Welcome back!
I last left you in the rain, hopping on a bus in Ha Noi, heading to Ha Long Bay for a cruise. If you are just now joining this adventure, please first read the previous posts:
First: 2022 Summer Vacation: Rollercoaster
Second: 2022 Summer Vacation: DaNang, Hoi An, Ha Noi
The bus ride to Ha Long Bay was 2.5 hours long. We stopped, briefly, at a rest stop along the highway. This was built similar to those in Korea. They are big, offer multiple fast-service meals, as well as clean bathrooms. We arrived at the port in Ha Long Bay around noon.
Ha Long Bay
Ha Long Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is made up of more than 1,500 small islands and islets. Limestone formations jutting out of the sea, create a breathtaking view from any direction.
Full honesty:
Due to the site’s popularity, it is saturated with cruise ships, and tourists. Pollution is very evident as you look at the waters. I know efforts are being made to tackle the pollution and litter, however, the tourism industry surrounding this beautiful place needs a drastic makeover. I felt extremely guilty the entire time I was on the cruise and touring around the bay.
Cruise
We all jumped out, and were greeted by cruise employees carrying clipboards, confirming our names on their lists. *Shocker* my name was not on any list.
As one of the employees asked me for further details about booking my cruise, I started to realize, I never asked my travel agent/hotel concierge for the cruise company and ship name. The employee told me not to worry, and then walked away. Another employee said, “All boats are leaving now. But don’t worry.” and walked away.
Naturally, I started to worry. I reached out to the hotel concierge via Whatsapp, hoping she would respond. She didn’t. Luckily, I had a 2nd hotel employee’s contact on my Whatsapp. I sent them a message, and they responded that they would find out. Minutes flew by. I crossed the street to where more cruise employees were gathered. FYI, Ha Long Bay has numerous cruise companies. The same employee who first asked me for details showed up again. I showed him the message with the hotel concierges, and he took my phone and called them.
Thankfully, they were able to confirm my cruise company and ship. The employee made another call, and within 5 minutes a man in a suit showed up on a scooter. I was ushered over to said scooter, hopped on, and the suited man drove me to the cruise. Turns out, he was the cruise director!
I clambered onboard a small boat that took 18 fellow passengers and myself to our cruise ship, about 15 minutes away. While on the small boat, a young Vietnamese lady struck up a conversation with me, explaining that she and her 8 co-workers were having a team building excursion.
We finally exited the small boat and climbed onboard the cruise ship, where we received our room keys. I went to my room, to relax for a few minutes. The bedroom and bathroom were beautiful! There was a balcony for each room.
Lunch was being served, so I quickly returned to the dining room to enjoy the buffet. As I was the only solo traveler, I had the awkward experience of a tiny single table in the middle of the room. Although I never mind eating alone, I couldn’t help but feel very lonely while couples, best friends, and co-workers were all having conversations around me and taking pictures. There was a Spanish couple sitting nearby, taking pictures of each other posing. I offered, in Spanish, to take a few pictures of them together. They were happy to accept, and a little confused I spoke Spanish, and I snapped a few photos for them.
After lunch, we were to go on an excursion: boating around the “Dark and Light Cave”. I think this excursion could have been lovely if it weren’t for the 10 other cruise boats doing the same excursion at the same time. The deck we were all crammed on, in the middle of the water, had many weak and rotten boards. Some cruise directors were more forceful than others, ensuring their customers were first on the small fishing boats. Once finally on a fishing boat, with 7 others, and a local fisherman rowing, I tried to enjoy the experience.
The caves, which I’m sure are lovely, had too many simultaneous visitors, so we could not float into them. Additionally, I was noticing too much litter floating in the water. At one point, a door from a wooden cabinet floated by our boat. I know I made a sad face, and accidentally made eye contact with the rowing fisherman. One of the fellow riders on my boat was speaking with the fisherman. He kindly translated, and told us that the fishermen, after rowing tourists around all day, finish their evenings rowing around picking up the trash from the water. I made sure to smile, and thanked the fisherman for this kind work.
After much hustle and bustle, we returned to our cruise ship. We had a few hours before dinner. I took this time to walk around the ship. One of the passengers, an eight year old little girl, came up to me and started speaking perfect English. Turns out, she was accompanying her father on the co-workers’ team building excursion. Her mother worked for an international corporation, so she spoke English well, and made sure her daughter practiced every afternoon. She took it upon herself to show me around the boat, and even helped me make spring rolls in the evening cooking class.
While on the cave excursion that afternoon, I had also made friends with two ladies visiting from India. They were childhood best friends. At dinner, they invited me to join their table. We had a lovely time getting to know each other! I appreciated how they welcomed me, and told them as much.
I retired to my humungous bed around 9:30, after enjoying the night air and listening to the natural sounds surrounding us: cruise ship engines… karaoke parties… Bhangra music and dancing …
The next morning, as I was wide awake at 5, I climbed upstairs and watched the sun rise. It was finally peaceful, and quiet… this is how I had imagined the famous bay should feel. Around 5:45, I could hear the ship employees preparing breakfast and getting everything ready to start the day. I joined a Tai Chi class with 2 others, and then we all went downstairs for breakfast.
After a light breakfast, we were back on a small boat, heading to Cat Ba Island to explore Trung Trang Cave. We climbed up and down narrow paths within the cave, alongside other cruise groups. We returned to the ship, packed our bags, and enjoyed brunch before jumping back on the small boat to return to Ha Long Bay to end our cruise.
In one morning, I had been on 3 different boats, and en route a total of 2 hours before arriving back to Ha Long Bay’s port. My next journey, was to get back to Cat Ba Island, where I had booked an Airbnb in Viet Hai village. Once off the boat, I walked 15 minutes, to hop on an hour long ferry ride back to Cat Ba Island, returning to the same port we had visited that morning for the cave excursion.
Cat Ba Island
Once back on Cat Ba, I took a taxi another hour to the south side of the island. I met the Airbnb host, who also owns a small hotel. We had discussed my urgent need to do a load of laundry. Although I had tried to hand wash my clothes during the trip, I had underestimated how many outfits I would go through in a day (thanks humidity!) and how long I would need to let things dry properly. 2 nights in each location was not sufficient for drying clothes in extremely humid places. Her neighbor had a laundry service. I handed over all clothing I wasn’t currently wearing for washing. My host also let me use her motorbike (I also call this a scooter sometimes) for the approximate 2 hours the laundry service would take. She told me to return by 3:30, in order to get to my boat by 4:00.
I hopped on the scooter and roamed about for a while. I decided to stop on a quiet street, planning to walk around and grab a snack somewhere. I stopped the scooter, and tried to put the kickstand down, in order to safely dismount. Alas… the kickstand was stuck… and I comically fell, motorbike on top of me, on to the street. Thankfully, there were no cars or scooters riding by, or this could have ended differently. A man came running out of the nearby shop, asking if I was okay. I was, of course, laughing to hide my embarrassment. I only had a few scratches from the fall.
…After seeing there was nothing close by to really catch my attention, I decided to try my luck once more with the motorbike, and headed down the road. I found a park overlooking the water, and decided to attempt parking again. This time, I was more careful with my balance as I fought with the kickstand. I walked to a convenience store, bought an ice cream and water, and sat by the sea, until 3:15.
Unless I am in a car, driving, I tend to be very poor with directions. On foot, I am happy to walk around until I find my way “home”. However, a motorbike is a different story. I could not safely maneuver the bike while also holding on to my phone for navigation purposes. I attempted to, instead, map out my return to the host’s hotel, noting how many side streets I should be passing before making a right turn, and again for the following left turn. With my brain map ready, I confidently returned to the motorbike, turned the key and.. nothing. I tried again, reviewing all the instructions given to me at the beginning: Pull the break, turn the key, engine starts. I tried multiple times. I finally decided this might be related to the lack of gasoline in the tank, and as I saw no gas station within site, I reached out to the host asking for assistance. She sent her son to help me. He arrived 10 minutes later… took 1 look at the bike, turned the key and Voila! The engine started. I felt sheepish. Somehow, I had put the key into a locked position I had not been aware of. Perhaps motorbikes aren’t meant for me?!
He headed off on his motorbike as I carefully mounted mine. I reviewed my brain map once more, and started for the hotel. After making some wrong turns, I finally made it! I paid for my freshly cleaned laundry, threw it into my bag, and was escorted 5 minutes down the road to the small dock where a local ferry was waiting.
With the help of the friendly captain and a few local men who were also traveling, I was pulled up onto the ferry. It was a good 5 foot jump up. They pointed to benches inside the boat, where I sat for a while, watching the locals load eggs, motorbikes, and furniture onto the boat. Eventually, we set sail, and I enjoyed the views from atop the boat. It was an hour before we arrived at the dock of Viet Hai village.
The gentlemen, trying to be helpful, set a plastic chair down below me, to help me down. I felt I would fare better carefully jumping down without assistance…but try explaining that to people who don’t speak English…It was awkward… Their kind insistence, and my awkwardness ended in my right foot landing on the plastic chair, and practically doing a split as I half jumped, half stepped down.. Whew.. what a day.
Viet Hai Village
I paid the ferry captain the ₫50,000 (~$2), and was ushered to a nearby stretch golf cart. Another 20 minutes driving, and ₫50,000 more, I arrived at the far side of the village. Here, the Airbnb’s property manager (Mai) met me on her motorbike. This one, however, reminded me more of the bikes we used to ride alongside 4-wheelers when “muddin” with friends as kids. She set my backpack between her legs, I jumped on behind her, and we were off, turning behind the last visible house, driving through a muddy, narrow path for an additional 10 minutes. We finally turned a corner, and I saw the gate of the Airbnb’s property. Mai showed me my cabin, turned on the lights and the fans, and invited me (through a translation app) to join her family and friends for her birthday party that evening. I was happy to accept!
Once she left me, I was able to better take in my cabin’s offerings. The old fashioned, wooden doors and windows had no glass in them. The cabin was cozy, but rustic. There was even a mosquito net folded on the bed. I decided to tackle the assembling of the net first, as it was my first time ever! It was much easier than I’d imagined!
I then walked into the bathroom, which was new construction. The sing had a beautiful swan neck for the faucet. (I forgot to take a picture of this lovely detail). I took a shower, and pulled out fresh clean clothes to wear for the party. As I had 30 minutes or so to spare, I decided to walk around the property more.
There is a traditional main house, whereMai lives with her son. Within this structure is a kitchen, a large patio off the kitchen, and a bridge connecting this to the living quarters and large outdoor dining and party area. Behind the main house are the guesthouses. There were 2 small, single bedroom cabins, one of which I was staying in. There was a third house, slightly larger, perhaps with 2 bedrooms, to the right of mine. And then, to the left of the small cabins, was a larger guesthouse, with a private patio and kitchen, perhaps with 2-3 bedrooms. Between each structure were trees and plants, and a simple brick walking path.
I still had a few minutes to explore before the party, so I walked along the path in front of the main house, and came across 3 more small cabins each in various states of ruin. The property is on the edge of the Cat Ba National Park, and is backed by mountains.
Unfortunately I have been unsuccessful in obtaining information regarding the history of this remote farm property. But it is beautiful!
The birthday dinner was lovely! I ate grilled squid (honestly my favorite part of the meal) and attempted to eat a grilled snail. That wasn’t my “cup of tea”. Mai sat next to me, and I’m embarrassed to say, ensured all the food was ready for me to eat: removing bones, shells, etc. She was so kind. Her friends made sure my shot glass was never empty of Vietnamese whiskey, which they poured from a bottle, into a communal bowl, and then dipped our shot glasses into. I decided to throw away all worries of catching COVID, because this was a “once in a lifetime” experience!
The night was filled with dancing, and singing. Everyone was welcoming, even though the only other English-speaker there was Mai’s 10 year old son. He was a bit shy most of the time, but would sometimes come over and ask me a question. Most of the time, however, we all relied on Google Translate to keep conversations going….The party ended around midnight, and I walked back to my cabin, took another shower, and tried to get some sleep.
Although this place is beautiful, and perfect for getting away, its rustic charm is not so ideal for rainy season’s humidity. The two small fans in my room helped slightly with keeping the room from being too hot, but humidity was stuck in my bedsheets. They forever felt damp…and I could never felt comfortable enough to sleep.
*There was a day bed in my room, as well. It sat on the other side, with clean white sheets and pillows. I did not use the day bed, nor did I place anything on it… When I arrived, it was white… that evening… it had bark on it… The next morning.. the bark had definitely been moved… There was a critter in my room…somewhere.. I never saw it.. I only saw a frog my last morning… could the frog be the culprit??*
The next morning, exhausted, and hearing the family motorbike riding away from the house around 6am, I was ready to move around. I took another shower, and went outside. The family and friends were slowly waking up and moving about. We sat together for breakfast, which consisted of chicken and noodle soup.
After breakfast, I decided to walk around the village, as it wasn’t too unbearably hot yet. From the property gate, to the first visible house in the village, it took me about 15 minutes walking the narrow path and jumping over mud. It was perhaps 10 in the morning, and tourist groups were already coming in.
Viet Hai is a very small, remote fishing village. The only ways in and out of the village are either the local ferry (or certain tour group boats), or hiking through the Cat Ba National Park. The villagers go about their daily lives, while a few open their homes as guest houses or places for fish pedicures. The only vehicles I saw were motorbikes, bicycles and the electric golf carts driving visitors around.
I was able to walk from one end of the village to the other, taking in the beauty of the mountains, rice fields, and water buffalo, within 20 minutes. I then continued walking towards the dock, until the heat and humidity became too much, and I was raining sweat. In total, I walked an hour. I hailed one of the electric golf carts, who kindly picked me up and drove me back to the far end of the village. Although I never told him where I needed to go, I have a feeling they all knew who I was: the solo female traveler staying at the ancient farm. He dropped me off at the edge of the muddy path, and when I pulled out money to pay, he shook his said and said “free ride!” and drove off.
I walked back to the farm, and the family waved me over to eat lunch. Everyone who did not live at the farm was leaving to return to Ha Long Bay that afternoon. Everyone showed me their pictures from the night before, we laughed remembering, together, and then we said goodbye.
The rest of the afternoon, I walked around the property, took more photos, and kicked myself for not having a book to read in this remote, quiet, peaceful, wifi-free space.
In the evening, I was called back into the main house to enjoy my dinner: fried pork, squid, and soup. It was simple, but so delicious!
As this was my final night at the house, we discussed what time I needed to get to the ferry to make my long journey back to Ha Noi…
The local ferry only runs 3 times a day (if I understood correctly): 6am, 12:45pm, and 4:00pm. As I knew I still had a long day of travel ahead of me, I wanted to take the earliest ferry. I set me alarm for the next morning, 5am, praying I would get some shut-eye tonight. Mai had told me I should leave at 5:30am, in order to make it on time to the ferry.
I was sitting on the porch of my cabin at 5am, watching the sun begin to rise. I was grabbing my bag and walking out the door by 5:20, planning to carefully walk the muddy path back to the village. Mai came out of her kitchen, waved me over, and grabbed my bag. I didn’t realize she was going to drive me to the village!
We made our way together on the motorbike, and an electric car met us at the end of the path. I transferred over, after giving her a hug, and I made it to the ferry by 6am. A handful of locals jumped on the ferry and we all climbed up to the top. I enjoyed watching the quiet of the bay in the morning light as we sailed along for an hour.
Once back to Cat Ba city, I grabbed a taxi to complete the final 40 minute drive to the ferry port for Ha Long Bay. The first ferry was at 9am. I had nearly an hour to relax.
The ferry, an additional hour, returned me to Ha Long Bay. I was lucky to meet a mother and son traveling duo from Australia, who were kind enough to get a seat on their bus for me to ride back to Ha Noi that afternoon.
So, to recap getting to the Airbnb in Viet Hai Village:
- Ha Long Bay ferry to Cat Ba Island: 1 hour ₫60,000 (~$2.50)
- Taxi Cat Ba Island north port to Cat Ba City southern dock: 40 minutes ~ 1 hour ₫300,000 – 500,000 (~$12-$20)
- Local ferry to Viet Hai Village: 1 hour ₫50,000 (~$2)
- Electric Golf Cart to village: 15 minutes ₫50,000 (~$2)
- Motorbike end of village to Airbnb: 10 minutes
- Total one way: Approximately 3.5 hours ~₫600,000+ (~$20+)
I would definitely recommend it, but perhaps not during rainy season!
I was at my Ha Noi Airbnb by 3pm.
Next time, we’ll be in Ha Noi for the second time, and then make our way back to Hoi An to complete the trip!
A Girl And Her Pez 
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