Have you ever imagined having exquisite Vietnamese Cuisine sitting on a cruise? Have you ever travelled on a cruise deck, mesmerised by the surrounding beauty? Have you ever attended a sunset party?
You think about these questions as we will take you on a memorable trip to one of the famous destinations of Vietnam, Halong Bay.
In case you don’t know who we are………..
We call ourselves Travel Freaks……..
Before we start anything about the Halong Bay, many of our new readers would like to know……..
1. How was our travel experience in Vietnam so far?
It was our seventh and the last day in Vietnam. You can read the previous blogs of this series. In case you need any help, we are just a click away.
After a memorable experience of two days in Hanoi, it was time for one last exciting day trip in Vietnam. We were going to one of the most awaited destinations of this trip, Halong Bay. You can book your day trip from here. Many online day trips are available; you can select any of those. You can also opt for offline services if you wish to book after reaching Hanoi.
Returning to our story, we were ready by seven o’clock in the morning. Anxiety as well as excitement level was at its peak. A freezing wind blew outside; we waited in the lobby until our guide came to receive us. On walking for a short distance with him, we saw our bus waiting for us, which was filled with travellers from various countries. Our guide handed us bottled drinking water as we took our seats, starting an exciting journey.
Now that we have taken our seats, you might want to know……
2. How was the journey from our stay to Halong Bay?
The road leading to Halong Bay was super smooth, with scenic countryside. The distance was approximately 150 km. As the journey started, our eyes were stuck outside the window. We didn’t realise we had crossed over 90 km in an hour. We were heading to a harbour to catch the cruise for Halong Bay.
The bus halted for a small break about 40 km from our destination. There was a cafeteria, food stalls and a few souvenir shops. We sat on the outside, reflecting on the journey we had till then.
Soon, after half an hour, the journey continued. After all, you all might want to know…….
3. Which harbour were we heading to?
We were heading to Tuan Chau Harbour. It is the largest artificial harbour in Vietnam. Our cruise for Halong Bay was from that harbour.
As we got off the bus, we noticed many other vehicles were already there before us. We headed inside the waiting area, where our guide went for the tickets and the cruise. It was another half an hour before we could board the cruise at 11 o’clock. Many other cruises also departed by that time.
Yeah, we know, you might want to know……
4. How was the cruise and our first destination of Halong Bay?
The cruise was luxurious, with tables and comfortable seats for six passengers. Similarly, there were many tables and chairs for the travellers to sit comfortably. We grabbed a table with a good view. The cruise deck also had chairs to enjoy the breathtaking views from the outside. However, as the weather was cold, we sat inside the cruise.
As we departed from the harbour, one of the cruise staff served us fruit juice—an excellent start to our journey.
As we were being briefed about the stoppages that we would be having for the day, we came across the famous rocks representing “fighting cocks“. It was amazing to see that. There were a few cruises halted in front of the rocks.
Soon, we were served with a delicious lunch buffet. It was a typical Vietnamese lunch comprising rice, noodles, peanuts, muffins, chicken, salad, bao, etc. The feeling was heavenly; having food with such a panoramic view was something to cherish for a lifetime.
After almost one and a half hours of the cruise ship departing from the Tuan Chau Harbour, we halted for the first destination of Halong Bay, Ti Top Island.
We know what is going on in your head……
5. How was the experience at the Ti Top Island?
As we landed, we saw the statue of the Soviet Cosmonaut Gherman Titov. The island is named after him.
There was a small beach where one could swim, sunbathe or relax. We chose to hike up the top of the hill. It took us about 30 minutes to reach the top. It was a breathtaking view of the Halong Bay. There were a few cafeterias on the island.
After exploring the island for close to an hour, we returned to our cruise and headed to the next destination.
6. What was our second destination in Halong Bay?
For the second destination, we were moving to a place famous for Kayaking. The next stoppage was Bo Hon Island. In Bo Hon Island, Kayaking is renowned in the Luon Cave area. Unfortunately, we didn’t have any spare clothes and shoes. So, we had to opt for regular boating to explore the Luon Cave area.
As we got off the cruise, we headed towards where we could board the normal boat. We noticed that 12 people could sit at a time. There was a long queue before our turn came. Our excitement was on some other level.
As the boating started, the view was incredible, with the boat passing through the limestone cave. It was a fun-filled half an hour ride.
After an hour, we headed for the cruise to the last destination of Halong Bay, Sung Sot Cave.
7. How was the Sung Sot Cave?
This cave is also in the Bo Hon Island. This is also known as “Surprise Cave“. You need to hike up to see the cave. We were so mesmerised by the surrounding beauty that we chose to stay near the cruise. It felt as if it was something straight out of a dreamy world.
We didn’t hike up, however, we asked other travellers and they thoroughly enjoyed claiming that caves were well-lit by sunlight due to their unique geological formations. Our readers can hike up and see this beautiful cave.
Finally, when it was about four o’clock in the evening, our guide informed us that we would be heading for the return journey to the Tuan Chau Harbour.
We went quite a few times to the deck between the island, hopping for clicking pics. Due to the cold weather, we could not sit there for a long stretch.
In the meantime, the sunset party started and we were served with red wine and tea. It was simply an amazing end to our day that we would never forget. There were many handshakes and conversations among the fellow travellers.
Just at the break of dusk, we reached the harbour. Slowly, we moved towards the parking of our bus. The bus departed at around 5:30 PM. It halted in the same place for a few minutes, where it stopped in the morning. This time, we purchased snacks for our return flight the next day.
As we reached the Old Quarter of Hanoi after an hour-long journey and got off the bus, we felt as if the day trip’s highlights would remain etched in our memory forever. Yes, if you do that with your loved ones, it will indeed.
We had a light dinner and went to sleep early as we had an early morning flight to catch from Hanoi the next day. With this, we are ending our Vietnam Blog Series.
Hope you got a glimpse of Vietnam through our eyes. We are just a click away for any help.
Wait! We are not ending this blog without this last question.
6. What kind of help are we going to provide?
Let us inform you that we prepare itineraries not only for anywhere in India but also for Asia. We have been travelling since we were toddlers. So here in our blogs and stories, we will give you a glimpse of our journey and help you plan your trip.
Read about our Uzbekistan blogs.
Read about our Kazakhstan blogs.
Read about our Singapore blogs.
Read about our Vietnam blogs.
Read about our Cambodia blogs.
Read about our Bali blogs.
Read about our Kuala Lumpur blog series.
Read about our Sri Lanka blogs.
Read about our Nepal blogs.
Read about our Char Dham blogs.
Read about our Ladakh blogs.
Read about our day trip to Hyderabad.
Read about our Madhya Pradesh blogs.
Read about our Andaman and Nicobar blogs.
Do follow our Instagram handle @mindfulllofvacations and watch for the next destination story. For any query related to any trip, drop a mail at @mitkau007@gmail.com.
by mitkau