Gulf of Tonkin

Vietnam has more than its fair share of UNESCO Heritage sites. One of the more famous ones is Ha Long Bay, which is a four hour drive from Hanoi. Scattered throughout the bay are between 2000 and 3000 small, limestone islands. The islands are relatively small, and almost none of them are inhabited. Having heard that the scenery is stunning, we opted to take a 3 day, 2 night cruise on the Dragon Legend, which is run by Indochina Junk. Given the length of the cruise, the boat is actually able to travel to Baitu Long Bay, which is part of the Ha Long Bay province, but is a little further off shore and has fewer boats. (Traveling to Ha Long Bay is wildly popular, and there are approximately 400 boats that take visitors on trips that range from a few hours in length, to a week long.)

The Dragon Legend boat is supposed to resemble a traditional Vietnamese vessel, and is decorated with carved dragons (a symbol of prosperity). The name “Dragon Legend” refers to the legend regarding the formation of the islands. According to ancient legend, the islands in Ha Long Bay were formed when a dragon visited the bay, and the small islands were formed from the fire that she breathed. Baitu Long Bay is where the baby dragon settled. (The word “Baitu Long” means baby dragon.) The boat itself was lovely: lots of rosewood, dragon carvings, and beautiful rooms. The service was very attentive. Unfortunately, most of the food was so-so (too many sauces, and pretty bland).

After getting settled into our rooms, we were able to go kayaking around some of the islands. Arie and I were quite excited to kayak, given how much we enjoy kayaking at the river. So, we enthusiastically scrambled into some of the most rickety kayaks that I’ve ever been in. (I swear that Arie’s paddle looked like it had been eaten by a dragon, as it was missing large chunks at the edges.) While the kayaks proved to be seaworthy, I found the whole experience to be quite depressing as the water is littered with trash. And, I mean littered — bottles, cans, bags of garbage, large chunks of styrofoam, etc. Apparently, the litter is tossed in the water by both the tourists, and the people who live and work in and around the Bay. While we were told that some of the tour companies were working on cleaning up the Bay, and that the amount of trash has decreased, there is still so much left to be cleaned up. By the time we had finished a 45 minutes kayak trip, I had had plenty, and happily returned to the boat.

There were a total of 36 guests on the boat. Most of the guests were either American, English or Australian. There was also a large family from Taipei— from best that I could surmise, it was a couple with four grown daughters. We met some interesting people, including two families traveling with relatively young children (ages 12 and 9). Both Arie and I were impressed with the kids, who were both charming and curious about the world. We also met a couple from North Carolina; the wife is an environmentalist and is working in Hanoi for 5 months. It was interesting to chat with her about life as an ex-pat in Hanoi.

On the second day of the cruise, we were treated to a barbecue on the beach. I expected picnic blankets, and a simple meal of grilled meats. What we actually got was something else entirely — formal tables, with white table clothes, ceramic plates and glasses. It was surprising elegant for a beach barbecue. And, we were served the best meal of the cruise —endless platters of grilled meat, chicken and fish. It was just lovely. Arie kept saying, “no one is going to believe this — a formal spread on an island in Vietnam!

After 2 comfy nights on the boat, we departed early on a speedboat and returned to Ha Long for our next adventure . . .Read more