When picturing Vietnam, if the war doesn’t come to mind, then the iconic scenes of Ha Long Bay do. I had been wanting to visit since early high school and it was a top destination for Briana too. Figuring out the best way to see the bay was a big question for us, but Briana found the answer. The solution was not to take a trip out of Haiphong as most people do but to instead go to Cat Ba Island and take a more leisurely trip that would let us take a Lan Ha and Ha Long Bay Cruise.

Lan Ha and Ha Long Bay Cruise

Karst Cliffs Rise From The Sea

Ha Long Bay is a famous UNESCO World Heritage site off the coast of northern Vietnam, and also considered one of the seven new wonders of the world. It is said to be made of up 1969 limestone karst and isles over 1,553 square kilometers – the largest of which is Cat Ba Island. It is also estimated at about 20 million years old, though its present condition most likely presented itself 11,000 years ago.

The region is also rich in biodiversity, with tropical evergreen biosystems, oceanic and seashores, and home to 14 endemic floral species and 60 endemic faunal species. The region has shown evidence of human settlement as far back as 18,000 BCE.

Descending Dragons Protect The People

It is said by the Vietnamese that, many years ago northern invaders were approaching what is now Hanoi by ship to conquer the people. The Jade Emperor sent the Mother Dragon and her children to earth to help the Vietnamese defend their country. The dragons appeared and incinerated the invaders with fire and giant emeralds.

The emeralds that came from the dragon’s mouth became scattered across the sea and created an invincible wall that left enemy ships sinking.  Over thousands of years, the wall of emerald turned into the islands we know today.

It is said that the Mother Dragon and her children did not return to heaven and instead remained on Earth, turning into human forms and helping the Vietnamese people prosper. This is part of the belief that the Vietnamese believe themselves descended from dragons. Today, Ha Long Bay is named after this, with Ha Long literally meaning “Descending Dragon”.

Lan Ha Bay

There is a second bay, that few know about or visit – Lan Ha Bay. It lies to the east and south of Cat Ba island and is very similar to Ha Long Bay. The key differences are that the islands are a bit smaller and denser. In contrast to Ha Long, Lan Ha has many sandy beaches that can be enjoyed.

Monkey Island is one of the larger and more famous of the Lan Ha Islands that one can stay on with nice beaches – and mean monkeys apparently. Because of its location, Lan Ha receives far fewer visitors than Ha Long and is generally cleaner and quieter.

Few boats will make the trip from Ha Long City to Lan Ha, but many boats from Cat Ba Island make the journey to it. In fact, about 1000 residents live in the floating village in Lan Ha Bay off the east coast of Cat Ba’s Viet Hai fishing village.

 

Choosing A Boat Ride

Being that we were staying on Cat Ba Island, we had a good selection of excursions to choose from to enjoy the bays. We had decided that we were only going to do a day trip to the bay. Typically visitors will choose a 2 or 3 day trip from Ha Long City for a steep price. But a large reason that we chose to come to Cat Ba was to get the Ha Long experience without paying a lot for an ultimately short trip.

We went to CatBaVentures and got their Ha Long Bay Cruise day trip which included, Lan Ha Bay, lunch, and kayaking – all for $30 each. Compared to the typical $150+ per person for a 2-day excursion, this was a great deal.

An Early Rise – For Us

We left the office at Cat Ba Town pier and loaded onto a mini-bus at 8 am. Our tour comprised of 11 people: a few couples from France, Colombia, Montreal, a father and daughter from Germany, and a single guy from the Bay Area of California.

We took a very short ride over the mountain ridge to arrive at the port where our Junk sat waiting for us. We were given a 1.5-liter bottle of water each and then led on to the boat. The boat was modest, but still very nice and comfortable. The interior consisted of about a dozen booths and tables, and the top deck has a few lounge chairs and soft benches to sit on and enjoy. Our operator gave us a quick rundown of the procedures and off we went.

Floating By The Floating Village

The boat began by making it’s way up along the side of the floating village where we got to see the start of the day’s activities for the village. It was quite interesting to see and funny to see just how many dogs and cats were living in these little floating homes. Some would jump across platforms, playing with each other.

Chillier Than Expected

We then proceeded for a few hours up through rising mountains, admiring the beautiful sights. The air was clean, and the sun was shining. It had actually been quite cool during the majority of stay on Cat Ba, so even though the temperature topped at about 70F, the wind was able to cut at times – but the sun provided some much-needed warmth.

 

Peace and Quiet

We eventually came to a protected cove where we were told we would begin kayaking. A small boat pulled up to our Junk with kayaks in tow and we were led down a ladder to board the 2-seater kayaks. Our guide then led us towards a cave with a sign that read “Danger Here: do not enter” – which we of course entered.

The cave was very dark, pitch black at spots, so we had to don flashlights in order to see. We then came out into a secluded cove, mostly empty with the exception of a few kayakers. Up above, we could see a few monkeys playing in the trees and below us, ghost-like jellyfish swam about.

Here for the first time since we have come abroad did we experience quiet. No motors, no bikes, horns, people yelling or screaming, nor planes or trains – just nature. Of course, we could hear the murmur of voices over the water, but really we just heard the breeze and many bird calls and sounds of the jungle. It was peaceful.

We continued kayaking for about an hour more, snaking our way through winding waterways, narrow passages, and many smaller caves. The kayaking was quite enjoyable, and we got a decent workout with all the rowing. Eventually, we came back to the ship.

 

An Abundance of Food

Now it was time for lunch and we were served a pretty good lunch. We were divided up into two tables, one for “regular” eaters, and another that catered to vegetarians – including Briana there were a total of 3.

The feast laid out for us was very good and provided a wide range of food: rice, spring rolls, omelet, stir-fried vegetables, tofu, coconut drumsticks, fried fish, shrimp, squid, and bananas. The food was pretty excellent, although I had a little difficulty getting used to eating whole fish (avoiding the bones took me a little while to figure out) and the coconut drumsticks were a little chewy at times. But I and everyone else seemed to enjoy themselves pretty thoroughly.

Songs and Stories

We chatted with the others and got to know them just a little. Our guide told us a few stories and sang us a few songs. One story – about how the Vietnamese must always make sure there is rice in the pot when eating shared food – seemed to be a passive way of telling us to stop eating and continue on with the tour.

A Pearl Farm

We made our way back up the top of the boat and began sailing to a pearl farm. We did not know about this until we were on the boat. It was not advertised, but it was a great add-on. The farm floats in the center of a lagoon with many nets in the water surrounding it. We pulled up and disembarked the boat and began a tour of the facility.

We were shown the different types of oysters used and what kind of pearls they produced. Then we were shown the initial growing “tanks”. It takes between 4 and 6 years to produce a pearl, so the farm has many thousands of oysters in the waters surrounding the facility.

We saw workers who were transplanting oysters from small nets to larger nets as they were getting ready to be transferred to the open water area of the farm. The younger oysters stayed in the calmer waters of the facility.

We were also shown how pearls are implanted into the oysters. An oyster is pried open partially and has a small piece of tissue removed. This tissue is then bathed in an antibacterial solution and a reactive agent. The tissue is then placed back in the oyster and a starter bead is placed inside as well. The oyster is then placed a table ready to go back into the water. This ensures a “high” rate of success of pearl growth – however only about 30% of oysters end up producing pearls this way, so it’s still difficult.

Pearl Extraction

After this, we were shown the extraction process, in which a shucker opens up the oyster and searches for a pearl. The oyster we were shown did have a pearl inside it, however, it was deemed as imperfect.

Imperfect pearls are used mainly in cosmetics, usually being ground into a powder. Occasionally though, they do get used in jewelry. We were then shown into the jewelry showroom where they had an extensive display of pearls. The prices were very good compared to most places, and we regret not buying a piece. It is what it is though.

Back to the Boat

We shuffled back onto the Junk and then proceeded on to the next location – a swimming beach. During the summer, we could certainly see the appeal, but it was chilly, and the water is not warm. Plus the water had plenty of jellyfish in it, and we didn’t envy the idea of a sting. Nonetheless, we proceeded on. It took a bit over an hour to reach the destination. During this time, we admired the many mountains and hanging jungles.

Our guide also told us various stories about the people of Vietnam, as well as a few things about the wars that were fought. A few interesting things were:

• This was the first guide – to acknowledge that American soldiers died in the war, and he showed remorse for them
• Vietnam – engaged in a war with Cambodia to take territory after the American War.
• 60% – of Vietnamese consume dog.
• Many Americans – he’s met believe the Vietnamese are still angry about the war, but that’s not true.
• They are saddened – by the results of Agent Orange but consider themselves on good terms with Americans.

At the Swimming Hole

Once we arrived at the swimming spot, we took a few pictures and admired the tiny beach. Our operator tried to get us to go swimming, but no one was having any of it. Eventually, he gave up, and we headed back towards Cat Ba Town.

Closing Out the Day

On our way back, we passed an oil rig and tankers, part of the economy in the region. And then finally passed through the center of the floating village. The floating village was busy and cramped – reminding me of the villages in Alaska off Ketchikan and Sitka.

 

Around 5 pm, we pulled up the dock and disembarked the ship. Tired, but happy with the full day’s excursion we got. While one can certainly enjoy a 2 or 3-day cruise on the bay(s), we actually found this method preferable.

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