In the far north of Vietnam, Lan Ha Bay seems like a lost world – home to floating villages, sea eagles soaring over the waves and hundreds of limestone karsts rising from the water.
Leaning over the rails of the Dora Cruise boat, I find myself imbibing the scene in front of me. Row upon row glittering through the mist, gigantic mythical creatures ripped straight from the pages of a fairy tale. Slowly it becomes clear, these are the towering karsts of Lan Ha Bay coming into view, Mother Nature adding brushstrokes to her canvas. Plants stream down from the rock face, green mixed with the gray and silver of the limestone below, while butterflies flutter lazily between tiny white flowers just visible through the foliage. Passengers and crew are dumbfounded, but as my gaze sweeps across the rest of the bay, something else strikes me: Not another ship in sight.
Compared to the thriving tourist trade in neighboring Ha Long Bay, where dozens of ships ply the water daily and where travelers are surrounded by so many boats that the megaliths somehow lose their magic, Lan Ha Bay is the quieter alternative of the area. Very few cruise lines are allowed to sail here, so for most of the trip I share the water with a handful of fishing boats, small in size as they pass by the stone giants.
“Families live aboard for weeks,” reveals the ship’s guide, Dien, waving at a rickety boat bobbing by, with crab baskets hanging precariously from the back. “They will not return to their village until all their nets are full.” A family of three returns his greeting, a little girl no older than six grinning up at us, her eyes twinkling mischievously.
Unlike Ha Long Bay, much of which is protected as a UNESCO designated area and where fishing is strictly prohibited, Lan Ha Bay is home to hundreds of people, most of whom live in floating villages and rely on the sea for to survive. “The goddess of the ocean is the most important deity for this community,” Dien tells me. “They depend on her for safe passage, for a good catch and to protect their families. Every boat you see has a small shrine inside, dedicated exclusively to her.
The fishing boat in front of us – painted in red, blue and green, with the Vietnamese flag waving in the wind – slowly disappears behind another limestone mountain. Life must be hard aboard the little vessel, I think, perpetually at the mercy of the elements, waiting for the sea goddess to bestow a catch so bountiful that one may at last return home.
Each island in the biodiverse bay is covered in dense forest, ripe for exploration.
Lan Ha Bay (Image: Getty Images)
Paddling among giants
The fishing family comes back to mind as we gather for a lunch of fluffy rice, papaya salad and grouper so fresh it must have been caught that morning. Each course is served by waiters in tuxedos who are all so polite I almost find myself bowing back to them. After eating way more than is comfortable, Dien drags me down to the lower deck to take kayaks out into the bay.
On the water the perspective changes and soon I am among the karsts themselves, so close that I can slide my fingers over the rock. There are a thousand colors in the stone, including yellow and green and white and silver. When the sun emerges from behind a cloud, they shine the color of molten steel.
“You don’t believe nature can make this, do you?” says Dien, who seems equally captivated despite having sailed here countless times. “It’s like grown-ups playing games.” Indeed, deep, vertical grooves in the rock face look like giants have dug their fingers into fresh clay. “There are 366 islands in this area — imagine them erupting from the ground about 20 million years ago.”
We paddle under stone arches and past empty coves, pausing to watch a woman collect clams with a bucket and chisel before hoisting our kayaks onto a deserted beach. “Do you see the man in the top hat?” asks Dien, pointing to a karst to our left, “and what about that one, what shape is that?” I look at the perfectly phallic rock and stand awkwardly, wondering if that’s what he really means. “A thumb of course!”
Back on board and wrapped in a fluffy robe I go to my room. The Dora boat is one of the newest ships in the bay and everything sparkles. The super-king size bed is a paradise of plump pillows and silky soft sheets, while my private deck extends to the bow of the boat, complete with sun loungers and a sun lounger big enough for four. The bathroom is even better – it’s huge with floor to ceiling windows.
Outside, the sun sets, the sky turns old pink and casts long shadows over the water. An eagle swoops past my window, scrambling the waves for eels, and another lone fishing boat slowly laps by. As usual, the bay is almost empty of ships, and in the smooth light the stone mountains radiate a soft, golden glow – as magical as ever.
Watch fishermen navigate their daily haul from the deck of a Lan Ha cruise.
Photo by Glyn Thomas Photography / Alamy Stock Photo
Accessibility
Vietnam Airlines offers direct flights from Heathrow to Hanoi three times a week and indirect flights daily, with an average flight time of 12 hours. From Hanoi there is a regular bus service to Ha Long Bay; from there it is a short ferry ride to Lan Ha Bay.
When to go
Hanoi and Lan Ha Bay are generally dry and cool (around 20C) from November to April, but in summer temperatures can reach over 30C, often with heavy rainfall.
How you do that
InsideAsia Tours offers a 13-night Vietnam’s Greatest Hits tour from £1,889 per person, which includes accommodation, breakfast, a stay in Hanoi, a cruise in Lan Ha Bay, transport around Vietnam and a range of cultural experiences. International flights excluded.
Three more: alternative boat tours in Vietnam
Mekong river
Indochine cruise ship on the Mekong River. Credit: Saigontourist
The Mekong meanders for more than 3,500 miles through some of Asia’s most spectacular scenery before reaching the South China Sea at the southernmost tip of Vietnam. As you cruise the lower stretch, you’ll see paddy fields and remote villages, where floating markets are part of everyday life. Heritage Line offers a seven-night cruise from Vietnam to Siem Reap in Cambodia.
Con Dao Islands
This archipelago of 16 islands, scattered across the South China Sea, is home to palm-fringed beaches, clear waters, and pristine coral reefs. Asia Tours offers three-day tours, or, for a two-week odyssey, Ponant leaves Ho Chi Minh City to cruise the islands of Southeast Asia, stopping at Con Dao before continuing on to Singapore and Indonesia.
Ninh Binh
Howard and his expedition team discovered 12 new caves in Bo Trach, Quang Ninh and Minh Hoa districts within 20 days, including Nuoc Ngam Cave, Nuoc Lan 3 Cave, Phu Nhieu 4 Cave, Doc Co Cave , etc. (Photo courtesy of Howard Limbert)
Often called Ha Long Bay on land, Ninh Binh is dominated by limestone mountains. Canals meander in between, flanked by paddy fields and frequented by birds. Hop in a wooden rowing boat and keep an eye out for storks making their way through the shallows and goats wandering along the banks. Indochina Junk offers a three-day cruise starting in Bai Tu Long Bay and continuing to Ninh Binh.
BY MEANS OF CHARLOTTE WIGRAM EVANS
Published in the Cruise 2023 guide, distributed with the January/February 2023 issue of National Geographic traveler (UK)