I am so pleased to say that we were not disappointed by Halong Bay. After reading reviews and blog posts about the negative experiences common at Halong Bay, I was beginning to feel discouraged.

We were determined to have a good time and as we didn’t end up going to Sapa, we had a little bit of money from our budget to play with. So, we splurged a little and booked a 2 day, 1 night cruise on the Dragon’s Pearl, with Indochina Junks as they had a good reputation.

From start to finish, the whole experience was very professional and dare I say it, luxurious. We were picked up from our hotel in a mini-van to start the four hour journey to Halong Bay. Once we arrived (via the mandatory stop at a souvenir shop) we were organised into the groups we would be sailing with, surprisingly this didn’t include the people we caught the bus with. After a brief introduction from our tour leader; Anh, we carried our luggage towards the boat. Well, everyone else carried, we “struggled” with ours as no one sent us the memo to only take a daypack with you. Our dirty and somewhat threadbare backpacks really stood out of place on this fancy-pants boat.

Despite the fact that the boat was painted white, as all the boats are now, it was really nice onboard. The cabin we were given was bigger than some of the hotels we have been staying in and the bathroom had a cubicle for the shower!! (Believe me, this is a luxury). We started the trip with a welcome drink and then lunch, which was so, soo good. 10 courses good and all fresh seafood. We were also pleasantly surprised that the cost of beers was only $2, it seems that our 40 000 dong (~$2) bottle of vodka was unnecessary.

The afternoon was spent visiting a cave that was owned by Indochina Junks so it meant that there were no other tourist boats in sight other than ones run by the company. I should point out that during the entire cruise there were no other tourist boats than the few that we were travelling with, definitely no overwhelming crowds to contend with, I guess this is what you are paying extra for. The cave was eerily quiet and was filled with amazing stalactites and stalagmites casting shadows all around us. However the visit wasn’t all positive. We were told that the tour company had bought this cave so they had the sole opportunity to bring their tourists here. This unfortunately meant the removal of local fisherman who inhabited inside the cave and used it as a source of housing and protection from the weather. Apparently it had taken some encouraging to relocate the fisherman back to the local village. Having said that, the purchase of the cave does have some good points, the company had helped to restore the cave as it had been damaged (by humans) and disintegrated over time.

Throughout our time on Halong Bay, there was a constant conflict of thoughts in my head as to the impact of tourism and whether it was ultimately making positive or negative headway into the condition of the bay and the lives of the locals.

Kayaking around Halong Bay was one of my to-do items for Vietnam and although I had never tried it before, I secretly thought that, just like skiing, this was going to be something that I would excel at. Well, just like skiing, I sadly did not excel. Although it didn’t help that Tim had some sort of control issues and couldn’t decide who was steering so we had seriously difficulty just maintaining a straight line. Struggle street. However, it was just as fantastic as I thought it was going to be and truly surreal kayaking in the bay past all these absolutely beautiful limestone formations. Amazeballs.

We watched the sun set on the top deck of the boat with a couple of $2 tiger beers and it was absolute bliss. Dinner, that soon followed, was another 10 courses which we gladly ate before we trotted back up the deck with more beers. As you can see, we didn’t physically exert ourselves very much on this trip.

The next morning, the really keen people in our group, ie Tim, decided to get up to watch the sunrise. I, on the other hand, being supremely lazy chose not to. At some point soon, I hope that possible once-in-a-lifetime moments will win out over my inherent laziness.

We spent the morning visiting a floating fishing village comprised of bright colourful houses all connected together with large nets attached that serve as fish breeding pools. The residents here never step onto land unless they are really sick or there is a severe typhoon coming. We were rowed in and around the village, stopping to check out the local school that has been funded by the local government. They send a teacher in for the week and then back out on the weekends. It was a real testament to the kids that they are able to continue their schooling and not be distracted when there are several tourists sticking their heads in and gawking at their classroom each day. One boy stood out to me, as all the rest of the children were dressed in casual clothes, this little man was dressed up in a business shirt and slacks and was so keen with his hand in the air. It made me smile a lot.

Again, the impact of tourism on this place is fairly evident. Apparently rubbish and waste was a big problem in the village, so the cruise company organised with the community elders to create a clean up and disposal system in exchange for bringing tourists to visit. So, the place now is fairly dependant on visitors and it is encouraged to tip the locals when you can. I am unsure of whether to call this a clear cut positive or negative situation. On one hand, you have a positive impact on the environment with the now pristine, clear water and the added support for the schooling and health of people in the village. However, I can’t decide if it all comes across as too controlling?

After we had finished, we headed back to the boat for an early lunch and departure back to the harbour. We were so impressed to see the condition of Halong Bay, the water was pristine and we saw hardly any rubbish. It was refreshing to see and although tourism sustains this place, I also hope it doesn’t end up ruining it.

I had an excellent two days and it was definitely a highlight of the trip for me!

As a side note, our original next stop was going to be Laos. However, as we are a little bit precious and couldn’t even entertain the thought of a 30 hour bus ride and thanks to Air Asia for their ridiculous fares, we are off to Bangkok! Thailand here we come!

I can’t express enough how much we loved Vietnam, it has fast become one of my favourite destinations and was the best welcome into Asia. The beautiful people, tragic history and delicious food is something that we won’t easily forget. I am incredibly sad to leave as this has been the best two months ever, but we are ready to move on. Thanks Vietnam, you were awesome.

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