Cruising Ha Long Bay (and Attack of the Jellies)
Arguably the most famous spot in Vietnam, Halong bay is a truly stunning and serene landscape to visit. We booked in with Bhaya Cruise for their 'Two Days Halong Bay Discovery Cruise' which was a little bit of luxury and definitely did not disappoint. Everything was delightful: from our room, the service, the food and the activities. Halong Bay, or Vinh Ha Long in Vietnamese, translates to Descending Dragon Bay and is located in the Gulf of Tonkin in Northern Vietnam. There are nearly two thousand limestone rocks that rise small and tall out of the tranquil water which if you're lucky you'll experience against a watercolour sky of pink and orange. Float amongst karst silhouettes whilst sipping pre-dinner cocktails... this is such a magical experience to tick off your bucket list.
As part of out ticket the Bhaya team picked us up from our hostel in Hanoi in a 'minibus limo' (who knew these even existed) and took us straight to the dock where we enjoyed a welcome drink during the short wait to board the boat. Ours was a smaller cruise so there was a good amount of fellow passengers to provide a friendly atmosphere for our trip whilst still retaining a personal touch. Somehow we completely lucked out and were given one of two rooms situated at the back of the boat which had a private outdoor terrace area with sun loungers and uninterrupted views of the bay. The rooms themselves were stunning so this was a fabulous bonus to an already great start. The staff then lead a full welcome talk in the restaurant area and went through the full itinerary with us which they had packed with lots of different activities. Everything is completely voluntary so if you just wanted to relax and take in the sights then you can.
First up was a lunch buffet filled with many options where we met two lovely American ladies, Alex and Nicole, who we ended up spending a lot of the cruise with and sharing a lot of laughs with. After that we went to the top deck to take in the landscape as we cruised to our first activity.
On the first day we enjoyed kayaking around a small floating fishing village, Cua Van. You could chose double or single kayaks so of course we went together and paddled around the corner where we couldn't be seen to take pictures without wearing our life vests (sorry!). The sun was beating down and it was lovely to have a chance to actually get onto the water ourselves. Before returning to the boat we had the chance to look around a small museum and Tom who was our head of staff told us a little bit about the fishing village itself.
The people that inhabit the village live on the water all year round and use the surroundings to survive through old traditions of fishing and pearl farming. They share small generators between a few families and it is hours to the mainland if they have an emergency. Tom mentioned that often locals will die out here due to the long journey to the mainland (remember this for later...). The way of life is so different from anything we are used to and its astounding to believe people actually live in these small villages between the huge floating limestone rocks. After that we stopped off at Tien Ong Cave for a quick grapple over rocks and around stalagmites.
After cruising to a quiet location the boat weighed anchor and we were given the chance to swim in the emerald water of Ha Long Bay. We were the first ones out and James started joking with the crew asking if there was anything in the water like jelly fish or sharks. She laughed and shook her head, "No, no no! No jellyfish!". So naturally James was the first of the whole boat full to dive straight in as I apprehensively watched and took pictures of him on the GoPro. A few others started to join him as I continued to linger by the ladder. James got out the water to help encourage me and agreed to wait at the bottom of the ladder for me to cling on to him as soon as I would enter the water. He jumped back in, made his way back to the ladder and with a quick flash of white under the water in my peripheral vision and suddenly a very loud yell from James we soon realised that our boat group weren't the only ones enjoying an early evening swim. James clambered up the ladder and to our horror the side of his chest and right upper arms were instantly covered in red blisters. James took on the jellies and lost.
The staff were very efficient and Tom attended to James using fresh water and lemons to clear the area.To begin there was a little concern regarding how long it would take to get to emergency services if it was anything more serious considering only hours ago we were told how locals often die before reaching the mainland! Once I realized he was going to be alright I did find it difficult to stop myself from laughing as it is completely typical of all the people it would be James who got stung.
Tom graciously said we would get two free cocktails before dinner that evening as an apology. needed So all in all James can now say he took on the jellies and lived to tell the tale but most importantly we got free alcohol! After that they held a cooking competition in the restaurant before dinner but understandably James needed to rest a little so we missed that activity and instead just relaxed in our room and got ready for dinner.
Before dinner they offer a 'buy one get one free' happy hour on drinks so we enjoyed our freebies and a few more on the top deck and watched the sky turn from blue, to pastel pink and fiery orange and slowly darker and darker until it was time to retreat inside following the smell of food. James also has a few other passengers asking about his near-death swimming experience as well which was pretty funny to watch.
For dinner they served up a Vietnamese set menu and afterwards you can retreat to your room or have a go at squid fishing on the back deck. Along with Alex and Nicole we gave it a go and came up short but I don't doubt our fishing skills, I'm just pretty sure there weren't any squid in the water that night...of course. We did see plenty more mini jellies though!
I can usually get pretty sea sick so I was a little apprehensive about sleeping on a boat but I drifted off without a hitch and didn't want to get out of bed the next morning. They do start very early with Tai Chi on the top deck which we said we would go to but couldn't quite bring ourselves to actually do at the time. Alex and Nicole did go and both enjoyed it. After a light breakfast is served: which we did drag ourselves out of bed for because, of course, food was involved.
We had time to leisurely pack up (go back to sleep) before a full brunch service around 9am. The crew team then treated us to a Vietnamese tea ceremony when we could try some drinks and different snacks. After this we just enjoyed our last moments being submerged in the stunning landscape before handing back our keys and disembarking. As we left the boat the crew all stood on the top deck balcony and waved us goodbye.
When looking to book a cruise on Halong Bay there is an overwhelming amount of Google results (574,000 at the time of writing!) but I couldn't recommend the Bhaya team more. We had such a wonderful time thanks to them. Bhaya Cruise are also a partner with International Union for Conservation of Nature IUCN and are constantly fighting to preserve Halong and provide environmental protection. They also have the Save the Langur Campaign to assist in the conservation of the Cat Ba Langur who are critically endangered primates only found on the Cat Ba Island near Halong Bay, Vietnam.
To find out more about Bhaya and the different cruises they offer you can visit their website here or visit them on Instagram @bhayacruiseshalong.
Love, Rachael x
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As part of out ticket the Bhaya team picked us up from our hostel in Hanoi in a 'minibus limo' (who knew these even existed) and took us straight to the dock where we enjoyed a welcome drink during the short wait to board the boat. Ours was a smaller cruise so there was a good amount of fellow passengers to provide a friendly atmosphere for our trip whilst still retaining a personal touch. Somehow we completely lucked out and were given one of two rooms situated at the back of the boat which had a private outdoor terrace area with sun loungers and uninterrupted views of the bay. The rooms themselves were stunning so this was a fabulous bonus to an already great start. The staff then lead a full welcome talk in the restaurant area and went through the full itinerary with us which they had packed with lots of different activities. Everything is completely voluntary so if you just wanted to relax and take in the sights then you can.
First up was a lunch buffet filled with many options where we met two lovely American ladies, Alex and Nicole, who we ended up spending a lot of the cruise with and sharing a lot of laughs with. After that we went to the top deck to take in the landscape as we cruised to our first activity.
On the first day we enjoyed kayaking around a small floating fishing village, Cua Van. You could chose double or single kayaks so of course we went together and paddled around the corner where we couldn't be seen to take pictures without wearing our life vests (sorry!). The sun was beating down and it was lovely to have a chance to actually get onto the water ourselves. Before returning to the boat we had the chance to look around a small museum and Tom who was our head of staff told us a little bit about the fishing village itself.
The people that inhabit the village live on the water all year round and use the surroundings to survive through old traditions of fishing and pearl farming. They share small generators between a few families and it is hours to the mainland if they have an emergency. Tom mentioned that often locals will die out here due to the long journey to the mainland (remember this for later...). The way of life is so different from anything we are used to and its astounding to believe people actually live in these small villages between the huge floating limestone rocks. After that we stopped off at Tien Ong Cave for a quick grapple over rocks and around stalagmites.
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| Cua Van, fishing village |
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| Tien Ong Cave |
After cruising to a quiet location the boat weighed anchor and we were given the chance to swim in the emerald water of Ha Long Bay. We were the first ones out and James started joking with the crew asking if there was anything in the water like jelly fish or sharks. She laughed and shook her head, "No, no no! No jellyfish!". So naturally James was the first of the whole boat full to dive straight in as I apprehensively watched and took pictures of him on the GoPro. A few others started to join him as I continued to linger by the ladder. James got out the water to help encourage me and agreed to wait at the bottom of the ladder for me to cling on to him as soon as I would enter the water. He jumped back in, made his way back to the ladder and with a quick flash of white under the water in my peripheral vision and suddenly a very loud yell from James we soon realised that our boat group weren't the only ones enjoying an early evening swim. James clambered up the ladder and to our horror the side of his chest and right upper arms were instantly covered in red blisters. James took on the jellies and lost.
The staff were very efficient and Tom attended to James using fresh water and lemons to clear the area.To begin there was a little concern regarding how long it would take to get to emergency services if it was anything more serious considering only hours ago we were told how locals often die before reaching the mainland! Once I realized he was going to be alright I did find it difficult to stop myself from laughing as it is completely typical of all the people it would be James who got stung.
 |
| Still smiling! |
Tom graciously said we would get two free cocktails before dinner that evening as an apology. needed So all in all James can now say he took on the jellies and lived to tell the tale but most importantly we got free alcohol! After that they held a cooking competition in the restaurant before dinner but understandably James needed to rest a little so we missed that activity and instead just relaxed in our room and got ready for dinner.
Before dinner they offer a 'buy one get one free' happy hour on drinks so we enjoyed our freebies and a few more on the top deck and watched the sky turn from blue, to pastel pink and fiery orange and slowly darker and darker until it was time to retreat inside following the smell of food. James also has a few other passengers asking about his near-death swimming experience as well which was pretty funny to watch.
For dinner they served up a Vietnamese set menu and afterwards you can retreat to your room or have a go at squid fishing on the back deck. Along with Alex and Nicole we gave it a go and came up short but I don't doubt our fishing skills, I'm just pretty sure there weren't any squid in the water that night...of course. We did see plenty more mini jellies though!
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| Squid fishing... and wine! |
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| I mean, what a view to wake up to... |
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| Tea ceremony |
When looking to book a cruise on Halong Bay there is an overwhelming amount of Google results (574,000 at the time of writing!) but I couldn't recommend the Bhaya team more. We had such a wonderful time thanks to them. Bhaya Cruise are also a partner with International Union for Conservation of Nature IUCN and are constantly fighting to preserve Halong and provide environmental protection. They also have the Save the Langur Campaign to assist in the conservation of the Cat Ba Langur who are critically endangered primates only found on the Cat Ba Island near Halong Bay, Vietnam.
To find out more about Bhaya and the different cruises they offer you can visit their website here or visit them on Instagram @bhayacruiseshalong.
Love, Rachael x
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