Lan Ha Bay
Day 3 · 24 November 2024
Our three-day Lan Ha Bay cruise began with an early hotel pickup in Hanoi and a transfer to Tuan Chau Marina, before we boarded our ship and sailed into a landscape of towering limestone islands, hidden coves and calm green water, with our first afternoon spent exploring around Ba Trai Dao, the Three Peach Beaches.
Although we could almost certainly have spent far less on a three-day cruise, an all-inclusive tour with transfers arranged for us seemed like the perfect solution.
We were picked up at around 8.00am and driven to Tuan Chau Marina. The journey included the almost obligatory stop at a cultured pearl centre, which was actually quite interesting and, thankfully, came with no pressure to buy anything.
One thing that wasn't immediately obvious was that the cruise ship itself doesn't return to the marina. Instead, after arriving at Tuan Chau, we were transferred onto a motor launch and taken out through the bay to meet the cruise ship.
Photo Diary
First Impressions
At around 12.30 we finally boarded the Heritage Cruises Binh Chuan, where we were welcomed with a drink before the usual safety briefing and a chance to settle into our cabin.
It did not take long before we were properly out into Lan Ha Bay, surrounded by the steep limestone islands that make this part of northern Vietnam so distinctive. This route is quieter than the main Halong Bay cruising areas, and for much of the afternoon the scenery felt surprisingly remote despite the number of boats operating in the wider bay.
Lunch was served on board at L’Indochine Restaurant before we continued deeper into the bay towards Ba Trai Dao, the Three Peach Beaches. Depending on the weather and time of year, cruises sometimes use Tra Bau instead, but in either case this part of Lan Ha Bay is a wonderful maze of islands, small coves and sheltered water.
Three Peach Beaches
By mid-afternoon the cruise ship stopped a little way offshore and we transferred onto a launch for the short journey to the beach. From there we had time to swim and explore the area, but the highlight was the kayaking. It was great fun and probably one of the best ways to appreciate the scale of the limestone cliffs. Once you were away from the main ship and down at water level, the cliffs seemed to rise almost vertically around you, while the smaller coves and sheltered stretches of water felt far more intimate than they did from the deck of the cruise ship.
First Evening on Board
We were back on board by late afternoon, with plenty of time to relax before dinner. There was afternoon tea, followed by a Vietnamese cooking demonstration led by the chef, which was a fun way to fill the time as the light began to soften over the bay.
Happy hour ran from 5.00 to 7.00pm, which was perfectly timed for sunset. Sitting out on deck with a drink while the limestone islands slowly dropped into silhouette was one of the highlights of the day.
Dinner was served at Le Tonkin Restaurant at around 7.15pm, with a menu based around local Vietnamese food. By then the bay was almost completely dark apart from the lights of the other cruise boats gathered around us, making for a very atmospheric end to the day.
What surprised me most was just how quiet Lan Ha Bay was. Earlier in the day we had seen how many cruise boats operate in this part of northern Vietnam, so I had expected the bay to feel much busier. Instead, once we were out among the islands, it felt remarkably peaceful.
That was one of the main reasons we had chosen Lan Ha Bay rather than the much more famous Halong Bay. We had hoped for the same dramatic limestone scenery but with fewer boats and a slightly quieter atmosphere, and by that first evening it felt as though we had made the right choice.