One night in Halong Bay
updated the 7 October 2015 à 00:03
Magical, romantic, and rejuvenating – a one-night cruise around Halong Bay, Vietnam leaves a lasting impression.
A four-hour drive transfers guests from major hotels in Hanoi to Halong City – the base to start cruising over Halong Bay, a UNESCO Heritage Site that boasts jade-colored limestone islets. There are day-trips, and there are overnight ones. Bhaya Cruise is among the many companies that operate the tour, starting with lunch on board as the ship is leaving the port. It takes only a few minutes until passengers start gazing at the first of the many limestone karst.
The picturesque trip stopped by at a floating fishermen village. Guests are invited to go down, take private canoes each rowed by a tiny, strong lady with a smile. The canoes slowly inspect the very quiet, serene, and clean village. The water is free of trash, shimmering with sunlight. The short trip passes the huts, and a floating school that will turn to a karaoke bar in the evening. Travellers can also examine some of the limestone karsts from a much closer distance.
Back to the ship, high tea hour gathers the passengers on the top deck of the traditional ship in a fun cooking class. Bhaya Cruise’s ship is built based on the blueprint of a legendary wooden junk of Emperor-slash-Traveller Khai Dinh (1885-1925). Master shipbuilder Nguyen Van Hoa from Quang Ninh province worked with Antoine Betrand, a French architect from Montpellier, to revive this imperial ship. There are twenty cabins sizing from 14 to 17 squaremetres, each of them comes with compact shower area, bathing amenities, super comfortable bed, ceiling fan, and air conditioner.
The evening is spent with dining onboard, followed with a screening of Indochine – a 1992 French movie starring Catherine Deneuve with some scenes set in Halong Bay. As the sky is totally dark, the ship is anchored in Ho Dong Tien area. The pitch black has an amazing surprise by the dawn. Passengers wake up for a Tai Chi class at six o’clock only to witness that the ship has been anchored right in a middle of a small cluster of majestic limestone islets. The fog adds to the drama.
Going back to Halong City, the tour stops by at Sung Sot, or Surprise Cave. The big cave has three chambers, each theatrically lit to expose the textures and layers. The game is to guess what the rock formation looks like – an elephant, a bird, or an ex-boyfriend perhaps. The reason why this is called “Surprise Cave” lies inside the third chamber. It takes a mere one-track mind to tell what the rock inside of it looks like.
The overnight trip ends right before lunch, and by this time surely our Instagram accounts will be filled with hundreds of Likes. The adventure leaves a lasting romance indeed.
Ve Handojo
