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Hanoi (Vietnam) . 2013 . Aug 7 - 13

The Halong Bay in Hanoi, Vietnam has been one of the places that we have in our travel bucket list. The opportunity to visit Halong Bay came when we chanced upon a relative cheap deal by Vietnam Airlines for the Singapore National Day period. We were pleasantly surprised by the price we paid - SGD$240 for a return trip on the full service carrier (including 20kg luggage, meal and taxes) which was comparable to what one would have paid for a budget carrier!

Here's our itinerary with some photos and links to our reviews for our trip. The links will become clickable as we post them. Do bookmark this page as we update the reviews! :)

Day 1 Singapore -> Hanoi

1000    Check in Flight
1030    Brunch @ Terminal 3
1305    Board Flight Vietnam Airlines 662 to Hanoi
1400    Lunch on Board
1530    Arrive at Hanoi Noi Bai International Airport
1600    Clear Customs
1630    Airport Pick Up to Hotel
1730    Check-in Splendid Star Suite Hotel
1800    Walk around Hang Gai & Old Quarters
2000    Dinner @ City View Cafe
2100    Back to Hotel

Day 2 Halong Bay 3D2N Cruise

0630   Rise and shine
0700   Breakfast @ Hotel
0800   Pick up @ Hotel
1200   Embark on V’Spirit Classic Cruise
1300   Lunch on Board
1500    Explore Sung Sot Cave
1700    Cruising to Soi Sim Island
1800    Back to Ship
1900   Dinner on Board
2200   ZzZzZ

Day 3 Halong Bay 3D2N Cruise

0600   Rise and shine
0630   Taichi Exercise
0700   Breakfast on Board
0830   Transfer to a Day Boat for a cruise to Lan Ha Bay
0900   Explore the Light and Dark Cave by kayak
1200   Return to Day Boat
1230   Barbecue Lunch on board
1400   Visit Floating Pearl Farm
1500 Cruise back to Main Boat
1900   Dinner on Board
2200   ZzZzZ

Day 4 Halong Bay 3D2N Cruise

0600   Rise and shine
0630   Taichi Exercise
0730   Breakfast on Board
1530   Kayak around the Bo Nau Cave area
0930   Return back to Boat to freshen up
1000   Cruise past Ba Hang fishing village, Dog Islet, and more.
1030   Watch Vietmamese Cooking Demonstration
1130   Traditional Vietnamese Lunch
1230   Disembark from Boat
1300   Transfer back to Hanoi Hotel
1730   End of Halong Bay Trip
1900   Dinner @ Joma Bakery Cafe
2200   ZzZzZ

Day 5 Temple of Literature, Relaxing Massage & Dinner with a View

0800   Rise and shine
0830   Breakfast @ Hotel
1000    Visit Temple of Literature
1200   Lunch @ Joma Bakery Cafe
1400    Head, Shoulder and Back Massage @ Daisy
1800    Dinner @ The Gourmet Corner Restaurant (Elegance Diamond Hotel)
2200   ZzZzZ

Day 6 Relaxing Spa + Water Puppet Show

0800   Rise and shine
0830   Breakfast @ Hotel
1000    Appointment @ SF Spa
1400    Lunch @ KFC
1530    Watch Water Puppet Show
1900   Dinner @ Joma Bakery Cafe
2100   Back to Hotel

Day 7 Hanoi-> Singapore

0600   Rise and shine
0630   Breakfast @ Hotel
0700   Check out Hotel
0730   Transfer to Hanoi Noi Bai International Airport
0830   Check in Flight
1030   Board Flight VN 661 to Singapore
1230   Lunch on Board
1450   Reach Singapore

The links will become clickable as we post them. Do bookmark this page as we update the reviews! :)

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Hanoi . 2013 . Aug 8 - 10

This post is part of our Hanoi 7 days 6 nights Trip Itinerary and Report. Do check out the full itinerary and our reviews here.

Halong Bay, one of the most popular destinations in Hanoi, Vietnam, features thousands of beautiful limestone karsts and islands carved by nature into various shapes and sizes. The best way to visit this UNESCO World Heritage site is via a cruise on a junk boat. For this purpose, we decided on a V’Spirit 3D2N cruise. You might want to read our review of the cruise in our earlier post.

Here’s some of the programme and sites we visited while on the cruise.

Sung Sot Cave

See the big crevice in the rock wall? That’s the entrance to Sung Sot Cave (translated as ‘Surprise Grotto’). The Sung Sot cave is deemed by some locals as the best cave in Halong Bay and is where most overnight cruises to Halong Bay will stop by.

Our fellow passengers from V’Spirit making their way to Sung Sot Cave.

Fantastic View from Sung Sot Cave.

Sung Sot Cave is located almost mid-height of a large rock formation. To gain entrance to the cave, we had to exert some energy to climb some steep flight of stairs. Because of the humid conditions in the cave and its surroundings, the paths leading to Sung Sot Cave tend to be wet and slippery.

After spending great efforts to climb up the steep elevation, we find ourselves in one of the best position for a bird’s eye view of Halong Bay.

Sung Sot Cave reminds us a lot of the Jenolan Caves in the Blue Mountains Sydney.

However, in terms of the overall grandness, surprise factor, size of chamber and extensiveness of stalagmites and stalactites, the Jenolan Caves definitely wins hands down.

Sung Sot Cave is actually made up of two chambers – the outer chamber also known as the Waiting Room is about 30m high and certainly impressive.

The inner chamber, known as the Serene Castle has formations that resemble sentries guarding the chamber, animals, and deities (if you apply some of your imagination to see it).

Keep a lookout for this monkey at the exit of the cave. It looks like he is a regular there.

Soi Sim Island

We came here twice during the cruise and both times, this place was crowded with tourists. Instead of fighting with the crowd for swimming space, make a climb to the top of the hills instead for great views of Halong Bay.

Cruise to Lan Ha Bay

The main difference between the one night cruise and the two night cruise on V’Spirit is Lan Ha Bay. Located further from Halong Bay, the waters are less frequented by junk ships, and as a result, waters here are much clearer and free from litter.

Kayaking at Light and Dark Cave at Lan Ha Bay

This was the best part of our Halong Bay cruise with V’Spirit. Kayaking is actually one of the best ways to get closer to great scenery. Because the craft is small enough to slip through narrow grottos, we got to explore hidden and peaceful bays with absolutely stunning scenery and it sometimes feels like having a private place to ourselves.

The waters at these bays are turquoise clear, in contrast to the polluted waters at the busy waterways of Halong Bay (Take note that no lessons at kayaking are given, not even basic instructions, so we really had to learn on the job!).

Halong Pearl Farm and Museum

Almost every tourist on a 2 night extended cruise at Halong Bay will be brought to the pearl farm and museum. It really is an eye-opener to see how oysters are cultured for their pearls, but please do not purchase anything here. It is a tourist trap and prices for those cultured pearls are exorbitantly high.

Kayak at Bo Nau Cave area

This time round, we opted to be rowed around the Bo Nau Cave area rather than operating our own kayak. It really was a good decision because being rowed about is so much more relaxing that having to do it ourselves. The waters around Bo Nau Cave were exceedingly peaceful and beautiful.

Tai Chi Session

For those of us who are interested to exercise while on a cruise, you might want to participate in an early morning Tai Chi Session led by one of the crew member.

That's all for our review of the various programme and sights that we visited on board the cruise. We leave you with some of the best photos that we have taken on board! :)

Stunning views of Halong Bays at various cruising points.

Tips for visiting Halong Bay

Make Halong Bay the first destination when you arrive in Hanoi. Cruises along Halong Bay are dependent on the weather and there are many cases where the scheduled cruise had to be cancelled due to inclement weather. When that happens, you’ll have the flexibility and the time to rearrange the later part of your itinerary to accommodate a later cruise.
Bring lots of sunscreen, sunglasses and a poncho. The weather can change from sunny to rainy at short notice.
Bring your swim wear in case there is a chance for diving or kayaking activities.
If your room has a window or balcony, make sure that the curtains are drawn for privacy. The street vendors on water have a most sneaky way of appearing at your window to hawk beverages, titbits and souvenirs.

Have you been to Halong Bay before? Do share with us your experiences too! :)

This post is part of our Hanoi 7 days 6 nights Trip Itinerary and Report. Do check out the full itinerary and our reviews here.

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Hanoi 7 Days 6 Nights Trip Report and Itinerary (Completed)