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Ha Long Bay Junk Boat Tours

There is nothing more typically Vietnamese than setting sail in Ha Long Bay on a traditional junk boat. From Hanoi you travel west to the stunning emerald waters of Ha Long Bay, a World Heritage Site of outstanding beauty. On your boat cruise you will explore the colourful rock formation of Sung Sot Cave and climb 420 steps to the top of Titov Island for breath-taking panoramic views of the bay. Then spend a wonderful night on board for the real sailing experience.

A Typical Junk Boat Cruise

There is nothing more typically Vietnamese than setting sail in Ha Long Bay on a traditional junk boat. From Hanoi you travel west to the stunning emerald waters of Ha Long Bay; a world Heritage site of outstanding beauty.

Your journey start in Hanoi, where you then travel 3 hours to Ha Long Pier. On arrival you board your junk boat and start your watery adventure by enjoying a welcome drink before setting sail. Once your boat trip is underway you are free to relax how you wish such as taking time to enjoy the magnificent scenery from the top deck before being served lunch which consists of a Vietnamese and International menu.

After lunch you will get to stop at an island so you can swim and relax on the beach as well as climb the many mountain steps to see the unique landscape of Halong Bay. After returning to the boat you then head to the fascinating floating villages where you can take out one of the ships kayaks to explore the area under your own steam. Once back on board you are free to enjoy a cocktail or two on the top deck and watch the sun go down on the magical bay. After dinner you can do as you wish or alternatively do a bit of night fishing for squid before settling in for the night in your private cabin.

For the early risers amongst you can join in with a Tai Chi lesson on the top deck before breakfast. Today you will get to discover more of the bay as well as exploring the incredible colourful rock formations of Sung Sot Cave, as well as climbing the 420 steps to the top of Titov Island for breath taking panoramic views of the bay. Returning back to your Junk boat you will enjoy brunch as you sail back to Ha Long bay harbour and your onward journey.
*You can extent your cruise to an extra night on board or upgrade to a private junk boat.

Tam Coc boat ride

Tam Coc is simply stunning and justly lives up to the statement of being ‘Ha Long bay in land’ as the area is simply incredible. The area is only a day trip away from Hanoi or if you want to explore more of the area then an overnight stay in Ninh Binh is highly recommended to explore more of this fascinating area on foot of by bike.

The best part about visiting this area is taking a boat trip down the Ngo Dong river to explore parts of the Trang An cave complex which you can row your boat under and through the incredible limestone grottoes (caves). The area now is rightly a UNESCO site in its own right just like Ha Long bay is, and when you visit you will easily see why.

The area became more popular after the 1993 film ‘Indochine’ starring Catherine Deneuve which won the oscar for best foreign language film.

Watch the film trailer here: Indochine Trailer 1993

Rowing a Sampan boat with your feet

On your boat trip in Tam Coc your boat or traditional Vietnamese Sampan will be skilfully rowed by just feet, which is a special technique that eases the pressure of daily rowing on the backs and arms of the manly woman guides of the area. It also allows them to face in the same direction as the boat is heading unlike if you row with your hands where you never see were you are going.

*Rowing with your legs is also a technique used in Inle lake (Myanmar) but the manly men rowers stand up to row and wrap their legs around the ore which is a completely different technique all together.

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