Halong Beauty

Hanoi is the capital of Vietnam and the country's 2nd largest city after Ho Chi Minh. When in Hanoi there is no missing out on the UNESCO World Heritage Site that is at Halong Bay. The clear emerald waters glister under the sunlight and it was a spectacular sight to behold amongst the limestones.

How to Book?

We booked the Halong Bay Overnight cruise tour from Groupon Singapore. Yes, you heard it right. It was quite a good deal actually, to be honest. We had liaised with 'Lisa Vietnam Travel' via email prior to the trip at $300SGD per pax.

We were picked up from our hotel and drove straight to Tuan Chau Marina whereby many others were also waiting for transfer onto their cruise ships sailing on Halong Bay. We were with this company called 'Scorpion Cruise'. ( So you see, for each service, many companies are involved with different sub-contractors)

The many other 'brands' of cruises. 

Like them, we had to ride a smaller 'sampang' (boat) before we can transfer to the ship at the open sea

On Board! Haik!

The term 'cruise' is to be taken loosely, for I had, prior to boarding the "ship", had some romantic notions that it will be those luxurious cruises out floating on the bay. Alas, it was simply a very basic ship with basic rundown facilities. Okay, I should have guessed for such pricing that the picture shown in Groupon was too good to be true. Fancy sails and all.

However, though the ship was slightly older, we were extremely well fed.  The spread was considered sumptuous, including a dinner seafood buffet. Breakfast and a live demo of the Vietnamese spring rolls + lunch made us really happy and gleeful of food.

The crew on board which included the guide was friendly and brought us along on the land tours at various points when the ship docked and even cooked for us in a cooking demo!

Halong Bay Hello!

So within minutes, we were transported from the terminus to the open waters and there, smacked right in the middle of Halong Bay. 

The deck of Scorpion cruise looks pretty doesn't it?

Every meal on board was pretty fantastic... lots of Vietnamese dishes to go with white rice. 

Lovely gorgeous places we visited on DAY 1:

1. Soi Sim Island 

AKA TITOP Island 

This is the key to getting that million dollar bird eye's view picture of the island and Halong Bay you have seen in every magazine. 

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We arrived and departed in this sampang as the ship cannot dock into the beach due to its larger size.

Climb up the stairs to reach the highest of the island for a splendid view... exciting!

Thankfully it was not extremely steep and the steps were well paved. Phew. 

So there, this is the framed picture of Halong Bay- with filter

Embrace the world? :)

Back from the highs, we then went on to explore the sandy white beach on Soi Sim on the ground. 

Take your time to appreciate the tranquillity and calmness as the water gently laps on the sandy shores~

2. Dark and Light Grotto in Lan Ha Bay 

This 2nd place was really awesome. Lan Ha Bay lies south of Halong Bay and it's another bay altogether similarly peppered with limestone islets and many small villages with clean white beaches too, but we didn't embark, coz our guide didn't 'guide' us and we were left to kayak on our own for over an hour. Though we could follow the other tourists still I felt a bit bummed because no introductions were made of the place.

You wouldn't get lost that's for sure because it's a 1 way in and out from the calm waters.

Kayak

Kayaking in the tranquil, bluish-jade crystal water. Serene and at peace. However, the guide didn't really "care" if you know how to kayak or not. You can either go for this or sit out somewhere. So despite us not knowing/ forgetting how to kayak, we just have to rah-rah and go ahead. Really. it was quite a risk, but well we made it! Thank god.

The pics here are not super clear coz we have to judge our paddles and phones. This is where a GoPro would have been useful. 

We were in a stream amongst the valleys and mountains and the water was calm. From the pictures, it might not seem super pretty, but to be there personally will evoke a sense of wonder. A small human in a big world. 

Thanks to my gal who was in front~ 

It's dark and light because you enter the dark caves from the eroded limestones and emerged out again under the sky. In and out you will go. 

The sky was turning dark way fast upon our return. when we reached the pier it was PITCH BLACK. 

Refuelling

It was a fully packed day and a great dinner was necessary to wind down. We had Vietnamese food and BBQ and thankfully it was all done by a chef and we didn't have to BBQ. 

All good!

This sums up on Day 1 Halong Bay Cruise. Upcoming will be on Day 2. 

Stay tuned!

[TRAVEL VIETNAM 1] WHAT TO SEE IN HO CHI MINH CITY

[TRAVEL VIETNAM 2] HO CHI MINH - VISITING CU CHI TUNNEL (BEN DINH)