Vietnam tours packages halong bay

Halong bay is a Unesco World Heritage Site where some 3.000 islands create a picture perfect get-away in the Gulf of Tonkin. The scenery is very romantic and your camera will snap many pictures during the cruise.

Your first contact with Halong Bay is with Tour Agents in Hanoi or other cities in Vietnam. The Tour Agents have themselves never visited Halong Bay or stayed at the accommodation they recommend. They purely base their opinion on commission and the information sent to them by the Cruise companies, hotels and resorts. The Tour Agent will show you several books with pictures of both cruise ships, accommodation and suggested itinerary. We wanted to splurge so we opted for the $10 extra  Deluxe accommodation at the resort. The Superior bungalows, a downgrade from Deluxe, also looked great with large rooms and nice ocean views. We paid $94 for our package which included a $11 discount. All tours except for Hanoi Backpackers  ($130) areexcluding drinks on the ship or in hotel/resort. They allow you to bring your own water, but soda or spirits will be confiscated or you must pay a surcharge (approx. 100.000 dong).  The average party-goer will spend 2 million dong per person and others 300.000 dong. The prices range from 50.000 dong for a cocktail, 35.000 for a beer and 25.000 for a soda. There is only one ATM in Cat Ba and you have to request a stop there. Its best to go to an ATM in Hanoi or Halong City before you depart.

At 8:30 am we where picked up by a tour representative at our Guest-house. Once on the bus we where informed that Asia Cruise was fully booked and we had been transferred to Hanoi Fairtours. The representative ensured us that the ship was in the same condition as Asia cruise and our experience would be the same, or even better than the one we had paid for. We had no problems with this transfer as the ships seem to all look the same from the pictures we had seen at the Tour Agent. One thing we did ponder over was if we had actually ended up with the correct tour group since we had specifically requested a ‘No Party’ cruise and the people in our bus where already drinking Vodka from bottles. But early into our transfer to Halong City, where the ships depart, we where told that the party crowd where going on another ship. The party crowd went on the Asia Cruise ship that we initially booked. Make sure when you book that you do not end up on a party cruise, if you do not want to of course. Most cruises are geared towards the party crowd since they spend equal value  in spirits to that of the entire cost of the tour. We met a group of English girls on the day after their party cruise and they said it had been “a very, very messy cruise”.

Halong city is the gateway to Halong Bay with hundreds of ships waiting near shore for their tourists. The hotels in the area are high-rise, plain and empty.

Once on the ship we settled into our small but nice cabin. Dinner was served at 6 pm and we got acquainted with our fellow travellers. After dinner we did some squid fishing and sang Karaoke. At 10 pm the crew turned off the Karaoke and most guests went to their cabins.

The sea food dinner experience was average and the entertainment below average. If you do not eat sea food then request with the Tour Agent that you get other food. The squid fishing was more of a joke among participants as the crew stuck a long bamboo rod into our hands, pointed to the water and said “Squid”. The Squid fishing lasted in total 10 minutes as we all had a turn for 1 minute before happily giving up the bamboo rod. The Karaoke was an IKEA set-up where you make your own fun with the equipment provided. A smaller group stayed and sang favourite songs from the extensive selection provided. Our ship anchored in a bay together with  32 other ships for the overnight stay.

In the morning we where awaken at 7 am for a transfer to Cat Ba island and new adventures. In Lonely Planet Cat Ba island is described as “something straight out of Jurassic Park”. I am very sure that the author never visited Cat Ba as the island is more accurately described as “one long asphalt road connecting the other jetty”. Before we took off to ‘explore’ Cat Ba we had to wait for another group to join ours. When they did arrive, one hour late, it was the party crowd that we travelled with on the bus from Hanoi.

On the way to the other Jetty we stopped for hiking or biking near the Cat Ba National Park which was such a disappointment. We opted for the biking and where given very bad bikes near total breakdown. Most of the bikes did not have working breaks. With these bikes we cycled on one straight road, stopped, waited and turned around and cycled back on the same road. It is very unclear what the actually intention was with the biking. Maybe the Vietnamese believe that we do not have bicycles in our countries so cycling on the road, turning around and cycling back again satisfy our sense of adventure. The biking lasted for 1 hour and if you opted for the trekking they take you into to park for 1,5 hours. You where also given an option of visiting a cave which was used during the war as a hospital. For a quick walk into the cave you have to pay 20.000 dong. The entry fee is not included in the package.

The popular, long-running German movie series called “Das Traumhotel” was filmed on Indochina sails. The series of movies Das Traumhotel, which translates in English to “Dream Hotel”, features 5-Star properties from all over the world in which to set the stories. Previous installations in the series have been filmed in such locales as Dubai, Thailand, Bali, the Maldives, Brazil and Mexico… The latest installation in the series was on location in Vietnam. In Hoi An, the famous Nam Hai Resort was chosen and in Halong Bay, the Indochina Sails was the set for the movie. Indochina Sails is proud to be recognized along with other famous properties as a world-class destination.

I Could Get Used To This Life!

According to local legend, a long time ago when the Vietnamese were fighting Chinese invaders, the gods sent down a family of dragons to help defend the land. They began spitting out jewels and jade which transformed into thousands of islands and islets dotting the bay, forming a great wall to block the invaders. These thousands of tiny limestone islands enabled the Vietnamese to successfully defend their land. This bay was named Halong Bay (Ha means descending, Long means dragon), and sits just south of the China Sea. It was recently named a Unesco World Heritage site, and is one of the most amazing things I have seen.

We booked a 2 day, 1 night cruise aboard one of the many “junk” cruises offered to tourists, which was quite amazing! The boat was gorgeous, and the cabins luxurious. It offered not only the nicest stay we had during our entire trip, but also the best shower I have maybe had in my entire life! We went with Indochina Sails Cruise, and although it was one of the more expensive cruises on Halong Bay, I highly recommend this cruise for quality and comfort and activities offered both on and off the ship. Also because there are many not so great ships that we saw, one of which sank the day after our cruise ended, killing 12 people. Seriously heartbreaking. And not to make light of a horrific situation, but unfortunately it doesn’t seem like the crews are overly prepared. During our “safety” talk, all they said was “throw on a life vest and run… don’t even worry about buckling the vest, just try to do that as you’re running to safety.” Hmmm…interesting. However, the junk cruise was my favorite part of the trip, and I highly suggest that anyone visiting Vietnam take one of these cruises, but just make sure to go with a reputable company.

One of the activities that we had on the cruise was a tour of Cua Van, the largest floating fisher village in the Bay. It was quite unbelievable and fascinating to see an entire village situated on rafts that were anchored down so their village would stay put. Full families of multiple generations lived in one room shacks… and they even had dogs! There was a school, a post office, bars and even a restaurant, all part of this fisher village. We learned that water is brought in once a week on a larger ship, and they fill up with buckets for their weekly needs. They have small paddle boats that serve as transportation around the village, and we even saw small children rowing these boats and helping out with chores.

We were able to get an up close and personal look inside this community by women who lived there, as they took us in a boat tour around the village. And bright and early the next morning we were greeted by some of these women as they paddled up to our large boat peddling their pearls and handicrafts that they made. I was quite amused when I wanted to look at some jewelry that they were selling but didn’t have a means to get down to the water to look at their offerings (since we were on a ship in the middle of the bay). Just after I yelled this down to them, I was greeted with a large net dancing in front of my face, full of the necklaces that they were trying to sell! When I found one I wanted I put the money in the net and yelled down “Thank you!”, and that’s how the women from the fisher village sell their crafts.

We also had the opportunity to dock at a beach for a while, allowing us time to hike up to Tip Top Point, and afterwards cool off by swimming in the bay. It was such a nice treat swimming in the ocean again, smelling the saltwater and laying out on the beach listening to the waves break the surf and children laughing and screeching out of delight. Oh how I miss the ocean! But probably my favorite thing to do on the cruise was to lay out on the top deck on their comfortable lounge chairs, taking in the fresh air and the cool breeze as we sailed along the bay, and being mesmerized with the beauty all around me. It was truly enchanting !