Have you ever been to one of the New 7 Natural Wonders of the World? It would be the Amazon Rainforest or the Iguazu Falls in Argentina. But the most stunning one is the one in Vietnam called the Ha Long Bay. This infamous bay is a limestone bay situated in the north of Vietnam.
The Geography of Vietnam
Vietnam is a peninsula, meaning that Vietnam is covered by water on three sides: East, South, and West. Vietnam is situated in East Asia, almost touching the Pacific Ocean. The water bodies surrounding Vietnam are the South China Sea the Gulf of Tonkin and Thailand. Hanoi is a very famous city (capital of Vietnam) in the Northern region of Vietnam (Hanoi Blog Post). Ho Chi Minh City in southern Vietnam is very famous in memory of the war leader Ho Chi Minh in the Vietnam War.
Ha Long Bay is located in the northern section of Vietnam, on the eastern edge of the peninsula of Vietnam. This place is a limestone bay and consists of beautiful natural rocks in the bay of Ha Long.
Our Experience of the Ha Long Bay Cruise
The best way to experience this jaw-dropping Ha Long Bay, you will need to take a 1 or 2-night cruise in Ha Long. We took just a one-night cruise as we needed to get to our hotel in Hanoi the next day. There is a wide variety of boats and cruises on the dock of Ha Long, but we took a cruise called the Erina Cruise.
The wait on the deck was about 1 hour, and the bay's view from the deck was barely visible due to the thousands and thousands of boats and cruises present. After waiting, we got our luggage on board the arriving cruise and took a 30-minute boat ride in a day-travel boat to the Erina Cruise in the middle of the bay.
We finally arrived at the cruise and first had lunch. The food was very local and high-quality. We even had our own butler which was technically our guide on the Cruise. After lunch, we settled on our cruise and got ready for the first part of our cruise trip, kayaking.
Kayaking
Kayaking in Halong Bay was a very exciting opportunity for us as we had 45 minutes to go on a kayak and explore the rocks and caves of the fascinating bay. The views from this point were stunning and it was a sporty activity. There was not a certain path to kayak on, but most of the families were looping around a huge rock that had a 360-degree view of the surrounding Ha Long Bay.
On board, the ship we went on the deck and explored the area, where we got to enjoy the pool and have a cooking class on creating the Vietnamese Delicacy of Spring Rolls. We then went to dinner in the restaurant and ate delicious sushi and other delicacies. Afterwards, there was a bartender show and then we went to sleep in our suite.
Cave Exploring
In the morning, we had a small breakfast and went to the main attraction of the entire cruise: the Cave Exploring. We went in a small boat to a village dock in Ha Long Bay to explore the beautiful caves inside the limestone rocks. We saw that over the millions of years, the rocks were getting eroded due to the water. Unfortunately for us, the water was too shallow and we could not go to the caves safely.
After we came back to the boat, we had our last lunch here in the Erina Cruise and then we packed up and left the Erina Cruise on our 45-minute ride back to the dock. Overall, the cruise in Ha Long Bay was very fun and I loved the scenic views from the cruise. The activities were also fun and I loved Kayaking in the water of the bay.
Shopping Tips:
- The price of the cruise normally costs between $100-$180 per person on a budget overnight trip and $180-$300 per person on a luxury ship
- The best times to visit Ha Long Bay are in Spring (March-April) and in Autumn (September-October), when you will get the best temperature, and the water is warm enough to go swimming. There are also fewer tourists during this time.
- Make sure to do the main attractions like Cave Exploring, Cooking Class and Kayaking to have a very fun experience.
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