ItchyFeetBlog

Upon hitting Hanoi in northern Vietnam, one of the first priorities was to seek out information on getting to Halong Bay. In Vietnam there are hundreds of travel agents including in Hanoi, and they tend to be situated inside the hotels themselves too to make it even easier to book trips. After sifting through the tips in my Vietnam Lonely Planet travel guide, I chose a 2 day, 1 night cruise in Halong Bay on a fairly new cruise ship called the Paloma.

A map of northern Vietnam including Halong Bay

Halong Bay cruise ship: the Paloma

Just one of the many stunning views from the cruise ship of Halong Bay

The best part of the trip, is that they pick you up from where you’re staying in Hanoi (where your plane is most likely to land) and drop you back afterwards. You can usually leave extra luggage safely at the hotel with reception, so you can travel very light.

Seating outside on the Paloma cruise ship gives you great views of Halong Bay

Twin room accommodation on the Paloma Cruise ship on Halong Bay

There are many cruise ships to choose from in Halong Bay that cater for all budgets. Beware though, the older they are, the more sacrifices you’ll have to make. I chose one that was fairly new on purpose as I was advised they can get a little rough around the edges quite quickly!

Outdoor dining on the top deck of the Paloma cruise ship in Halong Bay

Sunbeds on the top deck of the Paloma cruise ship in Halong Bay

The cruises in Halong Bay usually include meals. The Paloma didn’t disappoint! We were treated to lunch, dinner and breakfast. All were set menus (probably as June was a quiet time of year, meaning fewer guests and so less choice), but they included several dishes so you can pick and choose what you prefer.

The Paloma dining room

Seafood soup as a starter for lunch

Deep fried squid or crab for dinner on the Halong Bay cruise

On the first day we were taken out on a trip to see the floating fishing villages after lunch. You don’t have to but I highly recommend touring the villages by kayak! You can really get a taste of village life from a vessel similar to theirs.

Kayaking through the floating villages of Halong Bay, Vietnam

Kayaking in the warm water around Halong Bay lets you get up close to the floating village buildings and truly experience the atmosphere

Kayaking also lets you see views of Halong Bay's thousands of islands you'll never get close enough to see in a larger boat or ship

Halong Bay is made up of nearly two thousands islands, many of them have been given descriptive names. The one below is called the Yen Ngua Islet or the Saddle Islet as it is made up of two large rocks joined together to form a saddle shape. Boats can actually pass underneath the tunnel that has been formed.

Yen Ngua Islet or the Saddle Islet in Halong Bay

Yes, even here in Halong Bay the locals wear those pointy hats! At the Yen Ngua Islet or the Saddle Islet in Halong Bay

Half way through Kayaking we stopped and explored some buildings. There were several shops selling souvenirs (paintings of Halong Bay and lots of handmade items) but also a floating school that we were allowed to take a look around. It was holiday time so unfortunately we didn’t get the chance to meet the local kids, but the photos on the walls of them were adorable!

Inside a Halong Bay school classroom

Photos of Halong Bay school children - adorable!

Photos of the pupils on the wall of a floating Halong Bay school

Back at the cruise ship, that afternoon we could take a swim around the ship in the deliciously warm sea. But watch out for jellyfish; they’re dinner plate-sized!

The Paloma cruise ship anchored in a quiet bay in the afternoon, a perfect place to keep the boat in calm waters for the night too. And, of course a perfect place to have a swim around the ship!

That evening there was a sunset party scheduled by the crew where we enjoyed a glass of red wine and some pineapple while we watched the gorgeous sun set behind the Halong Bay islands.

Halong Bay sunset

Halong Bay sunset from the top deck of the cruise ship

After the sunset party was a brief Vietnamese cooking lesson! Alright, it wasn’t so much a cookery lesson as it was a lesson on how to roll spring rolls! We managed to achieve this in startlingly different competencies but the chef fried them all for us nonetheless and supplied us with dips to taste the finished products!

Vietnamese cookery lesson on how to make spring rolls!

Once we had finished dinner, we were invited out to the passenger boat at the back of the ship to join the crew in some squid fishing! By this time it was pitch black outside which was perfect conditions because the squid are lured simply using a flash light on the surface of the water. Other than that, we each had a simple bamboo cane with string on the end and a fish-shaped hook; no bait was needed at all, just a gentle up and down movement to make the fish-shaped hook look like it was a real fish swimming in the water.

Squid fishing: squid caught were placed in a bucket and probably served up as tomorrow's food!

Squid fishing: the rods extended into darkness as we fished at night!

On offer the following day was a very early morning tai chi lesson on the top deck, but unfortunately the weather changed from idyllic to stormy over night so we were allowed an extra hour or two of sleep!

Halong Bay in a storm: the rain just added to the atmosphere and allowed for some stunning photographs

It actually didn’t matter too much about the weather since our itinerary included visiting a cave on one of the islands. This cave was fascinating as it was huge and the locals had named some of the formations including the 12 Chinese zodiac animals, some symbols of good luck like a turtle and even a Buddha and the Virgin Mary!

Some of the stalagmites and stalactites inside the Halong Bay cave - I think there was a Buddha shape in this photo, but I can't just remember where!

Inside the Halong Bay caves with what the locals called a statue of the Virgin Mary in the distance made from a massive stalagmite

If there’s one place I go back to, it will be Halong Bay without a doubt! I’m actually getting itchy feet to back right now having written this blog! But it will have to wait a little while until I’ve seen some other places first.

I tried to find my exact cruise online – the Paloma may only be available to book from Hanoi right now – but there’s a trip identical to the one I took here on Intrepid Travel if I’ve triggered your itchy feet for Halong Bay too!