Halong Bay, also known as the Bay of Descending Dragons, is one of the most beautiful places in Vietnam and has been designated an UNESCO World Heritage site for its unique limestone karstic geomorphologic features and representation of the major stages of Earth’s history taking 500 million years to form. Or more simply…an awe-inspiring collection of looming limestone cliffs, picturesque isles, and hidden grottoes.
We had nothing planned for Vietnam when we arrived but knew a cruise on Halong Bay was a must-do. We pictured ourselves lounging on the cruise boat in our swimsuits, kayaking around amazing formations, and dining alfresco…until we got to northern Vietnam and realized that we showed up on the coldest, rainiest, and foggiest month of the year. Oops! We were totally bummed but figured we still had to go and hope for the best. We had gotten a recommendation for the company Indochina Junk from some of the people we met on our elephant tour in Thailand, and even though they are #1 on TripAdvisor with thousands of rave reviews, they luckily had a spot open on the perfect excursion for us – a 3 day/2 night cruise on a small luxury traditional junk boat through the quieter, less touristy area of the famous Halong Bay called Bai Tu Long Bay.
Our cruise boat…the Prince IV Junk…
We assumed that we lucked out with the last minute booking because it was the off-season. But, could our luck hold out? The trip was only a week away, and every day was calling for rain. Fast forward that week, and Santa brought us a late Christmas present from the Maldives – warm weather with no rain and occasional sunshine for our entire 3 days on the boat!
Our luck continued when we arrived at the port and discovered that our excursion wasn’t fully booked. The boat holds up to 8 people , but only one other couple was joining us! We practically got a private cruise boat with our own captain, tour guide, chef, and waiter/bartender. Our cruise got off to a great start with a couple cocktails and a nice lunch on the outdoor top deck dining area.
We cruised by island after island of sheer limestone cliffs rising out of the emerald green waters. The number of islands is staggering – 1,969 in the Halong Bay World Heritage Site according to our tour guide. The environment reminded us of our kayaking excursion in Koh Lanta with our friends for Thanksgiving. But Jimmy’s description summed it up well….Vietnam’s Halong Bay is like Thailand’s southern islands on steroids. Halong Bay is a mature karst landscape considered the most extensive representation of submerged, marine karst towers in the world.
Kayaking is one of the best ways to experience the majesty of the cliffs and explore the hidden caves and lagoons in Halong Bay so, naturally, was our first activity. Our guide led us around one of the limestone karsts to get an up-close view and unique perspective. The weather was calm, so the ocean looked like a smooth piece of jade, perfect kayaking conditions.
We saw lots of Vietnamese fishing boats as well as fisherman in tiny little row boats that they paddled with their feet to free up their hands for fishing. Impressive flexibility and coordination.
After working up an appetite kayaking, we were treated to a sumptuous, multi-course Vietnamese dinner under the stars on the top deck. We had a lovely dinner and were glad that we were on a quiet, romantic cruise boat with only one other couple. We had read about backpacker, booze cruises that party late into the night. As a rare breed of luxury world travelers, we were here to enjoy the scenery and have a romantic, relaxing get-away from the noise and craziness of Hanoi. However, although we may be in our late 30s and aren’t into the typical backpacker lifestyle, that didn’t stop us from playing a “sophisticated” game of Drunk Jenga.
The next morning, we were treated to the typical Vietnamese breakfast – Pho Ga, rice noodles with chicken in a savory broth with herbs. On a chilly morning after having perhaps one too many drinks the night before, Vietnamese chicken noodle soup surprisingly seemed like the perfect breakfast choice.
After breakfast, we relaxed on the top deck while cruising to an area called Cong Dam in the Bai Tu Long area of Halong Bay.
Indochina Junk was the first company allowed to sail in this section of the bay and thus offer an off-the-beaten path adventure away from the hordes of tourists that flock to the main area of Halong Bay. We loved the seclusion that this company manages. We rarely saw another boat and felt that Bai Tu Long was our own enchanted hideaway. Cong Dam was the location for our second day of kayaking and turned out to be even better than the first, especially because the sun came out…
And we paddled into a hidden lagoon that only had one narrow entrance.
Although the ocean is a dark emerald green in Halong Bay due to the limestone, the water is still clear, so we could see to the bottom in this shallow lagoon. We cruised over coral and through mangroves…maybe got stuck on a couple rocks.
And watched thousands of tiny little fish swim beneath us. The lagoon offers calm waters and protection from the elements so is a prime breeding area. The quiet lagoon was our favorite kayaking spot and a great area to discover the natural beauty and wildlife in the geological park.
Not too far from this lagoon was another fascinating formation – an arch that was big enough for us to kayak through.
The home stretch of this kayaking trip was a bit far as we had to paddle across a large open section of ocean, but our reward was huge….a private white sand beach for a Vietnamese-style bbq.
Our crew had the lunch spot all set up, so we got to splash around in the water for a bit and relax on the beach with our mango smoothies while the chef grilled us up a spectacular feast.
We have to give our chef and tour company huge props. All of the meals on board far exceeded our expectations. We honestly thought it was some of the best food we had eaten in Vietnam. And we already did a special street food tour in Hanoi and went to a fancy Vietnamese restaurant for New Year’s Eve! The beach cookout was definitely one of the highlights. We were introduced to jicama salad – now our favorite Vietnamese salad. The grilled grouper was also done perfectly with just the right amount of spice and smooth, melt-in-your-mouth texture. The cookout was rounded out with grilled prawns, the largest chicken wing I’ve ever seen, pork ribs, and squid. All of this washed down with a nice crisp white wine. Great Vietnamese food, feet in the sand, rugged limestone cliffs surrounding us on our tiny secluded beach, and warm weather…we couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day.
We didn’t think it could get better than this, but the chef and crew had one more trick up their sleeve for our final dinner. But first, we had to earn another meal by hiking to one of the famous Halong Bay caves. Okay, so maybe it was only 40-50 steps, but it was our only activity between lunch and dinner besides lounging on the sundeck while cruising around the bay. In my mind, totally justifying all the calories. And we got a great view of our boat from the higher vantage point.
Hundreds of caves of various sizes are hidden amongst the karst limestone islands of Halong Bay. Some of them, like the one we visited, once served as shelter for the local fisherman. With the protection of the caves now under UNESCO World Heritage status, the locals were relocated to make sure the caves survived for future generations. Drip by drip, the stalactites and stalagmites grow at an extremely slow pace – less than 1cm in 50 years!
After the cave visit, our big evening surprise was awaiting. First, we enjoyed a couple cocktails as the sun said farewell in dramatic fashion behind the limestone karsts.
Again, we were very fortunate as I have read many people disappointed in sunsets and sunrises here due to the constant cloud coverage even during warmer months. After the sunset, we headed below deck for our final, special dinner.
We were told that the chef spent all afternoon preparing our feast. We weren’t quite sure what would take so long until one by one each course was presented with a beautiful “sculpture” meticulously carved out of fruits and vegetables. Our starter was spring rolls with a rosette watermelon and then prawns with two swans carved from jicama.
Our chef came out to cook the prawns on the deck to demonstrate a popular cooking method in the fishing villages of Halong Bay – hot stone steam cooking. Within 15s, the prawns turned from grey to pink and were ready to eat.
Our first main course was sweet and sour fried halibut with a dragon carved out of a pumpkin.
We were treated to stir-fried beef with vegetables as our second main course along with an addition, different side of stir-fried vegetables decorated by another carving that was a replica of our cruise boat.
The dinner was surely a memorable one with beautiful food presentation, a traditional cooking demonstration, intricate fruit and vegetable carvings, a rose petal-strewn table, Jenga-designed candle holders, and some of the best food we have had while in Vietnam.
We topped off the evening with a Vietnamese grammar lesson with the bartender and a discussion with him on how to make the best mint chocolate chip martinis.
The next morning, we visited Vung Vieng fishing village where we boarded a rustic row boat for the tour of the floating village.
Although there are almost 2000 islands in Halong Bay, the landscape is not conducive for settlements, so a unique lifestyle with their own traditions developed in these floating villages. Fishing is a way of life here and how most of the inhabitants have made ends meet for generations. Today, tourism has brought them some extra income from the row boat tours and a pearl farm.
After visiting the fishing village, our cruise sadly came to an end, but our experience of Vietnamese culture was just beginning. We added in a stop at a local village called Yen Duc on our way back to Hanoi to learn more about the rural lifestyle. We first were treated to a water puppet show. Water puppetry is a Vietnamese tradition that dates back to the 11th century and is a unique variation of the ancient Asian puppet tradition. A small orchestra sang and played music to tell the stories of Vietnamese folklore and daily life scenarios…dancing, planting/harvesting the rice fields, and protecting livestock from fox.
People’s lives in Yen Duc still revolve around rice cultivation and farming activities. The highlights of our time here included:
cycling around the village to see the charming rice paddies and traditional homes
perfecting my Vietnamese squat position to separate rice husks (Side note: All over Hanoi we noticed that everybody is extremely flexible and performs their daily tasks and jobs in this very uncomfortable deep squat position…Hanoi blog coming soon with more details)
pounding the rice
catching a fish in a traditional basket with my hands
visiting a beautiful Buddhist temple
and learning that the Buddha prefers Choco-Pie offerings (notice the red boxes on the alter).
So, how did we end our Vietnamese cultural day that started with a morning in a floating fishing village, an afternoon spent in a rural village, and the evening back in crazy, noisy Hanoi? Well, we found ourselves a Choco-Pie to discover why it is so popular with Buddha, of course.
We were absolutely thrilled by our long weekend spent with Indochina Junk tours and blessed with great weather in January. Halong Bay was gorgeous, the food was phenomenal, the crew was fun and friendly, and the cultural lessons were interesting. Thank you so much to my Grandpa as we used our Christmas present money to splurge on the best cruise in Halong Bay!
💚🍪🍸💚 haha- love that mint chocolate chip martini conversations happen in Vietnam! It looks like a wonderful time!
Of course I was thinking of you when I wrote this and wondering if you would catch it! We didn’t have a ton to work with on a tiny boat in Halong Bay, Vietnam, but we came up with a good concoction. Mint chocolate chip martinis are the perfect post-dinner dessert drink, especially in a country that mostly does fruit for dessert. Gotta get a chocolate fix! ~Alysia
Super fun!