A trip from Hanoi to Halong – world of dreams and dragons

January 16, 2014 Bởi: namdv

Just about 180km from Hanoi, Halong Bay seems to be a must-included destination in itinerary of all travelers to the Northern Vietnam. Ms Christina Pfeiffer who works for The Age Manazine (Australia) has just come back from a fantastic two-night cruise on Halong Bay and described as a watery world of legends and stunning seascapes.

As twilight turns to dusk, it feels as if our ship is being slowly swallowed up by the land and seascapes. As my eyes soak up the ethereal scene, I’m almost convinced the local stories about dragons could be more than a fairy tale. Soaring limestone karsts stretch towards a pale lavender sky. The sun polishes the water with a golden glow, as silver clouds fade into the sunset. Water laps against the ship’s hull as wine glasses clink and laughter drifts from the ship’s Sun Deck above.

Vietnam, according to legend, was once protected by dragons, and Halong (which means descending dragon) Bay was where the dragons came down to earth in a major battle.

The dragon defenders spat out jewels and jade that grew into soaring limestone islands upon which enemy ships were wrecked.

The bay where the mother dragon descended was called Halong, while the bay where her children appeared was named Bai Tu Long.

So captivated have I been by the sunset that I missed the hour-long Vietnamese cooking demonstration aboard our cruise.

My two-night cruise is part of an 11-day tour of Vietnam with Wendy Wu Tours. From Hanoi, a minibus whizzes past panoramas of farmland, rice fields and towns in the Red River Delta. Aside from a bumpy section of road close to Halong Bay, the roads are reasonably smooth. Even so, the journey takes four hours, but it’s worth the trip to see this UNESCO World Heritage site.

Halong Bay is in the Quang Ninh Province of Vietnam. It covers about 1553 square kilometres and has 775 islets, mostly limestone, formed over 500 million years.

Waiting to board at the cruise company’s outdoor check-in lounge at Tuan Chau dock, we have cool towels, soft drinks and a ringside view of the red carpet down to the water, where boats and motorised tenders ferry groups of passengers between ship and shore.

Hundreds of ships cruise around Halong Bay and most follow similar routes, making the popular spots on the bay quite crowded. So the Au Co’s route to Bai Tu Long Bay, Lan Ha Bay and Cat Ba Island is a selling point (although Cat Ba Island is temporarily off the itinerary).

Bai Tu Long National Park is relatively empty but it is just as beautiful as Halong Bay. After lunch at Bai Tu Long Bay, we climb into kayaks and paddle to Vung Ha beach. There’s only one other kayaking group there and it feels like we’re exploring an undiscovered region. Another time, we strap on headlamps and paddle into a dark cave, with bats hanging from the roof, and paddle around the bay through another cave and into a lagoon surrounded by limestone cliffs.

My favourite excursion is a visit to Vung Vieng fishing village, where we meet children at a local school before climbing into wooden rowing boats for a tour of the village’s colourful timber floating houses. The verandahs are a jumble of nets, potted plants, fishing equipment and clothes drying on lines.

On our last day, we anchor near Sung Sot (surprise) cave on Bon Ho Island, which is a busy area of the bay. It’s raining lightly so, donning a plastic poncho, I head up the stone steps to the entrance.

It’s impossible to avoid the crowds here but the view is worth the effort.

The stalactites and stalagmites in the cave are impressive.

We follow our guide along the path, which twists and turns through three chambers. She points out formations that resemble tigers, penguins and dragons.

We learn that Vietcong hid in these grottoes in the Vietnam war. But the dimly lit chambers look so romantic I can hardly picture it. Just another one of captivating Vietnam’s surprises.