As mentioned in the Arrival in Hanoi post, all tours in Hanoi were organised by Handspan Travel. We decided to spend one night in Halong Bay, one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which was good enough for me, but there’s also the option of a two-night stay.
A van picked us up at the hotel at the appointed time, and we were taken to the pier to catch the tender boat that would take us on the final cruise with Orchid Cruises. The drive from Hanoi to Tuan Chau Marina takes about 3 hours, with a stop for coffee and toilet break, or even to buy pearls, which are very popular in this region.
Arriving at Tuan Chau Marina, we noticed huge theme parks and many empty hotels/apartments and resorts. I thought this might still be a consequence of COVID, and that this place probably relied heavily on Chinese tourism, which was still non-existent at the time. However, after doing a little more research, I discovered that even before COVID, this place was known as a ghost town/resort, where tourists were only seen at weekends and during the peak tourist season in Vietnam, which is the school holidays from June to August. It seemed to me to be another example of excessive and unplanned construction, in stark contrast to the unique landscape of Halong Bay. So, if you’re considering staying in Tuan Chau to catch the cruise the next day, I wouldn’t recommend it. It’s better to stay in Hanoi and catch the early transport to the Tuan Chau (Đảo Tuần Châu).
I found the waiting times until we finally reached the boat a bit annoying. First from the van to the pier waiting area, then to the tender boat. This boat made a few stops at various destination boats before we finally arrived at the boat where we would spend the next day. By this time, it was already lunchtime when we boarded the cruise ship.
In the afternoon, we visited the Trung Trang Caves on Cat Ba Island, part of a nature reserve. We then returned to the boat for a sunset swim followed by a warm jacuzzi. At the end of the day there was a cooking demonstration where we made our own spring rolls, followed by dinner. When we travelled in October, it was already a bit chilly in the evenings, so make sure you pack a jacket if you decide to go on the cruise to Halong Bay.
Can you spot the bats?
The next morning it was time for a kayak trip, but we decided to skip it because it was drizzling and the sky was very grey and chilly outside.
We were served brunch, and in the meanwhile it was time to return to solid ground. As you can see, there was always something to do, and the time passed very quickly.
The views from the cruise are incredible, and no photograph can do justice to the landscapes of Halong Bay in real life. It’s well worth it, even with all the waiting I mentioned earlier.
Meanwhile, the morning of our return from the cruise was quite eventful. Other passengers from the boat we had met the night before told us that they had arrived two days earlier from Hoi An, where everything has been flooded by the heavy rains, and that it had been a terrible few days where they hadn’t even been able to leave their hotel room. I immediately started thinking about whether it was worth taking the next flight to Da Nang, as we would be staying in Hoi An for the next few days. There wasn’t much to do as our return flight to Singapore was from Da Nang anyway, but I immediately contacted the travel agency, who assured me they would check the situation in Hoi An.
The agency confirmed that a tropical storm was passing through central Vietnam, but that it had already weakened, and the forecast did not predict further flooding. The hotel we had booked was also higher up and away from the historic centre, so, away from the worst affected areas. I felt much more relieved, and the only flooding we actually experienced was the high tide of the Thu Bon River in the city centre of Hoi An, which forced us to take a detour. More about Hoi An in the upcoming posts.
And check out suggestions on what to do in Hanoi here.
