Halong Bay is a breath-taking natural wonder in northern Vietnam near the Chinese border. The Bay is dotted with 1,600 limestone islands and islets and covers an area of over 1,500 sqkm. “Ha” means Summer and “Long” means Dragon.
Halong Bay – A UNESCO World Heritage
This amazing area was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994. The bay features a wide range of biodiversity and is a treasure in geology and archeology research. The surrealistic scenery has also made Halong Bay an ideal site for many famous movies including the iconic “Indochine” with Catherine Deneuve.
Halong Bay – One of the World’s 7 Natural Wonders
In 2011, Halong Bay officially became one of the new Seven Natural Wonders of the world, nominated by New 7 Wonders Foundation, which runs the “New Seven Wonders of the World” program. This is a great recognition of this heavenly seascape.
How to visit Halong?
The best way to get to Halong City is by car, minibus or bus from Hanoi which is only 170km or 100 miles away. Check out my post regarding Halong Food. There are many cruises to select from, budget price to luxury. Some cruises are 2 to 3-day long, but most popular are the day-tour cruises. The best way is to book your own private boat if you have a dozen people in your group, for more privacy and flexibility.
Our Halong Bay Cruise
Over 10 years ago, I took a private Halong Bay cruise with my sons Bruce & Jeremy, and we were in a traditional junk (Chinese style sail boat) and had a fantastic time. The food was freshly made by a cook who was also the “skipper”, and the entire crew was comprised of 3 people. The food was made on a small stove right in the middle of the boat, there was no kitchen. We had delicious crispy fish, steamed shrimps, spring rolls, stir fried vegetables and fried rice, served family style on a low table. It was casual, relaxing and fun.
This time, our cruise almost doesn’t happen. The winds are too strong and no boat is allowed to leave the harbor. Our guide is closely monitoring the situation with constant communication with the boat’s captain. Meanwhile, to kill time, we visit a Pearl factory and retail outlet where we learn all about the cultured pearl. Finally the winds have subsided and the guide rushes us to catch our boat before the port authority suspends all boat outings again.
We have booked the cruise operated by “Bai Tho” (meaning “Poem”) as it’s reputed to offer superior food quality and freshness. It’s a nicely appointed cruise ship with a spacious open air upper deck, plenty of comfortable lounge chairs, and a semi-formal air conditioned seating area and dining room on the main deck. The service is very attentive, with a full selection of drinks, wines and spirits.
The upper deck commands a sweeping view of the whole bay. Our visit takes place in February, the weather can still be a bit chilly, especially with the wind factor.
A delicious lunch is served with a selection of red or white wine. On the menu: Fried clams, steamed shrimps, spring rolls, stuffed crab shells, grilled fish with herbs, stir fried squids. The seafood is very fresh and well prepared.
After lunch, we enjoy coffee on the upper deck while admiring the stunning limestone islets.
We arrive at Sung Sot (Surprising) cave. This cave is lesser known and is located on a remote island.
You would have to visit this cave yourself to find out why this cave is called “Surprising”…
The heart of Sung Sot cave is surrounded by beautiful niches. As you penetrate the cave, there’s a high ceiling section spiked with stalactites. Next comes the second compartment expanding widely with curved streaky domes and opening up like a wide theater. This is the largest and most beautiful cave in Halong bay.
Since Halong Bay (as the rest of Vietnam) is quite deserted during our stay at the beginning of Covid-19, it takes us around an hour to leisurely visit this splendid cave.
As we have left the harbor late due to the strong winds, we only have time to make one stop, but we are happy with it.
We head back to our boat to enjoy the journey back to Halong city, and just relax on the deck with more wine…
It’s been a wonderful experience which we feel so blessed to share as a family.
Have you visited Halong Bay? How was your experience?
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Halong Food
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