In my family’s 3 week trip to Vietnam, the majority of the photos we took were in our 3 days in Vinh Hy Bay. Not only is it a serenely beautiful part of the country but it also has a unique rural and cultural charm as its off the tourist radar. We were lucky to have a wonderful guide who had the knowledge of a local but the eyes of a tourist (a German who has been living in Vietnam for many years).
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Halong Bay is a bit of a tourist trap – but even so its still an un-missable destination on your trip to Vietnam. This is a post on what we did on our cruise as a big family group (5 adults and 2 very young children – 3 months and 3 years old) on a 2 night 3 day cruise. Hopefully it helps you to select a cruise thats right for you or helps you to figure out if you want to go on the Mon Cherie Cruise as we did.
Top Tips for your Halong Bay Cruise on Mon Cherie:
Try to participate in all the activities – It’s what you are there for and they are great to experience the bay. Yes you can look at the views and relax on the boat but you still have plenty of opportunity to do that AND participate in the activities. The only exception is the swimming on the first day off the boat – its not worth it. Have a bit of a kayak and then head to the pool instead. This activity is easy to cut short as you are based at the boat anyway and its nothing special.
Buy snacks and drinks from the little local boats that pull up alongside the cruise for the experience of it – but make sure to haggle! Also try to get drinks that are cold to begin with as your little mini fridge will struggle to cool them down.
Best time to get in the pool is after your day of activities just on or before happy hour – get a drink by the pool, hop in the cool water and watch the sun go down.
Don’t order anything at the cruise port just because you are waiting around – its very overpriced and you don’t want it. Once you get on the cruise you will be served a huge lunch anyway.
Getting there and away:
Halong bay is 3 hours drive from Hanoi. Your cruise will probably offer transfer from Hanoi but it won’t be included in the price of the cruise. I don’t recommend booking this if you are a larger group as the price is per person and its not a private transfer so they will likely still pick up or drop off other people and you will need to wait around for that.
We arranged one way private transfers because we wanted to get to Halong Bay from Ninh Binh (3-4 hours drive) so as not to backtrack. I highly recommend a private transfer because you want to make sure you don’t miss your cruise boarding time and this will drop you door to door. However, buses are an option from both Hanoi and Ninh Binh. Your hotel can arrange private transfer for you or for transfer from Ninh Binh you can also contact Ninh Binh Tourist Center (I cannot recommend them enough the driver had some English and was happy to do an extra stop when my toddler decided she needed the bathroom in the middle of nowhere).
Getting around:
You will spend a lot of time on a smaller day boat going to activities and to and from the main boat when boarding and disembarking the cruise. I did expect this but I didn’t expect how much travel time on the boat itself we would have. Sure you can laze around in the sun but make sure to bring a book or a tablet with movies or games (particularly for children) for when you want to hide out inside.
Food:
Many of the reviews mention the food on the cruises isn’t great. We thought it was pretty fantastic on the Mon Cherie. It’s not exactly gourmet dining and its not exactly traditional Vietnamese cuisine so don’t expect too much! However it is usually a buffet with Western Asian fusion (and lots of seafood). They also served a la carte on occasion with LOTS of courses so if you don’t like something there is still enough food. The vegetarian in our group was served individual dishes that covered their dietary requirements and our 3 year old was also served a children’s menu. Both could then still approach the buffet for items they were interested in.
There was definitely enough food for everyone also although a lot of the luxury items ran out quite quickly (ie. lobster, lychees).
What to bring:
For Yourself:
A reusable water bottle: the Nalgene water bottle is a great size. There is filtered water provided on the boat but you need something to fill up for activities and in your room.
A sarong – great for wearing out on excursions and using as a towel to dry off and also perfect for wearing up to the bar if you are going to have your cocktail in the pool.
Packing Cells – you are only on the boat for 2 nights so don’t waste time unpacking. Keep everything organised in your suitcase instead.
For Young Children:
children’s lifejackets – the ones available are quite large and your child won’t want to wear them. This way they can be comfortable and safe all trip.
A tablet to keep them occupied during transfers and if they get bored at mealtimes.
Also take some snacks on board with you – meals are huge but little kids eat a lot more regularly and you will need snacks on hand.
What to expect:
DAY 1
On the first day we waited around at the dock for a while then boarded a small boat which transported us to the Mon Cherie. Here, we had a safety briefing and some information provided about the cruise. Once arriving on the main boat we were served a welcome drink (watermelon juice) and lunch. After lunch, we did a short kayak (from the boat so when you felt tired you could just turn around and come back) and then swum from the side of the boat. This was a pretty disappointing activity as the itinerary was for a visit to Dark and Light Cave and the water around the boat wasn’t exactly the mostly exciting or clean for swimming.
After our swim right next to the boat we headed up to the bar for happy hour and some complimentary snacks were offered. Then we had a cooking class where we learned to make fresh Vietnamese spring rolls before dinner.
After dinner there was squid fishing available off the side of the boat which was apparently pretty fun (I didn’t participate).
DAY 2
After a leisurely breakfast we were transferred from our main cruise onto a day boat which was nice with lots of lounging areas. This boat took us to Cat Ba Island where we visited Viet Hai Village (you could take an electric car or bicycle here through the rice fields from the boat). Here we had a walk around and had some fish eat the dead skin off our feet (barf). Lunch was served on the day boat.
In the afternoon, we visited a stunning cove and beach where we could relax and swim. This was the highlight of the cruise for me and what we expected of Halong Bay. We had to kayak to the beach from the day boat which wasn’t noted in the original itinerary but it was a very easy kayak and you could use the kayak to explore the area further if you so desired.
We arrived back on the cruise in time for happy hour and a dip in the pool while the sun went down. Again there was a cooking class, this time we made fried spring rolls and then dinner was served.
DAY 3
Today we were due to disembark the cruise. The itinerary included a quick stop via a small boat and then a bus to visit Trung Trang Cave. This was a walk through a cave on Cat Ba Island that has beautiful stalactites. It was nice to be in a forest area for a short while to escape the heat of Vietnam. After this whirlwind visit we returned to the boat to have brunch and check out before transferring back to a seperate boat to return to the port for midday.
I hope this post helps to show you the realities of a Halong Bay cruise or specifically a cruise on the Mon Cherie.
THE ONLY ERIKA IN THE VILLAGE 