Halong Bay
Sunshine greets us in Halong Bay and even that one simple fact is different from the miserable days when we bowled up here before, with the world starting to close borders and the grip of a pandemic stretching its dirty fingers everywhere. Back then, this entire place was a ghost town, just us two and a handful of others about to start the mad dash home.
It was a hazy grey that day with a mist hugging the silent sea and all the tour boats waiting forlornly at anchor. Vietnam was already shutting down and tourist spots like Halong (or Ha Long) Bay had been among the first to have its doors closed by Government. It was desperate and desolate and we couldn’t get our heads round what was happening; the cloying grey mist was fittingly depressing.
Today is incomparable with that dark memory; not only does the sun shine but the harbour positively buzzes with activity as hundreds of trippers arrive to be shepherded to the various departure points for the cruise boats all chugging noisily on the water. The highway from Hanoi had been a racetrack of “limousine buses” winging their way from the capital to the sea. It’s hard to imagine a scene more different from those collapsing days of March 2020.
So here we are on board the Halong Aquamarine for a 3-day 2-night exploration of this famous yet incredible scenery. Yep, no sooner are we off the Buddha Train and relishing our renewed freedom and we go and trap ourselves on a boat – but hey, it’s only 3 (well, 2 and a half in reality) days and Halong Bay is of course on our wish list like it’s on everyone’s.
First, the good bits. Our room on board is luxurious and affords fabulous views of the islands through huge panoramic windows. Halong Bay is every bit as spectacular as all the hype and all the hundreds of photos we’ve all seen on line – truly one of the World’s most amazing natural sights. More of that shortly.
Second, the not quite so good bits. The sea here is not in a good state: never mind the floating rainbows which indicate oil or diesel in the water, but the amount of plastic and other rubbish trapped in the becalmed areas between the islands is painful to see. A UNESCO World Heritage Site with a floating garbage tip: something is terribly wrong. It’s very, very busy too: well over 100 cruise boats ply these waters daily, terrific for an economy decimated by COVID but not so good for anyone seeking an escape.
Our time out here includes kayaking to islands, through caves and out into seas hidden in the heart of sunken islands, which is absolutely thrilling and probably our most enjoyable kayaking experience to date. There’s a couple of hikes up to the summit of islands too, as well as a walk through the massive caves at Sung Sot Island, though these are slow paced due to the amount of people climbing the same trails. As we squeeze through the narrow entrance to Sung Sot cave, we have no inkling of its size: the interior is a gigantic space filled with spectacular rock formations in which the wave lines of the sea, formed millions of years ago, are clearly visible above our heads on the roof of the cave.
There are a couple of beach/swimming opportunities too, but the sea is cold, and with all that evidence of pollution staring us in the face, it isn’t in the least inviting. Also on the agenda is a visit to a pearl farm, similar in appearance to the oyster beds close to our home in England but with a very different aim: jewellery rather than food. The farm is much more interesting than we anticipated, with a decent introduction to the whole process of cultivating pearls, a hit-and-miss affair with only 30% of implanted impurities turning into anything useful – and even fewer forming the perfect sphere.
The karst limestone islands which give Halong Bay its well known and spectacular look are a fantastic sight, huge pedestals of almost vertical rock pushing up through the water and towering above us like so many petrified giants. There are something like 3,000 of these islets in and around Halong Bay, created by formation and then erosion of limestone and shaped over millennia, in turn beneath the deep ocean and exposed to the air. The whole place is a remarkable sight.
Whether motoring past on the main cruise boat, gliding through by kayak or being taken through on a bamboo boat, these tree-clad limestone marvels are endlessly captivating, their different shapes and sizes peppered with cave entrances, sculpted erosion and dramatic overhangs. Out at Lan Ha, further out than where the day trips go and consequently a little quieter, the mist starts to descend and adds an eeriness to an already haunting scene.
Many of the cruises are in fact those single-day excursions, leaving around 20 craft to anchor overnight out in the open waters of the bay. After dark, the ones overnighting collect in a stretch of water nicknamed the “sleeping area”, encircled by lofty karst islands – the lights of the vessels creating quite a pleasant scene reflecting in the rippling waves. Day trippers gone, the evenings are relatively serene. During the day though, the large numbers of visitors being ferried to the same activities and destinations creates an overload at each point of bottleneck. It is, as we said earlier, very, very busy.
Halong Bay is well and truly up and running again after the economic horrors of the pandemic, and we certainly don’t begrudge them making the most of it and pulling in the crowds. There’s been no Government handouts here, these guys have had nothing for more than two years. The unshakeable beaming smile of those employed on the boats tells its own story.
For us, we’ve at last seen Halong Bay properly, almost exactly three years since those improbable days of early pandemic and the threat of quarantine. Our ghosts are laid.
23 Comments
leightontravels
Somehow, I understood that this piece was coming next. I recall well your previous visit collapsing back in the heart of frst-wave-COVID-shitshow. I think it was important that you made it back and put those crappy memories to bed. I did Halong Bay on a full day cruise, so was interested to read about your longer bed and board experience. Like you, I also went kayaking through the caves and was similarly depressed to see how dirty and polluted the waters were in parts. Four years later and it sounds like there hasn’t been much improvement. You definitely had a wider range of activities than I did, with the Pearl Farm and summit hikes. Though generally the entire area sounds much much busier than when I visited. But as you say, it’s a remarkable place, glad that you laid those ghosts to rest.
Phil & Michaela
Yeah, despite the pollution and the overblown tourism bit, it’s a place you have to go and see. Just one of those unique natural sights that you cannot miss.
Toonsarah
I’m so glad you managed to get back and lay those ghosts. It’s understandable really that a place as beautiful and remarkable as this should be visited by large numbers of tourists (and after all, we ourselves add to that number!) but the pollution is sad to see and it should be possible to control that. I don’t remember it being that bad when we were there but tourist numbers were already seriously reduced by Covid as China had already closed its doors. I think we must have been among the last to cruise there as it was only a couple of weeks, by my reckoning, before your aborted attempt to do so. Maybe with fewer visitors they were able to control litter etc better? Still I’m glad for all who work on the boats that things are back to normal – I can just imagine those smiles!
Phil & Michaela
Oh those smiles, Sarah. So far on this visit, we are finding the Vietnamese people probably only second to Thai in how lovely, friendly and welcoming they are. Absolutely lovely people.
Monkey's Tale
Hmmm, I typed out a comment but it seems to have disappeared so sorry if you get this twice. I remember your posts from 3 years go when you had to end your travels. Glad you could make it back to get out into bay and far away from the day trippers. I also remember all not the garbage in the water. It’s so heartbreaking in what would otherwise be the perfect, gorgeous display of nature. Maggie
Phil & Michaela
Yes exactly, it’s an astonishing place which has a beauty and mystique all of its own… but oh the trash is awful. Surely something could be done.
Mike and Kellye Hefner
Of course, I’ve seen Halong Bay many times online and TV, but I haven’t heard the descriptions of experiencing it like you have done. It’s terribly sad about the pollution there. It’s a wonder that anyone would want to eat the catches of the fishermen who are trying to eke a living out of those waters. I enjoyed your post, as always, and look forward to more.
WanderingCanadians
The views of Halong Bay are gorgeous. I couldn’t help but laugh at your comment about trapping yourselves on a boat given your recent Buddha Trail experience. Hopefully there are no Dawdlers on board. It’s a shame to hear about the sad state of the water with all the floating garbage. It sounds like you had some fun experiences and adventures. And the scenery is stunning.
Phil & Michaela
Beautiful place but yeah the pollution is bad ☹️
grandmisadventures
wow, stunning place all around. The dramatic rocks above the water, and then to kayak under and through those rocks must have been incredible! How sad though that such a beautiful place is also so full of pollution.
Phil & Michaela
It is truly stunning, a beautiful place….but in danger of being spoiled. As a UNESCO world heritage site, somebody should be doing something!
grandmisadventures
absolutely! it’s bad enough when places are polluted, but for a UNESCO site it seems unpardonable
Gilda Baxter
Halong Bay looks so beautiful. Visiting the caves by kayaking must have been great. Like yourselves we were also chased out of Vietnam by the pandemic and we also feel like we have unfinished business there. Our Halong Bay cruise was cancelled and we never got to properly explore this region. I am enjoying seeing it through your eyes and maybe one day we will go back there.
Phil & Michaela
Hi Gilda, yes we are so, so pleased that we’ve resurrected the trip, Vietnam is really wonderful and we are loving it more and more as we move on through the country.
rkrontheroad
Glad to see you were able to return and enjoy. I did an overnight on a junk in Halong Bay and remember it as one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen. Jumping into the water from the deck to swim was heavenly. I don’t know if I’d do it now, after your reporting of the pollution.
Phil & Michaela
I really don’t think you would. Not at all tempting.
Latitude Adjustment: A Tale of Two Wanderers
What a geographical delight.
wetanddustyroads
Yes, Halong Bay is spectacular … your photos are definitely proof of that! So sorry about the rubbish in the sea (we heard this from other recent travellers to Halong Bay too). Hopefully there will be some sort of (rescue) plan soon before it’s too late. Love the kayaking and the visit to the pearl farm. Oh, and the night shots are also beautiful.
Phil & Michaela
Cheers chuck….beautiful place, sad to see the human influence
Annie Berger
As others wrote long before I got to your post, Phil. I’m happy for you that you chose to return to Halong Bay after you were chased away by the scourge three years ago.
It sounds like it was as perfect an experience as it could have been, too, this time around from a weather point of view. What a tragedy that trash has accumulated so much to make the bay less healthy and attractive than it should be. I thought that UNESCO had the power to mandate cleanup of their world heritage sites. I wish they would enforce it lest Halong Bay lose their status.
Phil & Michaela
It’s a real shame and something definitely needs to be done
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