Cruise on a Yacht in Ha Long / Lan Ha Bay (Vietnam)
I write “Ha Long Bay” because the H is NEVER silent in Vietnamese. We are in April 2022. I contact my Vietnamese travel agency and tell them “give me the best cruise ship”. He says OK but warns me that prices for foreigners are twice as high as for Vietnamese. So he suggests we put the “Tây” (foreigners) together and that I “officially” occupy alone the biggest room and that we distribute the rooms however we want upon arrival. Clever! We are in 2022, so prices are still very low due to Covid, borders have just reopened. I don’t remember exactly how much we paid, but it’s peanuts, like 150 euros/person. The boat goes to Lan Ha Bay, quieter, but farther away and we have fewer activities than those who only do Ha Long Bay. For example, we don’t visit any caves.
Ha Long, compared to my distant memories, has become much more beautiful, and its beaches more swimmable. Before, I remember when I was very little, there wasn’t even sand, you had to sit on stone docks. However, due to this lack of sand, even now, when you put your feet in the water, it’s still very muddy and not pleasant.
My parents drop off JB, A., and me at the pier; they won’t take the boat with us. They wait for us in a hotel in Ha Long. We’re going on a two-day/one-night cruise on the boat. We all board a small speedboat because our boat is much farther from the pier. Honestly, I just booked the boat, but I only saw photos of the interior, not the exterior. I discover, with my mouth agape, that our boat (Scarlet Pearl) looks like a billionaire’s yacht.
Tourists board the boat under flower petals thrown from the upper deck by staff. Our luggage is placed in front of our rooms. By the time we change, tour the boat, and the boat starts… it’s already lunchtime. We find out there’s a huge family on our boat; they have their own big table. Each group of tourists has their own table, so good, we won’t have to make conversation with strangers.
I post photos on Instagram and specify that in front of us, it’s not a TV, it’s a window!!! Yes, it’s that beautiful, it’s that majestic!!
To navigate Ha Long or Lan Ha Bay, you need a lot of experience because there are thousands of islands like this, and rocks under the water; you better not mess up. When the French came by sea passing through Ha Long, they had to bribe one of the Vietnamese traitors who led them to navigate the maze of Ha Long. They would have never managed by themselves.
Activities are few, but fun. We’re taken for a boat ride, to pass under a very narrow rock. Unfortunately, we’re with an instagrammer or just a narcissist who stands at the front of the boat to take 1000 photos in every position, showing off all her assets (redone by a not-so-skilled surgeon).
Then we go back to our boat… which is truly beautiful, both from afar and up close!!
Then it’s time for some trampoline at the stern of the boat, a bit of kayaking… Some pay to privatize a catamaran for sunset. We ask the staff to fill the jacuzzi on the top deck for us because the bay water is too cold for me. And here we are in the warm jacuzzi, in the middle of Lan Ha Bay. It’s royal!!!
In the evening, after dinner, we’re given fishing rods to improve our meals a bit. The goal is to use a lamp to attract squid. By the time JB goes to get my life jacket from the room, I catch a squid on the first try. A. manages a few moments later. Too late for JB who unfortunately won’t catch anything, because too many people arrived and the squids aren’t fooled anymore. I was surprised to see the squid spray ink when I caught it. The ink stains the boat’s wood, and the next day the stain is still there; the staff couldn’t remove it.
The next day, we enjoy one last meal, then everyone gets back on the small boat to return to Ha Long, with smiles ear to ear. We think this must be what life is like for billionaires on their yachts. And I understand better why they all want to buy a yacht.
My parents pick us up and take us around the city and for a swim. Now, on the beach, there are plenty of spots built by the government with lockers (paid) and free showers; it’s well organized.
We spend the night at the 5-star hotel Muong Thanh, my parents’ HQ when they go to Ha Long. It’s a 5-star by Vietnamese standards. The rooms are huge but poorly laid out, and breakfast is attended by people who aren’t hungry but throw themselves at the food as if their lives depended on it, which stresses us out enormously. From the room, you can see SUN WORLD park, which will be destroyed in September 2024 by Typhoon Yagi.
Just below the hotel, on the left, there’s a small shop selling ultra-fresh seafood (shrimp, crabs, etc., still moving). We point at the future victims, and they’re cooked on demand (with salt and pepper, boiled, or sautéed with tamarind, etc.). Sold by the kilo, preparation costs included. It’s so good and cheap!!!
A few months later, after our stay in Yen Tu, we’ll return to Ha Long without A. to go to a famous onsen: Yoko Onsen Quang Hanh. The Vietnamese aren’t used to going to a naked onsen (even though that’s the concept). So apart from the changing rooms, everything is mixed and people wear swimsuits. There’s a “naked” section, separated by gender for those who dare, but nobody ever goes there. I find the baths a bit small and not hot enough in the mixed area, it’s much nicer in the “naked” section where no one goes. The onsen is also a hotel, but the onsen is already overpriced, so no hotel this time.
