How to pick a good cruise for Halong Bay tour

Halong Bay is a must-see in Vietnam. Halong Bay is known as New Seven Natural Wonder of the World as well as World Heritage Site. As a popular destination for worldwide travellers, Halong Bay is affordable and give you some ways to travel more enjoyable, cheaper, longer. Here is some tips how to choose a right cruise for Halong Bay tour.

How to travel : Book a tour or travel on your own

A lot of travelers think that there on your own is always cheaper than booking a tour. It’s true but not for Halong Bay. Here is an example. If you take a bus from Hanoi to Halong Bay, you have to take a taxi to Luong Yen bus station or My Dinh bus station. I know it won’t be easy for tourist to take a local bus. There’s a lot of persons who is in the tourist wharf who offer plenty of choices for cruise. To be honest, you wonder who is good one and tell you the truth. You don’t know that you go on a right cruise which you pay for. The cruise may be a different one with lower quality such as boat, food….. It’s your choice.  I recommend to book a tour with a reliable travel agents or the hotel where you stay in Hanoi. If anything happens, you are able to deal with them

Reputation :

Please read reviews on Trip Advisor, travel blog and comments or ask your friends who has been there or other tourists who stay in the same hotel with you. It is so important to see what a company reputation is before booking with them. The cheap cruises may not be a good ones. The small one but good reputation can be your choice. Let’s choose ones suitable your budget.

Price :

Here is some tips to help you find out the best one but affordable one on your budget. From US$99 to US$139/ per person for 2 days 1 night, you can get good ones such as Alova Cruise, Vspirit cruise, Halong Glory Cruise. In addition, please check what’s included in the tour price. For some travel agents, as you check on their website, the price is lower but round-trip transportation  may not be included. You may pay extra for a total bill.

If you prefer premium cruises, I can recommend Paloma Cruise, Pelican Cruise, Huong Hai Sealife, Gray Line Halong, Indochina Junk, Bhaya cruise. The rate is range from US$160 to US $245

If you are looking for a luxury cruise, my recommendation is Victory Star, Indochina Sail, Violet cruise, Paradise Luxury Cruise, Au Co cruise. The rate is different from each other. The most expensive ones are Au Co and Violet Cruise.

If you traveling during the summer from May to September, there’s a big deal for most cruises from 20% to 40% discount.

All cruises mentioned aboved offer joining group tour. It means that you will share the boat with others.

Facilities and Services :

Most of cruises have same  facilities and services. It is just different for 4 stars and 5 stars cruise which offer other additional facilities such as safety deposit box, book shelves and services snorkeling and fishing equipment , jacuzzi and spa and kayaking. The services are mentioned  to be exclusives.

Safety first :

Please check boat age, I know it’s hard but don’t take the old one. The newer boat, the more safe you get. You should also check all facilities on board via their websites for safety and security such as life vests, alarm clock, hammer and safety deposit box.

Itinerary :

Where to cruise : My first recommendation is Bai Tu Long Bay where you can cruise off the beaten path, away from the crowd. You can get the most enjoyable moment and travel in your styles. My top choice is Indochina Junk. The second choice is Halong Bay. Most of the activities is almost the same : kayaking, caving, swimming, cooking class, squid fishing,  karaoke on board …. but some of them offer extra special activities such as dinning in the cave, fishing with locals, collecting  rubbish and wastes on the bay

Duration of your stay : Depending on your schedule, you will decide how long to stay. If you take a day tour. You will spend  4  hours cruising on Halong Bay, joining these activities such as : kayaking or visiting a fishing village on a sampan rowed by locals and visiting Thien Cung (Hevenly Palace cave) . It’s good for visitors who only have a short time. Most of the cruises offer the same itinerary, just choose a good tour company one as Go Asia Travel, Minh Sinh travel, Khanh sinh Tour…) , 2 days with 1 night overnight on a sleeping boat , 3 days 2 nights with 2 nights sleeping on boat.  On the 2^nd day, you will take a day boat and spend your day for kayaking in the area of Dark and Light cave, visiting  Soi Sim beach island. Some cruises offer a longer cruising to Ba Trai Dao beach and barbecue lunch on the beach but it depends on the tidal and weather condition. Some of them offer tours to Viet Hai village where you can hop on your bike around the village, take plenty of photos and chat with locals to know more about how their daily life is) and stay longer in Halong city or Cat Ba island in Halong Bay. In my opinion,  I prefer 2 days 1 night and 3 days 2 nights.

Type of cruise :

Private charter cruise :  If you join a private one, you can custom itinerary, do your own activities follow instruction of the crews. There is also a plenty of choices such as 1 cabin, 2 cabins to 6 cabins. If you want something private, it will be a good choice for you. You may pay a bit extra than joining a group tour, but you have your own boat. It’s good for couples, family, the old.

Joining group cruise tour :  You will join the tour with others. A small but good service can be a good choice for you.

Responsible travel :

What the cruise does to to respect and benefit local people and  minimize environmental impact.  Here is things to do for responsible travel in Halong Bay :

• Take a sampan to visiting the fishing village rowed by locals
• Collecting rubbish  and wastes in Halong .
• Offering life vests to the local fishermen
• Re-planting mangroves forests in HalongBay
• Repainting and building floating school for local children
• Taking a fishing trip with locals.

I hope my suggestion above helps you pick up a good cruise and have an enjoyable Halong Bay tour.

Note :

As a reader of this website, I would like to offer you 12% discount for all bookings of Halong Bay tour via this website with the code “10%OFFHALONG”. It helps you save a hundred of dollars. Book now, save time & money and have an amazing trip. This offer expires April 30^th, 2014.

Unique experience in Duong Lam ancient village in a day tour

After a fantastic Halong bay trip, we still had a free day in Hanoi and would love to take a day tour to atranquil settings place and experience authentic Vietnamese countryside. We came across a recommendation on Trip Advisor. They mentioned a place called Duong Lam ancient village and said “if you can get there, it will be great to explore a real Vietnam and those ancient houses over 400 years old made of laterite and mud, two materials that are abundant in the area”. It was 50 km or 1,5 hour drive from Hanoi. The village situated in a rural area on the west of Hanoi. We came down at the lobby and asked hotel’s receptionist of Duong Lam tour. It was so kind of her to give us information in details of the tour so that we decided to book a tour departing the next morning with them. We were advised not to wear short clothes as visiting temples and pagodas for respect, sun-glasses & hat, suncream, sun-block, good shoes and cash in local currency.

We were ready at the hotel lobby at 8.00 and met our tour guide called Binh. His warm smile gave us such a good impression. We got to drive along national highway number 32. We wondered why houses in Vietnam is thin and high. Our guide said because of high price for real estate so that people couldn’t afford to buy a big house. We stopped at lush green rice paddy fields for taking photos. We just wanted to say awesome! An endless space appeared in front of your eyes. We wished we could hug those all. Finally, we arrived at the village. We felt such a peaceful scenery of a Vietnamese countryside. We hanged out under shadow of 400 years old banyan tree which was one of symbol of a Vietnamese village along with communal well and communal house’ roof. Closed by us is Mong Phu village gate. Unlike other village gates in northern area of Vietnam with a pavilion on a boat shaped roof, the gate is just like a two roof slopes house on the way to the village. Duong Lam, an ancient Viet village still preserves tangible and intangible cultural values closely attached over centuries.

Our first stop is Mong Phu communal house which is an unique and traditional architecture with a sitting floor of the communal house, a bold type of Viet – Muong nationality architecture, was built in 1553. The communal house play an important spirit role for locals.

Before getting to Mr Huyen’ ancient house, our guide suggested us say hello to the host family to show respect. We were warmly welcomed by the host family. We were invited to drink a cup of green tea and had a discussion about their daily lives and business. The husband is a journalist, his wife is a teacher at a local school. The wife showed us some photos of her husband and children painted by herself on the wall. The house had over 300 years history and given from farther to son. This is the 14th generation of the family. The house consists of a main room at the center with a ancestor worship altar in the middle, on the left hand side, there was another altar to worship Buddha – one of the major religion of Viet people, on the right hand side, there was another one worshiping god of the house. The left wing was a studying room, the right wing was a kitchen and living room. The columns, beams, and roof frame are assembled scrupulously and together with the fine carvings and ornaments, they add to the grandeur of the house. The couple also make soya bean source stored in jars as well a tradition that has been in their family for generations at the yard. It is very interesting about how they makes their living by journalism, the soya beans, bicycle hire, and of course lunches for tourists.

Afer that, we hoped on our bike along tiny alleys, houses made of of laterite and mud which is unique to Duong Lam and headed Mia (Sugar Cane) pagoda. We parked our bike outside the pagoda. Right at the entrance gate, we were invited to buy some locals specialties such as Vietnamese sweet peanuts candy, “Che Lam” made of sticky rice flour, castor sugar, malt and ginger and soya bean sauce. The pagoda is built in 15 th century and admire 287 statues of all sizes, among with are famous sculpture such as the statue of Buddha in the Himalayas and the statues of the Eight Vajra Deities.
Highlights of the pagoda is Mia Tong Quan Âm Tu (0.76 m high), often called the Ba ocular. This subject described a woman modest, with grace, of boring but at very lenient. Road features engraved soft, machine sliding.

After half an hour in the pagoda, we went for a walk along a local market nearby. There was plenty of fruits, veggies, meats and household displayed. We took some photos of the market and stopped at a fruit stall to buy some oranges and mandarins. We headed back to house on our bike. After a short break, lunch was served with nice local foods such as  corn soup, deep fried spring roll – my favorite food, steam rice, deep fried fishes, banana flower salad, chả lá lốt ( pork tossed with wild betel leaf), honey-glazed grilled chicken, stir-fried morning glory and some fruit for desserts. Without no doubt the home cooked food we had beat all other Vietnamese food we had on our tour hands down. It was so delicious.

Duong Lam was also known as the homeland of two kings : Ngo Quyen and Phung Hung. After lunch, we biked to see those temples. On the way, we passed green paddy fields, fresh veggie field such as  corns, kohlrabi , broccoli and salad, duck farms and didn’t forget to take a plenty of photos. Our first stop is Phung Hung temple. Phung Hung who was famous for helping villages kill tiger and honored as royal highest. After a shore visit, we moved to Ngo Quyen Temple. Ngo Quyen who soundly defeated the Chinese at the famous Battle of Bạch Đằng River north of modern Haiphong and ended 1,000 years of Chinese domination dating back to 111 BC under the Han Dynasty. We didn’t foget to put some money on donation box to pray for a good luck.

On the way back, we stopped at a church inside Mong Phu hamlet, like many those seen in many regions of Vietnam. A man who live in the house next door opened the gate and welcomed at to the church. A Vietnamese parish priest designed and hired carpenters of other villages to build this church in 1953. Most of the Christians in the village contributed time and effort to build this church. During the French colonial period, there were about 100 households of believers. Today, many followers still go to the church every Wednesday to attend the service. The soaring bell tower serves as a landmark of the village. We said goodbye to him and didn’t forget to give you a tips for his friendliness and enthusiastic.

Back to the house, we bid farewell with our host family and was back to Hanoi around 4.00pm to finish an amazing day escape Hanoi to Vietnamese countryside. We HIGHLY recommend Duong Lam ancient village for everyone ever traveling to Vietnam. It should be written up on your travel lists with the other famous tourist attractions. It’s the unique place where you can come and recharge your soul. Once in a lifetime experience!

Something you may not know about Halong Bay

Halong is a proud of Quang Ninh province in particular and Vietnam in general. Halong is one of World New Seven Wonders as well as World Heritage Site.

Together with Nha Trang Bay, Halong is ranked as one of 29 most beautiful bays in the world.

A combination of environment, climate, geology and geomythology values over 500 milion years makes Halong Bay of a collection of biological green tropical rainforests ecosystem and marine and coastal ecosystem with a number of sub ecosystems.

According to statistics, Halong is limited with an area of 1553 square kilometers including approximately 2000 islands, a majority of limestone islands, meanwhile Halong core area is 335 square kilometers, a dense settlement of 775 islands. Moreover, it has endemic species of 14 flora and 60 fauna discovered among a thousand of  flora and fauna packed together on the bay.

With incomparable beauty, Halong Bay was listed as World Heritage Site in 1994.  by UNESCO with its aesthetic values and recognized once again with its global outstanding values of geology and geomythology in the year 2000.  Along with Nha Trang bay in Vietnam, Halong bay is recognized as one of 29 most world beautiful bays.

Halong Bay has a thousand of islands with countless shapes.

Visitors is attracted by mysterious beauty of caves and grottos in Halong Bay.

Rocky monkeys are precious fauna species available on rocky mountains in Halong Bay.

Taking an overnight sleeping cruise and enjoy authentic experience of being a fisherman.

 

Joining in responsible travel activities such as : collecting rubbish, teaching English for children in the floating schools, staying on a green bamboo boats without engines rowed by local fishermen….

Stunning natural beauty of caves and grottoes in Halong Bay.

Halong  Bay is chosen to organize big social-cultural events of Vietnam and the World.

A slower, more peaceful and more enjoyable life in Vietnamese countryside

It’s unbelievable to enjoy true beauty of Vietnamese countryside with pathways, lush green bamboo, organic veggie and the children played hide and seek game on the tiny hamlets.

We left Hanoi and were excited to great authentic experience of a real Vietnam. After 45 minutes driving, we got to the place with tranquil settings and amazing view of lush green paddy fields and organic farms. Our first impression was very strange what we haven’t had it before. I were living in the city. Every morning as I wake up, I see a number of motorbikes, cars on the street. I was so surprised that how peaceful it was. The car stopped at a village gate. We went for a walk and passed by village pond, banyan tree, village pagoda… We were welcomed by a warm hospitality and a big smile on their face. We sat down, drunk a cup of tea and talk to our host family about how a day in their life was. They said that “Wet rice cultivation is a hard work. Sell face to the ground, see back to the sky. We are concerned about weather condition all the time. We all pray for good weather and a fruitful season”. We knew that despite the modern aspects of Vietnamese life in the cities, farming is still a main job bringing major income. Our guide explained Vietnamese tradition and culture to us. We felt a passion on him . We put on farming clothes, shoes and gloves and got ready to rice field.

We felt it wonderful to stand at endless paddy field. Our first practice is how to plough with cow. Our guide gave us some tips that to ask the cow to move , say “Đi”, to stop him, say “Họ”, to ask him turn, say “Vắt”. Our first hands-on experience was amazing but we had problem how to mange it properly. The farmer ,who instructed us, asked us to take our time and easy to manage it. My friend took a plenty of photos as well as recorded a video of me ploughing on the field. We were laughing each other. We took a rest a while and went to talk to a peasant who was working on the field nearby. He was taking care of his veggies. We said we would love to try our hand on farming with him. He gave us a warm smile and said yes. We did some farm works such as : watering plants, hoeing the soil and planting vegetables. We were so happy that the peasant said that we did a good job.

Continue our fantastic trip, we learnt how to use cast and round net to catch fish. Our guide made a joke that “no fishes, no lunch” . It might an encouragement to us. We definely caught some fishes. We carefully looked at our guide who showed us how to work with fishing tools and learnt its techniques. We thought it would be a bit difficult for us. We throwed cast net, hanged on and started loading the net. We were very excited to wait, unfornately, we caught nothing. We decided to try one more time. Wow! We caughted a couple of fishes, we were so so happy, shouted “Hey! Fish Fish” and hugged each other. We were kidding that we only had a little food for lunch.
We got a slow a pace of life and back to the house. Our host family were cooking meals for us. A good taste from the kitchen made us more hungrier. We joined our hand help our host family with cooking. This was the most memorable moment in a day is to enjoy our lunch. Let’s see what we had for lunch. They were all local food : deep fried spring roll – my favorite food, bun (rice noddles), deep fried fishes, banana flower salad, chả lá lốt ( pork tossed with wild betel leaf), honey-glazed grilled chicken. We sat on a round table with our host family, cheered up with a cup of rice wine and didn’t forget a big smile. You can’t imagine how happy we were.

After lunch, we started biking in the countryside, snapped the best photos ever and see how organic farm is with fresh veggies and fruits such as tomatoes, corns, kohlrabi , broccoli and salad. We stopped at a local market and learnt how to “bargain” and bought some fruits. We got back to the house and bid farewell to the host family. We arrived at the hotel at 4.00pm.

We thought we were so lucky to get this unforgettable experience. It was so fantastic that we could travel in our styles with a private tour. It was once in a life time experience. As for us, Vietnamese countryside is the place where you can come to recharge our soul.

P/s : If we had had enough time, we would have stayed at a Eco Homestay with friendly locals

Mai Chau Vietnam listed as one of 10 fresh destinations in the world

HA NOI (VNS)- Mai Chau, a small town in the northern mountainous province of Hoa Binh, was named one of the top ten "fresh" Asian destinations by hotel booking site Agoda.com.
The annual list was compiled by Agoda.com's editorial team, who studied booking patterns, read thousands of customer reviews and spoke with local experts.

These destinations all had high growth rates and attracted many foreign travellers as well as increasing amounts of vacationing locals.

Mai Chau was described as "a semi-isolated village in Viet Nam...surrounded by limestone cliffs and green rice paddies, populated largely by members of the ethnic White Thai tribe...Vibrant, verdant green rice paddies surround the town on all sides, and dramatic hills rise up on either side of the valley. The town itself isn't particularly stunning, but it's when one gets out into the countryside or head up into the hills that the

breathtaking views get better around every corner. There are also several interesting markets to check out, as well as some nearby caves."

This year's list also includes Tana Toraja in Indonesia, Nantou in Chinese Taiwan, Ella in Sri Lanka, Ipoh in Malaysia, Hakone in Japan, Damyang County in South Korea, Phonsavan in Laos, Kep in Cambodia and Khanom in Thailand. -- VNS

Mai Chau Vietnam became one of 10 best awesome cultural tours in the world

Mai Chau, located in northern Hoa Binh province, has been included in the US-based Business Insider’s top 10 incredible places for cultural tours.

The magazine described Mai Chau as a wonderful destination if visitors are interested in a deeper experience of Vietnam with a warm and welcoming population and unspoiled natural beauty.
Tourists can hike the mountains of Sa Pa in the north or sand-surf in the province’s central resort town of Mui Ne.
But Mai Chau in Hoa Binh province can be a good choice.
Just three hours outside of the capital Hanoi, Mai Chau is a mountainous region dotted with traditional stilt houses. Two ethnic minority groups—the White Thai and Black Thai—make up the majority of the population, Business Insider reported.
The magazine suggested the best way to immerse yourself in the region is through a homestay with local families. It said visitors can spend two days cycling across mountain trails and through rice fields, visit local villages, and watch a cultural performance by Thai villagers.
Other destinations recommended by Business Insider’s list include Santiago in Chile, Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, Marrakech in Morocco, Shanghai in China, Trani in Italy, Budapest in Hungary, Lisbon in Portugal, Bordeaux in France, and Old Delhi in India.

Rice field in Mai Chau valley Vietnam

Mai Chau is not only known as the place of beautiful nature, it is also famous for the beauty of rice field through the time.  

From top of mountain, you can see a green valley of Mai Chau where wet rice is growing

In order to have good rice harvest, land must be dig and crushed, mixed in the water with fertilizer

The young rice field after two months growing, it will be green beautiful, and Vietnamese often compare it with the girl in the age of 17.

The rice field will change from green to yellow. it is the sign of rice harvest is coming soon

Rice in the harvest time

Farmers harvest wet rice on the field