FLIGHT OF THE PHOENIX: The Gulf of Tonkin: A Tale of Three Bays and Typhoon Troubles

Sunset at Ha Long Bay

The Halong Bay UNESCO World Heritage site is a majestic expanse, actually comprising three distinct yet equally captivating bays: Halong Bay, Lan Ha Bay, and Bai Tu Long Bay. Historically, Halong Bay has reigned supreme as the most visited, largely due to its convenient proximity to Halong City's coastline, making it the easiest point of access. Visitors flock here for the dramatic, towering limestone karsts, which are so densely packed they create the mesmerising sensation of sailing through a forest of stone. Just slightly south lies Lan Ha Bay, offering a similar allure with a touch more tranquility, while Bai Tu Long Bay requires journeying further east for an even more secluded experience.

My last visit to this iconic region was a full 28 years ago! To be honest, I was a little underwhelmed back then. Of course, what my own eyes beheld didn't quite match the perfectly curated vistas splashed across social media. However, I was eager to give it another chance, particularly as I wanted to personally experience Peony Cruises, an operator I'd recommended to a couple of clients.

Our eagerly anticipated day in Ha Long Bay & Lan Ha Bay was, unfortunately, complicated by an unexpected guest: a typhoon warning. After several fatalities during a typhoon in Halong Bay last year, and the subsequent loss of position for an official, it seems the current replacement was exercising an abundance of caution – perhaps a touch too much for our itinerary's liking.

At a rather abrupt 8:00 AM, we received the news: the cruise was cancelled due to the impending typhoon. The local team scrambled with incredible speed. Amazingly, by 8:30am, they'd managed to pivot our entire itinerary, redirecting us to Ninh Binh instead. Our bus set off, only for us to be told at 10:00am that, lo and behold, the cruise was now able to depart after all! A swift U-turn ensued, and somehow, through sheer determination (and perhaps a bit of Vietnamese magic), we managed to arrive at the port just in time for a 12:30 PM departure.

The reception are at the port. With the doors continually opening, the a/c was virtually useless

Thank goodness for welcome drinks

The tender boats outside waiting to transport us to the main boat

There are itineraries of 2 different lengths

Let's hope it tastes as good as it looks!

This is where things, shall we say, began to unravel a bit. We then endured an additional hour-plus wait for other passengers to arrive. By the time we finally boarded the tender to transfer to our main boat, it was well past 1:45pm. This meant lunch on the boat was a very late affair, finally served at 2:30pm. My stomach was not happy...

Activities slated for the day included cruising through Lan Ha Bay, kayaking, and swimming. However, just as we were settling in, every single one was cancelled when the typhoon warning was re-instated! We made another U-turn, this time in a boat, heading back towards Halong Bay where we anchored for the night. With most activities off the table, there wasn't much left to do other than enjoy cocktails during happy hour and watch the sun set. Unfortunately, even the views were somewhat mediocre; the scenery looked flat and the colours muted due to the overcast skies and murky brown water. Everything seemed to blend into shades of grey and brown. On the upside, dinner onboard was absolutely delicious, a definite highlight!

We did have the option to try squid fishing in the evening. Sadly, it wasn't squid season, and to be honest, the water didn't look particularly inviting, with what appeared to be fuel blobs floating across the surface. So, an early night it was!

As an addendum - wifi was advertised as available and free. However, it was patchy at best and only really available at the reception area.