One of Vietnam’s most famous tourist attractions, the stunningly beautiful Halong Bay is also a bit of a minefield for finding a straightforward boat trip tour package. Russ Brooks explains how to find the best Halong Bay tour operator so as make sure you get a good value deal on a boat that’s safe
Legend has it when the ancient Vietnamese people were fighting off foreign invaders from China, the gods sent a family of dragons to help defend their land. The dragons descended upon what is now Ha Long bay and began spitting out jewels and jade. Upon hitting the sea, these jewels turned into the various islands dotting the coastline and formed a formidable fortress against the invaders. The dragon family also fell so much in love with this area because of the calm water and the reverence of the Vietnamese people that they decided to remain on earth. The mother dragon is said to lie on what is now Ha Long and her children are said to lie at Bai Tu Long.
Beautiful And Popular
Halong Bay is unarguably an extremely beautiful and so popular destination – the only way to really visit the dragon family, as well as the jewels and jade they spit out, is to take a cruise on a junk through the thousands of islands and islets. Choosing the right boat and route can be challenging, as there are hundreds of tour operators and cruises that have trips departing every day. Hanoi is the usual jumping off point to Halong Bay, with your chosen company providing transport direct from Hanoi to the boat on the coast and back again after the trip.
Which Halong Bay Cruise Operator To Choose?
I visited Ha Long Bay for the second time in March 2011, this time with my father. Due to the recent, well-publicised sinking of a junk in Halong Bay, I wanted to make sure we chose a good operator with a solid reputation. I spent days prior to our arrival combing through forums and operator websites and discovered there are really only a dozen companies or so operating hundreds of different junks, the traditional Vietnamese boats that sail in Ha Long Bay. There were also myriad reports of unsafe boats, bait and switch tactics, and even rats aboard some of them.
Halong Bay, Vietnam: A Quick Guide
One of Vietnam’s most famous tourist attractions, the stunningly beautiful Halong Bay is also a bit of a minefield for finding a straightforward boat trip tour package. Russ Brooks explains how to find the best Halong Bay tour operator so as make sure you get a good value deal on a boat that’s safe
The beautiful limestone karsts of Halong Bay Vietnam
Legend has it when the ancient Vietnamese people were fighting off foreign invaders from China, the gods sent a family of dragons to help defend their land. The dragons descended upon what is now Ha Long bay and began spitting out jewels and jade. Upon hitting the sea, these jewels turned into the various islands dotting the coastline and formed a formidable fortress against the invaders. The dragon family also fell so much in love with this area because of the calm water and the reverence of the Vietnamese people that they decided to remain on earth. The mother dragon is said to lie on what is now Ha Long and her children are said to lie at Bai Tu Long.
Beautiful And Popular
Halong Bay is unarguably an extremely beautiful and so popular destination – the only way to really visit the dragon family, as well as the jewels and jade they spit out, is to take a cruise on a junk through the thousands of islands and islets. Choosing the right boat and route can be challenging, as there are hundreds of tour operators and cruises that have trips departing every day. Hanoi is the usual jumping off point to Halong Bay, with your chosen company providing transport direct from Hanoi to the boat on the coast and back again after the trip.
Which Halong Bay Cruise Operator To Choose?
I visited Ha Long Bay for the second time in March 2011, this time with my father. Due to the recent, well-publicised sinking of a junk in Halong Bay, I wanted to make sure we chose a good operator with a solid reputation. I spent days prior to our arrival combing through forums and operator websites and discovered there are really only a dozen companies or so operating hundreds of different junks, the traditional Vietnamese boats that sail in Ha Long Bay. There were also myriad reports of unsafe boats, bait and switch tactics, and even rats aboard some of them.
Halong Bay Cruise Pricing
I also found it difficult to know what to expect, as there were very different price levels that could be found; from $45USD/night for the barest of budgets to $500USD for a private junk. Every company had beautiful pictures and great testimonials, but having been there before, I knew that many wouldn’t live up to their claims.
