Vietnam: HALONG BAY (part 2)

There is a reason why tourist traps become tourist traps. It is because they are places of interest; whether it is beauty or history or culture there is something there that attracts the masses. And where there are masses, there are crafty people looking to make a fast buck. Welcome to Halong Bay!


Halong Bay is a series of karst (limestone rock) islands. There are around 2000 islands sprinkled throughout this UNESCO World Heritage Site. They lie in a tranquil green sea that is at once mysterious and welcoming.

Halong itself is beautiful, the tourist industry that has built up around it is far less appealing. Hundreds of boats fill the docks, waiting to pile in the tourists and take them out for anything from a day trip to a week long exploration trip. The guidebooks and internet are full of unfortunate tales of travelers being taken advantage of by being promised much and little is delivered.

Knowing all this we decided to book our tour through the hotel we were staying at in Hanoi. The manager had a shiny booklet to point out how "his" boat trip was superior to all other tours. And I have to say that our experience was better than many I had read about or heard about first hand from other travelers.

Our adventure started with a 3 hour mini-bus ride to Halong City. There we boarded our boat. It was more worn than the glossy brochure had shown, but it was seaworthy and clean. It was reminiscent of a 2star roadside motel: you wouldn't want to spend your whole holiday there but one night would be alright if it got you where you wanted to be. There was a welcoming drink (drinks weren't included in the price) and a lovely lunch spread (all food was included). This laid to rest one worry I had had about the quality of food. Every meal was a family style, open table spread of vegetables, rice, meat, tofu, fish and fruit.

After lunch we visited Hang Sung Sot (Surprise Cave), which was full of stalactites and stalagmites and a multi-color light show. Then we were on to Dao Titop (Titop Island), where a steep climb to the top gives a sensational view of the Bay. The sun was soon setting and we had another delicious meal. In the evening the staff on the boat tried to turn the boat into a karaoke bar. There were about 30 passengers on board, and most had a go at belting out an oldie or two. Around 11pm this got old and we all retired before long. But not before I used the most surprising boat service: WiFi!! The modern world is never far.

Floating Village

In the morning we did an hour of Kayaking around one of the floating villages and had a lecture in pearl farming before heading back to the dock. I was satisfied with my Halong Bay experience. I went in expecting to see stunning beauty and experience sub-par services. I did, in fact, see a natural wonder that was unique to anything I had every lain eyes on....and I had even enjoyed the rustic boat, smiling tour guide and friendly co-tourists. We may have had it lucky, or I might be the type of traveler to easily overlook the uncomfortable, but either way Halong Bay was a thumbs up experience for me.



***Ok, I have to add a few things as a side note to my rose colored report above.
1. The itinerary that our boat followed what not what we were told it would be. We should have seen more, but things were continually cut out due to "time constrictions". This coupled with the hotel we booked through reserving us the wrong room on our return to Hanoi led to a long talk with the hotel supervisor. Edi was in charge of this because she is the negotiating queen! She got us a one night discount for our "inconvenience".
2. There was a giant bug on one of our beds. It looked like it might have been some kind of water beetle but it moved too fast for us to get a good look. If wildlife in your bed isn't your thing, I'm not sure the boats in Halong Bay are for you. They are all a little "worn"; clean yet somehow still grim.
3. The weather was murky the whole 24 hours. We didn't really have rain, but there was a dense fog. It made for an incredibly romantic and other-wordly view, but I would like to go back during  the sunny season to see the layout properly.

Tour boats settle in for the night