Kayaking Halong Bay - Some tips for a memorable journey

By Annie

I was motivated to write this post for anyone who may be planning a trip to Halong Bay and might find it as confusing as I did. There is a huge amount of information about Halong Bay on the internet and a large proportion of it is contradictory. After spending a couple of evenings reading reviews I was convinced that no matter what we did there was a good chance we'd have a terrible time and spend the whole trip wishing we'd chosen something else... it almost made me want to cut it out altogether.

Can I just say, if you're thinking about going to Halong Bay and feel the way I felt, don't give up! Halong Bay is AMAZING and completely worth the time and effort to plan.  Having said that, do put some time and effort into choosing what tour you do, as this will make a big difference to whether you come back raving about your trip or warning others not to make the mistakes you did.

Halong Bay

There are literally hundreds of boats floating around Halong Bay every single day, catering to all interests and budgets.  But to find the one that caters to you, you need to know what it is you are looking for.  That means:

1. How much do you want to spend?  

Of course, everyone's budget is different, but I recommend spending a bit extra and going for a mid-range boat.  Remember you are going to be stuck with it/on it, spending a little bit extra for a bit of comfort, good food, is probably worth it.

A tip: If you like a bit of luxury, consider upgrading.  We chose a mid-range cruise and upgraded to a suite which I personally thought was better value than the basic cabins on the more expensive boats.

2. How long do you want to go?

There are basically two options here: 2 days/1 night or 3 days/2 nights. In my view, you absolutely should go for the 3 day/2 night option, you won't regret it. If you do go for 2D/1N, be aware that you will spend less than 24 hours actually on Halong Bay.  The first day you will make the four hour trip from Hanoi and arrive at the boat after 12 noon, after spending overnight on board, you will then disembark at around 11 am before making the four hour trip back to Hanoi while asking yourself why you didn't go ahead and do the 3 day tour.  On most boats the 3 day tour does the same itinery as the 2 day tour, with an extra full day added in the middle where you will get the whole day exploring some of the further out areas, away from the tourist hordes.

3. How many people do you want to go with?

How many people do you want to share your tour with?  In my opinion anywhere up to 30 people is good, but I would steer clear of the huge boats.

4. What do you want to eat?  

It may sound silly, but you are going to be stuck eating what they give you for two or three days.  The quality of the food will largely be determined by your budget, however there is quite a range of options depending on the boat.  Some are predominantly buffets, however there are others (like ours) that serve you individual courses, or even ones where you can choose your main course from a menu.  This is especially important if you have special dietary requirements.  I've read so many reviews from non-seafood eaters or vegetarians saying that, although they specified their requirements when booking, there were very few options for them.  The Boy doesn't eat seafood so this was a key factor for us when choosing a boat and I have to say that the team on our boat did a brilliant job of providing a variety of tasty non-seafood options for him.

5. Where do you want to go? 

In broad terms there are two basic options: Halong Bay (to the west) and Bai Tu Long Bay (to the east).  Both are spectacularly beautiful, however, Ha Long Bay has many more boats giving you many more options, whereas Bai Tu Long Bay has less boats making it less busy and less crowded.  Many people also claim that the Bai Tu Long Bay is cleaner.  If you go to Bai Tu Long Bay you will miss out on seeing some of the more famous caves but you might get to visit some more untouched caves. Most boats provide a description of where they go on their website so check it out.  We opted for Bai Tu Long Bay because we didn't fancy the idea of being shuttled through various sites with hundreds of other tourists, and we were very pleased with our decision.  If you'd prefer to go to Bai Tu Long Bay, check out some of the boats listed at the end of this post.

A third option is a tour that spends one night on Cat Ba Island.  These tours are generally less expensive than the other options, however, be careful to check out not just the boat but also the accommodation offered on Cat Ba to make sure it fits your requirements.

6. What's included? 

 Do you want to go Kayaking? If so, many boats charge extra. Does the price include transport from Hanoi and pick up from your hotel? Also, depending on the boat there may be extra activities offered on board such as cooking demonstrations or squid fishing.  It's worth finding out exactly what's offered and what extra charges there will be.

7. Do your research

Most boats have a website so check it out.  Also, look for reviews but be aware that many reviews are posted for a Company rather than a boat so double-check that the review is actually about the boat you are looking at.  For some reason, a lot of people seem to post reviews for the wrong boats, so read carefully. Also beware of suspiciously good or suspiciously bad reviews, fake reviews are not unheard of.

A good travel agent can be very helpful.  Make sure you tell them what's important to you and then ask for recommendations.  If you've found some boats yourself, run them by the travel agent to find out if there's anything you should know.  In particular, agents will know the age of most of the boats and the size of the cabins.  They can also get extra information from the boat for you if needed.

8. Booking

Book early. Of course there are some good deals offered to last minute customers, but booking early will give you a better chance of getting the boat you want.  The popular boats do sell out.

Make any special food requests.  (Keep in mind that most boats offer a predominantly seafood menu so if you don't like fish and seafood speak up now.)  Also be clear about what you can eat (e.g., no seafood but fish is fine, or no seafood and fish but meat is fine).

ACTIVETRAVEL ASIA would like recommend Kayaking Halong Bay tour.Halong Bay, located in the Gulf of Tonkin, covers an area of 1500 square km. with more than a thousand limestone peaks soaring from its crystalline emerald water. The calm sea provides an ideal location for sea kayaking as we paddle through a maze of islets amid dramatic natural scenery. With our modern kayaking equipment, we are able to maximize on speed and maneuverability as we explore the open sea and the many hidden lagoons and stalagmite caves that are difficult to access by any other means. After a day of paddling we unwind on our boat and enjoy dinner. This tour offers longer kayaking expedition of Halong Bay. We will paddle amongst islets, visit hidden caves, lagoons, unspoiled beaches, floating fishing village and talk with local fishman. 

Trekking in Sapa and the Hill Tribes in Northern Vietnam

After our return from Halong Bay – which I will write about in a later blog post – we took the night train from Hanoi to Sapa, a remote town in the mountains of Northern Vietnam between China, Myanmar, Thailand and Laos. 

The landscape around Sapa is breathtaking and makes it a great destination for trekking. In addition to that a lot of interesting ethnic minorities live there – different hill tribes, each with their own language, traditional lifestyle and clothing. During our trip there we met the Red Dzao and the Black Hmong people.

Sapa

The night train left Hanoi at 9pm and was surprisingly comfortable, and it was possible to get a good six hours of sleep before the arrival in Sapa around 5am. We had a long breakfast, and strolled a little bit through town before we were able to check into our hotel and get ready for a day of trekking.

The landscape around Sapa is beautiful and I was looking forward to my first hike after knee surgery earlier this year.We spent the day hiking with her and two other Black Hmong women – very nice and friendly people. This is one of the other Black Hmong women who came with us on the trek.

The Red Dzao women shave the top of their head and their eyebrows after they get married, as this is thought to be more beautiful and also to bring good luck. They wear striking, elaborate red headscarves with fringes attached to them – the more fringes the more important the person .

Red Dzao women

The Black Hmong women wear a really cool outfit that consists of several layers…

 Black Hmong women

They wear the beautiful traditional clothing every day – independent of age and they grow their own hemp to produce the material for their clothes. During our hike we were surprised to come upon big patches of tall marijuana plants, which, they told us, are used to make hemp. The women also grow the plants that they need in order to dye the cloth indigo – and that is why they have blue stains on their fingers.

Many of the minority villages are several hours of walking away from Sapa, and a lot of these women walk to Sapa and back every day in order to sell their handicraft to tourists. They carry everything in woven baskets on their back.

 Black Hmong women

When they have babies they do the same walks and simply carry the baby on their back instead of the basket.And they learn at a very young age how to do that.One of the main characteristics about the landscape in Northern Vietnam are the terraced rice fields. The hill tribes are subsistence farmers who live off their land and the livestock they own. They do not pay taxes, but at the same time also do not receive any government pensions or other social services. They grow rice for their families, which is backbreaking labor – and in a bad season the land does not provide enough rice to feed them. In that case the Vietnamese government helps by distributing 300kgs of rice per family to the villages.

Hill Tribe People on Rice Field

Water buffalo are an important part of life here…

Water buffalo 

Sapa has a much cooler climate than the rest of the country, and in many ways it doesn’t feel like Vietnam anymore – some of the minority people speak better English than Vietnamese; but then you look around and find propaganda of the Vietnamese government even in the most remote villages. Note the first billboard below is hand-painted and shows people of different ethnic minorities…

Lately the Vietnamese government has been building schools and has started to provide electricity also for the more isolated areas – which the people in the villages appreciate a lot. We passed one of those schools, and school kids were practicing a dance – obviously overseen by Ho Chi Minh outside the school as well as inside the class room.

School

At the end of the trek we arrived at the home village of one of the women – and her best friend was waiting there for her with a bottle of rice wine. We were invited to try the wine, and it was seriously strong stuff!

Women with a bottle of rice wine

The next day I couldn’t resist buying a second-hand Black Hmong outfit to take home with me, and while Nat was climbing Mount Fansipan I had a lot of fun with the Black Hmong girls helping them sell their handicraft to tourists while dressed like one of them.

Source:Shetravel.org

ACTIVETRAVEL ASIA would like recommend Sapa trek & Topas Eco Lodge tour.At an elevation of 1,600 meters, Sapa is a delightful former French hill station situated in the mountainous region of Vietnam's northwest, close to the Chinese border. The region is home to many ethnic minority groups, each wearing traditional and colorful attire. This trip includes a trek through the hills and valleys of the Sapa region, discovering several different minorities along the way. You will experience overnight accommodation in the hospitable villages of Dzay and Tay ethnic minorities. Round off the trek with a nice stay in Topas Eco Lodge. The apparent hardships are worth it though as we walk through some of the most spectacular scenery that Vietnam has to offer and experience unique villages culture.

Highlights: 

• Awesome scenery
• Rice terraces
• Colorful minority groups
• Homestays in minority villages
• Topas Eco-lodge

Five Reasons to Visit Vietnam

Written by Ellie

Having spent some time travelling in Thailand, I’m eager to visit more of south-east Asia, and visiting Vietnam is next on my list!

After researching the country and jealously listening to recommendations given by other travellers, I’ve come up with a list of my top reasons why I want to travel to Vietnam.

1. Delicious Food

Despite the huge focus on other Asian cuisines such as Thai, Chinese and Indian food, I’ve heard great things about Vietnamese food and some of the dishes sound divine. Vietnamese food is also considered as one of the healthiest cuisines in the world which is always a plus!

Many Vietnamese recipes include fresh ingredients such as lemongrass, ginger, lime and basil which all contribute distinct flavours to a recipe. Some dishes I’ve been recommended are Cha ca Thang Long which is fish marinated in turmeric topped with dill, Phở, a herby noodle soup served with either beef or chicken and the strange-sounding elephant ear fish, which is crispy, salted and served with herbs and vegetables. They all sound delicious and I plan on trying as many as possible on my Vietnam trip!

Phở

2. Halong Bay

No Vietnam travel experience is complete without a visit to the stunning Halong Bay, and winding round the limestone islands and visiting the ancient caves sounds like something special.

I’ve heard the sunsets and sunrises are incredible to watch so it would be amazing to see these – I'm planning to stay overnight on one of the traditional Halong Bay junk boats so hopefully it will be easy enough to see both.

Halong Bay

3. Tropical Beaches

Again, it seems that Vietnamese beaches are underrated with more focus given to the famous Thai beaches. I'd take advantage of this by spending some time on the deserted white sands before other tourists catch on...

With white sands, towering palm trees and aqua blue waters some of the Vietnamese beaches such as this one on the tropical paradise island of Phu Quoc  below looks heavenly. Perfect for catching some rays and lounging with a cold beer...

 Tropical Vietnam Beaches

4. Atmospheric Cities

Vietnam is home to cities full of character and there are several that I would love to visit. Hanoi, the lively capital is full of classic Vietnamese architecture, food and things to do, such as visiting the preserved body of the former president Ho Chin Minh – something a bit different!

Not forgetting the smaller city of Hoi An where you can wonder round the narrow streets, lounge on the city’s nearby beaches or shop in Hoi An’s world-famous Vietnamese tailors.

Lastly Ho Chi Minh City (the largest in Vietnam) is packed with museums, shops, bars and restaurants so there is plenty to do!

 Bustling Hanoi

5. Local People

Finally, the people of a country can really complete your experience and I’ve only heard great things about the people of Vietnam – that they love to smile and are friendly and genuinely interested in getting to know the travellers that visit their country.

Meet local people at Sapa

I hope to meet them as soon as I can so I’d better get saving!

ACTIVETRAVEL ASIA would like recommend Kayaking Halong Bay 3 days tour.

This tour offers you a great chance to discover Halong Bay, the wonderland of karst topography with 3,000 limestone and dolomite islets sprinkled over an area of 1,500 square km. The calm sea provides an ideal location for sea kayaking as we paddle through a maze of islets amid dramatic natural scenery. With our modern kayaking equipment, we are able to maximize on speed and maneuverability as we explore the open sea and the many hidden lagoons and stalagmite caves that are difficult to access by any other means. As with our other kayak tours, this tour offers flexibility in activity levels while still combining the best of sea kayaking. Designed with this in mind it is a good tour for both novice and experienced kayaker alike with a little more time to spare.

Highlights:

• Amazing limestone formations
• Inclusive junk for overnight
• Beautiful and different kayaking route
• Support boat all the time
• All meals included

The Ho Chi Minh Trail – A Potted History from a Cyclist

I had five days on bike into south tropical Vietnam following the famed Ho Chi Minh Trail, the supply route that leads thought forbidding jungle celebrated in a thousand Hollywood movies as an inhospitable place alive with all manner of ferocious mammals insects and reptiles all hell bent of inflicting a myriad of horrible experiences upon any wretched soul who has the misfortune to pass this way.

Biking Ho Chi Minh Trail

As I learn more about the history of the Ho Chi Minh Trail begins to take shape with a far sharper outline than my previous blurred knowledge of what led to the American War and the necessity of the trail.