Ha Long Bay

October 2025

Hello again! My apologies for the large gap in posting, me and Joel were off trekking in the wilds of Nepal and then got very sick….but that’s another story. I will try to catch up with the present!

After experiencing plenty of Vietnam’s rainy season, we got lucky with some beautiful sunny days. We decided to take full advantage, and booked a three day cruise of Bai Tu Long Bay to celebrate our two year wedding anniversary. Bai Tu Long Bay is the less travelled neighbor of Ha Long Bay, the UNESCO world heritage site comprising 1,900 limestone karst islands.

“The limestone that makes up the island mountains was deposited between about 390 million and 260 million years ago when shells and carbonate sediments were deposited on the bottom of the sea. Over a hundred million years, a blanket of limestone more than a kilometer (0.6 miles) thick built up. Then, about 40 million years ago, faulting and plate tectonic activity uplifted the limestone, subjecting it to the forces of erosion that produced the steep islands we see today.Hạ Long translates to “descending dragon.” According to Vietnamese legend, a mother dragon and her children thwarted an attack in the Eastern Sea, incinerating the enemies with fire and emeralds from their mouths. The mother dragon then landed in what is known today as Hạ Long Bay; her children set down in Bai Tu Long Bay; and the emeralds formed the forested islands seen in the bays today.” - Earth Observatory, NASA https://science.nasa.gov/earth/earth-observatory/the-emerald-isles-of-ha-long-bay-149803/

We went with a Lonely Planet recommended company called Indochina Junk. They picked us up in Hanoi and drove us three hours out to Ha Long Bay. The port city was crammed with massive hotel developments, many still under construction. Endless rows of empty pastel french apartment complexes bastioned the shore. Everything felt fake and deserted, like Duloc in Shrek.

The car deposited us at an enormous dock, swarming with tourists. I felt some trepidation looking into the ship choked bay. Then a guide appeared to shepherd us through the throng and onto a small gasoline powered boat. We sped towards our impressive three masted, twenty-four cabin junk ship anchored in the bay.

Our ship, the Dragon Legend

Our cabin with a view

My fears melted away as we left the busy port behind and were soon the only boat in sight. It was magical to glide silently past the krast islands, surrounded by the still, turquoise water. This was definitely my highlight of our Vietnam trip! We had a seafood barbecue on the beach, went sea kayaking, explored caves and a local floating fishing village/pearl farm.

This was our first cruise experience, and I must say I’m fully converted. It was so relaxing to have all our meals and activities planned for us. We felt sad when it was over and we had to return to land.