Hạ Long Bay: A Cruise of Wonder

I write this sitting atop the back of a boat, made in the style of Indochina Junks, made by a company with the same name. It is 6:43 am. I have watched the sunset, gone swimming, and soaked in the scenery generally. By myself, atop this unique boat in this unique place.

Hạ Long Bay is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of Vietnam’s natural jewels. It is a bay filled with small limestone islands, mostly small enough to kayak around in about 10 minutes. And there are 2,000+ of them here. They are sharp limestone jutting up from the bay, with low-lying green brush atop.

The limestone has cracks in them from the compression of forming, creating these incredible structures and lines across the formations. The trees allow the stone to emerge in less steep areas, whereas the limestone shines in the vertical drops of 150-200 feet that it forms.

Periodically there is a sandy beach sticking out that appears, but it is frequently only when we are about to arrive at that same beach. There are houses built on the water, with a small pearl farm next to them, a dock and a couple of pet dogs running around who get excited by the boat’s arrival. All feel both naturally an element of this unique landscape and man-made sitting atop the water. It is quite amazing.

Eagles and large birds sit atop, swooping with grandeur as they hunt for mice and fish from their circles. Herons sit along the shore, hunting fish in the greenish-blue water. There is not much else wildlife seen from the boat.

Beyond the islands, boats. Small fishing boats which entire families live on. The white multi-level tourist boats roam. In the distance shipping boats and tug boats.

Due to COVID, many of the places we have visited feel serene and quiet. Tourism hasn’t fully kicked back, and people are not going to Africa and Southeast Asia as their first trips abroad. China also is not letting its people travel, which is responsible for a huge portion of travelers in Asia. When we look at photos from 2019 and hear stories from people and guides, we feel lucky to be here at this unique time because hoards of people return to appreciate the same beauty that we are seeing. That said, these places are amazing and everyone should come to see them.

We feel the quiet tranquility of this place. The quiet humming of the boat and the cool sea breeze as we slowly boat past countless islands. Beyond the islands we can see, there are more just popping out on the horizon. Spotted islands with water in the middle, on the horizon line, for as long as we can see.

We are on this cruise for 3 days and 2 nights, which really means 48 hours in this beautiful place. During this time we’ve seen a variety of weather: bright sun with clear blue skies, a purple fog/haze, rain, and dark clouds overhead. We watched two sunsets and I admired one sunrise.

My favorite time is the sunny but hazy view. The landscape is bright and crisp, yet islands in the distance fall into purple silhouettes of themselves, with islands behind creating layer after layer of horizon lines with fading purples. The island in front of you is a bright gray with a deep green and numerous plants with an eagle flying around. Ones nearby take on a slight blue hue, those further away slightly purple. Those that are a mile away take on a dark purple with some rock detail differentiated in the purple, then those beyond that appear as layers of light purple and less distance as you look out. It is honestly quite extraordinary. Something surprising and wonderous and comforting to look at.

I’ve only seen horizons that take on this layering of distance purple horizon lines in a handful of places: the Grand Canyon and Smoky Mountain National Park to name two that come to mind.

It is mesmerizing. The shapes of each island are unique in this beautiful way. As you float past it, the dimensionality shifts and shows you what the rock’s shape truly is. You have this urge to capture it on camera from numerous angles. Taking photos of unique islands that, in their uniqueness, all blend into the same amorphous landscape. Like buildings in a city skyline.

Over the three days, we’ve gone swimming three times and kayaking twice. We explored a cave and ate BBQ on a beach. The seafood has been amazing atop the boat. There are 11 passengers and 6 crew. All are lovely humans who have made the journey better.

In swimming and kayaking, we got to see the rocks up close. We even watched a heron catch a fish! Then the fish wiggled around in its throat and jumped out. The heron picked the fish up and swallowed it again. Then the fish wiggled out once more - this time for good!

Fish vs. Heron - and the fish won!

We’ve seen jellyfish, crabs, snails, eagles, herons, lizards, and plenty of fish. It has been incredible. Getting close to the landscape through kayaking and swimming is another aspect of what is just lovely about this way to explore a place, and the cruise we specifically choose.

The weather was also amazing. Generally being in the area in September is not recommended, as you start to flirt with the possibility of being out in the rain as typhoons come up the coast of Vietnam from the South China Sea. We were watching the weather to ensure that we book for decent weather, as it was a highlight I was very excited about. In seeing a good weather window, we jumped on booking to find out our cruise was sold out. We opted to leave for the earlier one, knowing the weather might not be sunny the whole time. Frankly, it was better! We got to see the amazing range of weather: sun to foggy to cloudy to rain. Additionally, the constant sun would have made it feel like we were cooking at sea, not enjoying it. We were incredibly glad for the timing, weather, and people on the cruise.

As for the route of our cruise, it was also unique and truly a highlight. In Ha Long Bay, it is common to take a typical tourist route within Ha Long Bay’s center. The cruise we are on has a special permit to go along both Ha Long Bay and Bai Tu Long Bay. When I was researching the UNESCO World Heritage site boundaries, I realized that this cruise actually explored the middle of the site uniquely from other cruises. The focus was also being active: swimming and kayaking multiple times. The company, Indochina Junk, even published a map of where they go so you see the route and the activities. The reviews of the food and experience were very positive. All in all, we definitely made the right decision for this tour company, all for a reasonable price.

The Last Morning

It is now 13:28, and I sit in the airport near Ha Long Bay with Tim, waiting for our flight to the next adventure in Vietnam. After I finished writing the above, we had a quick breakfast and then did a tour of the local fishing village. It is the village of Vung Vieng. It has been a center for safe harbor for boats during typhoons since the early 19th century, and over time became the permanent residence of families. There are now 80 families living there (just over 200 people). With the help of government organizations and NGOs, including USAID. Additionally, it is now a model for sustainable aquaculture and tourism. The families send their kids to a boarding school on the main shore, ensuring everyone is educated and literate. Many live on their boats, and some live in houses atop floating structures. We even saw several pet dogs and one pet cat when going through the village.

Tim had mentioned numerous times over our trip how unique it would be to live here - where your work, sustenance, and family are all co-located on the same fishing vessel. It is quite an amazing life to be surrounded by a beautiful place and so grounded there. I don’t know if either of us has ever known any place as intimately as these people know these islands.

We had the chance yesterday to see a group of local families having their own barbeque on the same beach as us. It included music, karaoke (from their phones!), excellent cooking, and fun. They took turns taking photos in the water and goofing around with a smaller row boat one of the families had. The parents and kids who own the smaller row boat had put a red plastic chair atop, rowing with their feet with expert navigation! The other people at the party tried rowing with their feet also - which frequently resulted in laughter from everyone.

All in all, this was an incredible experience for us. It was new and exciting, while also relaxing. I got in some writing (including this blog post) and sketches. We both took hundreds of photos just trying to capture the atmosphere of this unique place.

The company we booked with was Indochina Junk, for their 3-day/2-night cruise through Ha Long and Bai Tu Long Bay. It goes through the center of the UNESCO World Heritage area for Ha Long Bay. The staff, food, journey, and excursions were incredible. We were on the Dragon Pearl, a boat with 10 cabins total - ensuring a small and intimate group and crew. We would highly recommend this to folks in the future! Lam on!