10 Jan 2026: Hanoi- Ha Long Bay

Standard hotel buffet breakfast. Banana, bacon, crepe, yogurt, spring roll, sausage, grilled pork, croissant, and Shanghai bok choy. The dining hall had a nice view of the Ha Noi skyline and some citrus plants on their balconies.

The bus picked me up at the hotel. It was a few hours to Ha Long Bay. Here are some photos I took on the way to our cruise. We waited on the dock for our ship to board. There were quite a few ships ready for their passengers.

After we boarded I went to my cabin. I wasn’t expecting much but got a pleasant surprise. My room was one of 2 suites on the cruise. And the other suite was vacant. The suites have access to a joint front balcony deck. Since I was the only one in both suites, I had it all to myself. There were 4 loungers and plants to enjoy the stunning views.

We cruised out of the port and headed to the bay. Lunch was right away. The cruise director told us the plan for the over night cruise. I finished lunch and headed back to my room to enjoy the warm sunny weather and the views of the mountainous Island passing by.

Early afternoon we were off to experience a bamboo boat. We went into a cave that opened up into a hidden pool. We saw some monkeys and some birds flying above as the tourists in the bamboo boats and kayaks enjoyed the views.

After this nice excursion, we headed back to the boat.

Our itinerary.

Here is a picture of our itinerary. It may not seem full, but there was always something to do, and more than what was listed. They switched the cave visit and mountain climbing so we climbed on the second day. I passed on the sunset party but had dinner and stayed for some entertainment. Entertainment was the crew and guests singing karaoke. There was a corporate group of 20 Indian men and they had some liquid courage and helped fill some time.

Back on the boat I took some photos of the setting sun and other boats. We then had dinner. Dinner was nice as it was the only set meal on the cruise. The buffets are nice but I like a set meal once and a while.

The final event for the day was to get up at 2AM to watch some squid fishing. I valued my sleep too much to participate so I stayed in bed.