Cruising in Ha Long Bay Vietnam
As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, the late Anthony Bourdain and his various travel shows, are a resource that I utilize when planning our trips. Never was this more true then while planning our trip to Vietnam, due to his repeated visits to this particular country.
During season 8 (airing in 2016) of Parts Unknown, Anthony Bourdain visits Hanoi and shares a meal with President Barack Obama, followed by a dreamy cruise aboard a restored antique steamship through Ha Long Bay. While I wish that it would have been possible to replicate both experiences, I set my mind to work on the cruise portion of the episode and watched it multiple times to gather details.
Investigation yielded that the ship he had rented and cruised on, is called the Emeraude, and while not the cheapest option, was FAR from what I would consider too expensive for the experience that is offered. We opted for a two day, one night cruise, which while we were initially concerned might not be enough time, turned out to be just right.
I’ve included a link to the booking site, but HERE it is again just in case you missed it.
From Hanoi to Ha Long Bay
Selecting our cruise was relatively easy since we knew that we wanted the same ship that Anthony Bourdain had taken, but figuring out the transportation from Hanoi to the ship in Ha Long Bay was rather perplexing.
Transportation services are abundant between Hanoi and this popular cruise destination, however, none of the services I checked into made the pickup or drop-off easy for folks that weren’t staying in one of the larger hotels in Hanoi. Ultimately I reached out to our chosen cruise company and inquired of any recommended transportation services, and while shuttle service wasn’t explicitly offered on their website (at least at the time we booked), they not only offered it but were willing to pick us up wherever we wanted but were also willing to drop us off at an alternative location!
I learned a valuable lesson through this experience, which was that the quickest way to an answer is to ask questions.
All Aboard!
The morning of our departure from Hanoi and travel to Ha Long Bay was a little nerve-wracking. While we knew that transportation was scheduled to come for us, we didn’t know if it would be a van or a bus or if it would be labeled as the cruise company (In this case, Emeraude) or not. Not wanting to miss our ride, we were packed up early and checked out of our homestay (parting ways with our pet rat) and waited on the curb out in front, to keep an eye out for our promised transportation.
After a couple of incorrect guesses which proved to be other shuttle services waiting for other riders, a bus bearing the name of "Emeraude Cruises" arrived (sigh of relief), and we were finally on our way.
Making just a single stop between Hanoi and Ha Long Bay, we were taken to a roadside pearl workshop (which sounds odd). A ploy to sell merchandise to captive tourists, it wasn't without a certain level interest, as we were able to watch how they extracted pearls from oysters and made jewelry. We spent an hour here which was more than we would have liked but could have been much worse. After being ushered back onto the bus, we were taken to our port of call and began our wait to board the ship.
Shortly after our arrival, we were met by our cruise director who provided the schedule of activities, as well as our room assignments. The first item on the schedule, room check-in and the second was a complimentary happy hour.
Excursions
Included in our short cruise, was two island excursions, as well as a visit to a floating pearl farm. The excursions are entirely optional, but considering that there is very little to do on the boat, why not go? We had a lot of fun, and it was a great way to meet some of the other passengers on our same cruise.
First stop, the island of Hang Sung Sot, otherwise known as the Cave of Wonders….
Floating Pearl Farm
For our second excursion of the day, we went to a floating pearl farm, which was unlike anything I had ever seen before, and found truly fascinating. Knowing next to nothing about pearls, other than that they come from clams, I very much enjoyed this experience despite it being yet another ploy to sell pearl jewelry to captive tourists.
The End of Day One
Having had a VERY full day of activities aboard the Emeraude, it seemed strange that we had started our day in Hanoi, but with having had lunch, two excursions, and dinner under our belts we felt like we had been aboard for more than just a single day.
As a side note, it’s worth mentioning that due to our visit being in low season, not only was the traffic in the bay from other ships also low, but the occupancy of our ship was well below capacity. In fact, with a max occupancy of 72 guests plus 21 crew members, our particular voyage only contained 14 guests but with the bonus of a full crew! We had plenty of personal attention, and lots of room to relax…but I digress.
That evening after dinner, we once again enjoyed happy hour on the main deck, followed by a cooking demonstration in which yours truly absolutely annihilated a spring-roll, followed by the showing of a classic film below deck. However, having made friends with two other sets of couples (the only other Americans on the ship), the group of us proceeded to while away the remainder of the evening drinking wine and exchanging tales of our Vietnam experiences up to that point. It was a truly wonderful way to spend an evening on the water.
Day Two - Excursion Three
Ti Top Island
After a long evening of frivolity with our new friends and a night of very deep sleep (I had never slept aboard a boat before!), I found myself fighting the urge to skip the final excursion in favor of staying snuggled in my bed. However, my better judgment won out and I strapped on my hiking boots (figuratively speaking), and had an early breakfast.
I’m not going to sugar coat it, this was an aggressive way to start the day. Climbing 450 steep steps, which once started would be difficult to change your mind about, even those that are in good physical shape will find to be a bit of a butt buster. However, the view from the top is spectacular and worth the climb.
Following our island hike and safe return back aboard our floating home, we began our journey back to port. Along the way, we passed two large rocks (shown above) known as the “Kissing Chickens,” which made a particularly funny impression on me.
We greatly enjoyed our time on this cruise, but I think it’s important to remember that we were here in January (low season) when the weather is cool and rainy, and when attendance was low. I can see how this same experience could be significantly different if the circumstances were also different. I would be sure to consider the time of year and experience you hope to have when planning your visit here.
