Halong Bay cruise with Cristina Diamond

Halong Bay is arguably the most photographed and popular place in Vietnam and a mandatory stop in any travel itinerary in the country. And it is no big surprise. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is a landscape of limestone karsts and isles (over 1,600 islets!) with different shapes formed after 500 million years of transformation. It was also voted one of the New Seven Wonders of Nature in 2007 with other winners such as the Amazon or Iguazu Falls.

This post is part of my 3-week Vietnam itinerary. Check it out in the link below!

→ Ultimate 3 weeks Vietnam Itinerary: North to South

The legend of Halong Bay: According to ancient mythology, the Vietnamese had to defend themselves from invaders from the North (aka China) by sea. The Gods then sent the Mother Dragon and her children to help the Vietnamese in their fight. They spat emerald and jade jewels that formed islets in the bay as defensive walls against the invaders.

Ha Long literally means “descending dragon”, in honor of the place where the mother dragon descended, and Bai Tu Long is the place where the baby dragons descended.

How to choose your cruise in Halong Bay

Since it is a bay, the only way to see it properly is from a boat. There are almost unlimited options and a huge range of boats, so trying to decide can feel a bit overwhelming. For a guide on how to choose your tour, have a look at this post.

Our experience in Halong Bay with Cristina Diamond Cruise

We chose Cristina Diamond Cruise (CLOSED) for several reasons:

• It has a reasonable price compared to other companies, even though it is still much more expensive than anything else we did in the country.
• The boat is relatively small (avoiding crowds) and it has a personality in its decorations.
• The route included Bai Tu Long Bay, which is much less visited than the main Halong Bay, so we saw very few other boats.
• The schedule and activities seemed interesting.

The boat

The boat was really nice, not the newest but well preserved. The rooms were big enough and nicely decorated with an Asian touch (rather than a boutique hotel look), and the bathroom was good too.

We had a little private terrace so we could enjoy the views privately.

The dining room was also quite nice, all in the same style as the rest of the boat, and there was plenty of space because of the small capacity of the boat. The best feature, however, was the wonderful deck where we spent most of the time while we were on the boat.

Day 1. Floating village, kayak and sunset party

We started the day by embarking the cruise and we were offered a buffet-style lunch. We were only around 15 people so it was quite nice and intimate. The food was ok, nothing extraordinary but nice. It was all the better because we could already see the beautiful landscape of Halong Bay around us.

Our first stop was the floating village of Vung Vieng. This floating village was originally created as a mooring place and trade stop for fishermen and at some point consisted of up to 50 families. Today, some people still live there, and it remains as a museum of sorts of the local life of the bay. They live mostly from tourism, so expect a visit to the Pearl farm, but it is still quite interesting.

In Vung Vieng we got the opportunity to visit the surrounding area with either a kayak (self-sailed) or a bamboo boat with a conductor. We chose kayaking as we had more independence and it was a lot of fun and the scenery breathtaking.

In the evening, we had time for a shower before the sunset party on the deck, with a complimentary drink and one of the most beautiful sunsets I have seen in my life. In this moment we were really happy to have chosen this route because we could only see two more boats around.

After the sunset, we were greeted with a more elegant dinner that was served on the tables. This meal was much better than the buffet lunch. After dinner, we had the opportunity to fish for squids and fish from the boat or just chill with a drink and enjoy the beautiful and quiet landscape.

Day 2. Sunrise Tai Chi, Thien Canh Son Caves and cooking class

We woke up really early (at 4.30 am, yikes!) to watch the sunrise. Luckily the cruise provided some complimentary coffee, which was highly appreciated. We watched the wonderful sunrise and continued to enjoy the early hours of the morning in a relaxing Tai Chi class.

We were offered some nice breakfast and we went on to visit the Thien Canh Son Caves. The caves were beautiful but not particularly impressive if you have seen limestone caves before. The worst part was that many boats stopped there at the same time, so it was a bit crowded (although I have heard that other caves in the main area of Halong Bay are much worse). There was a nice elevated view of Bai Tu Long bay as well as a cute beach that was much less crowded.

Our last activity was a cooking class led by the guide of the cruise. I have to say that more than a cooking class it was only a class for rolling Vietnamese spring rolls, but it was fun and we got to eat them afterwards. The lunch was also consisting of bun cha, one of my favourite Vietnamese dishes, so I was very happy!

Our review

Overall we were very happy that we chose Cristina Diamond Cruise (CLOSED) for our visit to Halong Bay. As I mentioned, the relation of quality and price when compared to other cruises was pretty good, the route of the boat was a bit less overcrowded and our experience of the bay was beautiful. Some other extra points were that the rooms were clean and beautiful, all with a private terrace and that the staff was generally friendly (especially Chut, a new bartender/manager/everything that was particularly fun). It was also nice that everything (except for drinks) was included in the price, including taxes, meals, activities, etc. you can organise your transportation from Hanoi with them, but this will be paid on top of the price.

Some aspects that could be improved are: 1) the food, that was nice but irregular, and you can find better food in most street food stalls for a little fraction of the price; 2) we had a misunderstanding while paying for the drinks at the end of the cruise, in which they overcharged us for all of our drinks, and 3) the terrace could be improved to make it more entertaining, with a bar, some music, etc.

Closing statement

Halong Bay is one of the most beautiful places in Vietnam but depending on the cruise you choose, your experience can be quite different. I personally recommend Cristina Diamond Cruise (CLOSED) if you want to avoid the crowds while still having a memorable experience of Halong Bay. It may not be a good fit for you if you’re looking for a complete disconnection or extreme luxury. You can also have a look at this post, where I explain how to choose your cruise for Halong Bay, or just look through Booking.com:

Booking.com

If you want to know more about Vietnam, check some of my other posts about my trip or check out my Vietnam itinerary:

15 best things to do in Hanoi, Vietnam

Trekking in Sapa with Sapa Sisters

Perfect 3 days Ninh Binh itinerary

What to do in Hoi An: the ancient gem of Vietnam

What to do in Ho Chi Minh City: a quick guide to Saigon

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