deck on the front with a large daybed that was great for lounging with our friends and jumping into the water.
We would stop at various small beaches and areas with kayaks to explore. The karsts form some amazing hidden bays where you can only reach it by kayak through a low tunnel. While kayaking near Cat Ba Island, we saw a troop of Golden Headed Langurs down near the water. They are endangered and seeing them was truly rare, especially up so close!
We also docked at Viet Hai Village on Cat Ba Island, rode bikes through the countryside and did a steep hike up to an amazing viewpoint. Our guide, Quy, was close to our age and it was nice to get to know him while hiking and exploring.
One giant plus of renting a small boat was that every meal was amazing with fresh local foods cooked up on the boat. We got to try many local fishes and crustaceans that we wouldn’t have thought to order otherwise.
If you’re considering a trip to the bay, we recommend doing at least a one night stay. The boats anchor in coves at night and it is so tranquil looking up at the stars. Waking up on the boat to the calm sounds of birds and gentle water is truly special. We’re sure you can still have fun on one of the larger party boats, but we highly recommend renting a smaller boat. The serenity is worth it!
