Ha Long Bay is a must visit for humans and dinosaurs alike when visiting Vietnam, and I was absolutely no exception to the rule. I was really excited to do the short drive from Hanoi to Vietnam’s coastline so I could see as much of the country as possible. The city quickly changed from skyscrapers to farm houses, before finally becoming rice paddies spanning out to the rugged green mountains. I just love to see the changing landscapes when travelling through a country and Vietnam is really unique. It is a combination of many different Asian countries. Hanoi is really hazy from all of the pollution but I did not realise how bad it was until I was about an hour outside of the city. My journey should have taken around 2 hours but unfortunately it took a bit longer because of the local traffic. Cows rule the roads in Vietnam because the grass always tastes better on the other side of the road. I also found the answer to “why did the chicken cross the road?” Turns out it was to chase the guard dogs away from the food.
I stopped at a service station half way through my drive and it turned into an awful surprise as it was a sweat shop. I won’t moan about it too much because it keeps people in a job but I didn’t enjoy seeing how they work. The sheer number of factories making electronics and designer fashion in this area is really eye opening, I think I was quite naïve about these things prior to seeing them first hand in Vietnam.
Leaving the factories and rugged mountains behind, I passed by some autumnal looking orchards and entered the flat coastal area of Quảng Ninh province. The coastal province is so beautiful and for my visit in September, it was completely empty. No humans were found anywhere even though the weather was a balmy 26 degrees. Sadly, I wasn’t able to spend any time exploring Ha Long city and beach because I was heading straight to the port. Apparently Ha Long is a summer resort for Vietnamese people and the area gets quite cold in the winter months but as a dinosaur I find 15 – 25 degrees rather pleasant. I arrived at the port around an hour before my departure and I could not contain my excitement because there would be a ride on not one but many boats (yippee!).
The best way to see Ha Long bay and some of the islands is by doing a cruise around the area. I travelled aboard Victory Cruises because they had a smaller ship and more activities (because my photographer gets bored easily). To get to the ship, I rode on a small boat to get out of the harbour which is jam packed full of every type of boat imaginable (no banana boats sadly). I was worried Ha Long Bay would be tiny and not live up to the photographs on the internet when my photographer decided we should visit. Thankfully, Vietnam proved me wrong and one night in Ha Long bay doesn’t even scratch the surface of the area. Less than ten minutes of sailing on the cruise ship and I was surrounded by hundreds of towering limestone islands, each one unique and an incredible display of nature. Many islands are home to beach resorts or caves and some of the rainforest topped islands are home to unique varieties of wildlife. Ancient floating villages can also be found around the islands, however, I didn’t visit any during my trip.
My cabin was on the first floor and had many surprises inside (including aircon). I was shocked to see how big it was, I was expecting to have to have a hammock in the hull of the ship. I had a king sized bed which was decorated beautifully for my arrival. The bathroom had a glass wall which I found really strange but this seems to be a funky Vietnamese design found in numerous hotels. A rainfall shower had a huge glass window to enjoy the ever changing views of Ha Long Bay, though each time I showered I closed the curtains. My favourite part of the room was the balcony where I could sit and watch the world go by (balcony snob alert).
After a leisurely lunch and exploration of my really fancy room, I headed back to the smaller boat to explore some the area surrounding Bo Hon Island. This is where my photographer and I separated for a while, because we had different ideas of the meaning of explore.
My photographer jumped in a kayak to zoom around Luon cave and it’s lake. Where as I went on a sampan to float around the jade green lake in a more relaxed fashion. I went through a limestone archway and entered a magical world where golden monkeys were sitting near the waters edge being fed by humans.
The golden monkeys were very friendly and full of energy, jumping in and out of the trees without falling into the ocean below. Eagles soared majestically over the lake, I think they may have been looking for a monkey for lunch. Luckily, no dinosaurs or monkeys were taken for lunch during my visit. The area was very busy and I think my photographer was very lucky to not capsize but they did crash into both sides of the caves and at least seven other boats.
Leaving the relaxing sampan, it was time to get back on the small boat to head to another island. Titop Island may be one of Ha Long bay’s smallest islands but it is home to one of the best view points in the area. However, it wasn’t my favourite because I found it to be the site of the famous photograph of Ha Long bay. The climb takes about 20 minutes to go up the 400 steps which lead to a 360 degree viewpoint with a 100 metre altitude. It is incredibly beautiful and I was able to visit on a clear day where I could see for miles across the bay and mainland Vietnam.
The climb down is harder than going to the summit because the staircase gets very narrow in places. This doesn’t help when you get stuck behind an instagramming human wearing heels and a dress to hike in (I had a snooze in the backpack whilst my photographer did this hike and I have no regrets). Back at ground level, my photographer and I decided to spend an hour at the beach to enjoy the sunny weather before the island closed for the night. The ocean was very warm and calm, perfect for swimming in. There were many small fish in the water and I was pleased to find the beach area cordoned off so I wouldn’t get ran over by a boat.
Sadly, my relaxing afternoon at the beach didn’t end well and we all know how I hate to project negativity across the internet. Whilst getting dried off after swimming, a Japanese man decided to try and photograph my photographer by sticking his hand under their dress. Female humans beware, avoid dresses or getting dressed in an area where it is very crowded. I know this is a rare occurrence and is more common in places like Tokyo but it is something that will never be ok in my eyes; more needs to be done to stop this.
Safely back on the cruise ship, I spent the remainder of my afternoon with my book on the balcony simply enjoying the calming silence of Ha Long bay. Sailing through the limestone giants made me feel tiny and they become even more imposing as the sun sets over the bay. As I visited at the beginning of monsoon season, I didn’t see one of the incredibly clear sunsets. Instead I watched the clouds pain themselves orange and pink as a thunderstorm rolled in from the ocean.
Watching lightening fork around the bay is a sight I will never forget, nor is the humidity which built up incredibly as the night went on. I spent my evening enjoying a few (too many) cocktails and eating many delicious plates of Vietnamese food; including vegan bun cha which I decided I really like.
Before heading to bed I decided to try my hand at a spot of squid fishing and it turns out squid are really intelligent creatures who know how to avoid the fishing rods. It was an incredible sight watching them swim about in the light, I even spotted a crab swimming through the ocean. The clouds had cleared and I had a view of the incredible night sky with no light pollution, it is 100% worth doing an overnight cruise in Ha Long bay to witness this.
I woke at 6am to the sound of torrential rain meeting the ocean, clouds had fallen from the sky and clung to the islands and I felt as though I had been transported to another place. Turns out I had somehow slept through the biggest thunderstorm the area had seen for a while. The bed in my cabin was incredibly comfortable and quiet, I had missed all of the excitement. Standing with a coffee on the front deck of the boat, I felt like the only dinosaur on the planet; a welcome feeling after the hustle and bustle of Hanoi.
I got on the small boat once more to find the humidity had reached 100% and I resembled a blue toilet brush. My destination was Bo Hon Island to do a 7am hike to Sung Sot. 7am and hike are two words I never planned on putting together in a sentence, it’s no secret I’m not a morning dinosaur (unlike my photographer). Hiking in torrential rain was an experience I wasn’t ready for. Sung Sot is known as surprise cave in English and no the surprise isn’t that it is at the top of a steep incline. The route took me into the cave which has three chambers with incredible scenes made out of stalactites and stalagmites. Initially I found the cave to be really small and rather scary, I could hear water running through the stone walls, creating new shapes. My favourite part was the ceiling as it looked like someone had tried to make cloud like shapes with a melon baller.
Each chamber of the cave increases in size, I was really surprised by this because I always thought caves got smaller the further away you got from the entrance. I found the cave to be easily walkable but areas were rather slippy because of the rain. The second chamber had a small lake at the side and I was surprised at how dark the second area was. Finally I squeezed through a limestone staircase into a cave the size of a small theatre (I did not try out the acoustics). I walked all the way to the back of the cave and found a family of bats doing an upside down snooze in the corner.
I had to walk up a steep incline to head towards the exit, and on the way past I found a limestone turtle. He has turned into a celebrity because he is one of the legendary animals in Vietnamese culture. Another one of the legendary animals can be found on the ceiling if you are lucky enough to spot it; a dragon lies peacefully. The light from the mouth of the cave makes the limestone turn into horses and swords, depending on the time of day when you visit. Visiting earlier in the day is definitely recommended because hiking in the heat would make it hard work.
I left the cave to find the sun breaking out from behind the clouds, the islands seem to move throughout the day and each time I looked at the view I thought it had changed. Sadly, my overnight cruise was over once I had filled up on breakfast (or second breakfast for everyone who had hiked). The cruise took me back to the port past some more beautifully shaped islands. I really enjoyed my first overnight cruise but I don’t feel as though I had even scratched the surface of Ha Long bay. The city was slowly appearing from behind the clouds as I made my way back to the bus for the long drive to Hanoi airport though some spectacular scenery.
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