BY INDER RAJ AHLUWALIA
( THE WRITER IS AN INTERNATIONALLY RENOWNED , MULTIPLE AWARD – WINNING TRAVEL JOURNALIST AND AUTHOR)
NEW DELHI | 8 JUNE 2026
You know all that hype about early mornings being good for you? Well, they aren’t for me, thank you.
But my good guide, dutifully awaiting me in the hotel lobby, made me bend the rules. Besides, he went to great lengths to convince me that it was for a pleasant outing and carried ample rewards. “You see, our not-to-be-missed destination is truly beautiful and the outing will be well worth the effort.” Her conviction swayed me.
Shortly thereafter, I found out that the guide was ‘spot on’. A two-hour, swank highway drive from Hanoi deposited our group at Ha Long Bay, one of Vietnam’s foremost tourist highlights. It turned out to be a delightful surprise for me, justifying all the hype and hoopla built around it.
A small township that nestles along the sea, Ha Long Bay is about perfect when it comes to distressing. There’s no noise, hardly any traffic, no commercial hoardings, and while there are hordes of tourists, they don’t appear to be ‘in your face’.
I was here for a simple reason, which was to take a day cruise to a site that is arguably one of nature’s marvels. Walking along the impressive Ha Long International Cruise Port, I realised that the little town wasn’t as small or quiet as I had imagined it to be. There were a fair number of tourists set to board ship. The large quays and all those magnificent boats berthed in a row, set the mood for the cruise adventure I was about to undertake.
My foray was on a ship owned by ‘Ambassador Cruise’, a known name in the business and a local market leader. Awaiting us was Waseem Ahmed, the company’s affable Operations Manager, who’d been entrusted with the task of making me feel at home. Walking the extra mile, he fulfilled his task very well, which enhanced the quality of a thrillingly satisfying day.
I reckon there were a couple of hundred passengers on board the large boat, but they were making enough noise for two thousand. Things started off rather well, thanks to the fact that my reserved table in the spacious dining hall, happened to be overlooking large bay windows that provided wonderful, panoramic views and revealed little secrets. The dining room experience was a rather plush affair, with quality crockery, cutlery and table linen. Adding to the experience was an appetising fragrance of fresh food that wafted across from the kitchen.
Waseem started things off with an induction talk that filled me in on all manner of relevant details. Apparently, they welcomed guests from the world over, with Koreans, Indians and Taiwanese leading the list of clients. He also mentioned that, owing to its superb natural setting and beauty, Ha Long Bay’s popularity was constantly surging, which was good for business.
Getting into a discovery mode, I mustered up the energy to explore the boat, and literally elevated myself up to the top-deck. This was one heck of a place, thanks to the proverbial bar, tables, stage, music and dancing. Capping everything and greatly enhancing value, were the stunningly beautiful views.
No matter where in the world you board a tourist boat there is a ‘buzz’, and things were no different here. There was enough noise around to drown the sound of thunder. The hugely excited and audible tourists had taken up literally all vacant space on board, the senior citizens seated, and the younger lot moving about.
We sailed slowly past dozens of majestic limestone islets in Ha Long Bay and Bai Tu Long Bay. An hour out, our boat dropped anchor, amidst a thousand gasps. This was quite obviously a designated spot flanked on right and left by islets protruding out of the blue sea. Little boats chugged around like floating playthings. This was ‘fairy tale’ stuff, very tranquil and serenely beautiful.
Now it was excursion time, and there was quite a choice at hand. Given my sense of preservation, it was quite natural for me to opt for the easiest one. This was a short boat ride excursion to Titov Island, dominated by turquoise water edging a crescent moon-shaped beach. There’s plenty to do. One can climb up to the hill-top for breathtaking 360 degree views of the entire surrounding area, just laze around and drink some coconut juice, or just idle on the beach.
We returned to our boat with perfect timing. Lunch had just been announced. I don’t know if you’ve ever felt what I always have-that food just manages to taste infinitely better while cruising. Well, that’s my conviction anyway, and judging from the sheer quantity and variety of dishes that came and went, my sound belief was validated. There was only one thing to do. Give one’s undivided attention to the mushroom soup, assorted salads, glazed chicken, and vegetable ‘toss up’.
With all this delectable food under our belt, it was time to get back into the exploration mode. My second excursion was more ‘hands on’, entailing a bamboo barge ride to Luan Cave, a unique marvel of nature’s creations, arguably among the world’s most exotic water locations. Entering the cave, one is confronted by a self-contained, deep lake inside a closed arch-shaped mountain. I couldn’t help noticing that while the sea was blue, the lake’s water was a light green. All these ingredients combined to make the setting nothing short of stunning.
An hour later we were back on the boat, and it was mainly business as usual. However, I sensed a perceptible change of mood. The initial exuberance had given way to something between satisfaction and excitement. It was as though everyone was trying to digest everything offered during the day, and struggling to come to terms with it.
One thing was for sure. The outing had been truly special and memorable enough to justify my losing a bit of my ‘beauty sleep’. But now it was over and the day had flashed by, leaving behind a host of pleasant memories.
My innate sense of fair-play and keen sense of self-analysis convinced me that under the circumstances, there was really only one thing to do. Move on and fly Vietnam Airlines to another beautiful site, for another beautiful experience, and other pleasant memories.
Get going! Vietnam for you!
Advertisement:
Add Comment