HALONG BAY, VIETNAM – Lights from a few Vietnamese junk boats flicker amid the darkness enveloping this 1,553 square-kilometer expanse of wonders — awesome islands, limestone cliffs and the caves within — made even more majestic by the calm of the seas.

In each junk boat are tired souls smitten by the beauty of this Vietnam pride, among the ‘New 7 Wonders of Nature’ and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Tired, maybe, but definitely satisfied, if not totally refreshed after a day of activities — sumptuous meals, chit-chats, and plenty of laughs shared with locals and foreign visitors alike, strangers slowly becoming friends.

From Hanoi’s Old Quarter to Halong Bay

The trip to Halong Bay started at around seven in the morning, when the blue bus from the travel agency picked each of us up, one by one or in groups, from our hotels in the capital city’s Old Quarter. There was a 30-minute stop in the middle of the four-hour trip — a ‘Happy Break,’ as our jolly tour guide called it, since everyone comes back happier after releasing some body fluids. It’s enough time to pee, buy souvenirs, or grab snacks for the rest of the tour, since options are limited on the junk boat.

The view on the way to Halong Bay was good, not too different from what you’d see traveling around the Philippines’ rural provinces, but Vietnam still offers a unique experience of its own. The bus was full of people of different nationalities: European, Canadian, American, and a few Asians. I happened to sit beside Bing, a Filipina traveling around the country with her partner Tim, who hails from Canada. On my right was Peppeine, a good-looking Dutch guy from the Netherlands who decided to explore Vietnam before flying to Tokyo to study for six months. He was traveling with his two equally gorgeous friends, Renz and Abu.

A lot of buses full of tourists were headed to Halong Bay during our visit. September 2 is Vietnam’s Independence Day, so locals were taking their time off away from the hustle and bustle of the city center. Scooters are a normal sight here, and it’s amazing how four or five people fit onto a small one, some even carrying small kids or babies. There are around four million motorcycles in Hanoi alone — more than half of its seven million people own at least one.

Cruisin’ Around The Bay

After more than four hours on the road, we boarded the junk boat past noontime. Our local tour guides welcomed us with drinks, followed by a satisfying Vietnamese lunch. To say Vietnam’s food is among the best would be an understatement, and I’ll admit, it’s one of the reasons I love being in this country.

Cruising along the bay is an experience like no other. The junk boat has a nice, hotel-like, air-conditioned room with its own bath and toilet. Since I took the smaller boat, the dining area was designed for only 15 people, which made the trip feel more intimate — a real advantage for someone like me, traveling alone. Face-to-face conversations with 14 other tourists and four Vietnamese crew, including our tour guide, whose name was ‘Banana,’ made for a wonderful experience. The upper deck gave us the best 360-degree view of the islands we passed — it quickly became my favorite spot on board, and you can probably guess why.

Exploring the islands a bit, we found ourselves on a main island offering a nice view of the bay after passing through a huge cave for about an hour.

 

We stopped at one island for kayaking. Together with Hue, the sixth-grade son of the lovely Vietnamese couple Nam and Pan, we explored the surrounding islands by kayak.

Hue loved talking with me, since it gave him a chance to practice his English. His gorgeous parents shared a lot about Vietnamese culture during the tour, and encouraged me to explore other parts of the country as well.

Paddling between islands let this usually all-formal, coat-and-tie professional get properly wet — in sweat and salt water both — and experience the beauty of life and nature all over again.

Halong Bay at Night

Dinner came at 7pm, and we feasted on the ever-delicious Vietnamese cuisine — freshly caught seafood, chicken, pork, beef, vegetables, fruits, and drinks that included the 1-dollar Hanoi Beers and Halong Beers. Then the sea breeze nudged me to take my laptop out and write this piece for the blog. It was so gentle out there that I found myself typing along while listening to music, wondering why the flickering lights were so beautiful, and why I loved being here so much. Every second of it. This was simply a dream come true. To call Hanoi and Halong Bay magical is definitely an understatement.

That night capped Vietnam’s 72nd Independence Day commemoration, and for the visiting foreigners, myself included, it was one of those nights we’d been waiting to arrive. Personally, I’d been dreaming of this whole visit for years.

I’m ecstatic. Happy. Coming here was my birthday present, and I’ll remember this trip for the rest of my life.

Note: The whole trip cost me around USD400 (P20,000), including airfare Manila-Hanoi-Manila, food, tours, and accommodation. I’ll provide a detailed itinerary in a separate post. For accommodation and tours, please visit Hanoi Panda Hotel and look for Philip Nguyen. Featured photo courtesy of crossingtravel.com. All other photos are taken by this writer.