Indochina Sails is well known for providing the most luxurious and highest quality cruise ships on Halong Bay. As the first operator to offer overnight cruises on the Bay, Indochina Sails has over ten years experience hosting international travelers, and has consistently set the benchmark for luxury cruising on Halong Bay.

Indochina Sails has always maintained the highest level of safety standards as well.

With the recent addition of two new vessels our fleet now consists of six boats comprising a total of 74 cabins. With all of our boats safety has been and will continue to be an utmost priority.

1. All six boats in our fleet (Indochina Sails 1, 2, 3, Indochina Sails Premium, Valentine and Valentine Premium) have life vests in every cabin (1 per guest, including children). Additional life jackets for all guests are stored in public areas.
2. The boats are equipped with life buoys and life rafts with capacity for all guests and crew on board.
3. Each boat has a tender (also equipped with life jackets) to assist in any emergency or rescue operation.
4. All of our boats are under professional daily on-board technical supervision.
5. Our Captains possess long term experience and are extensively trained and fully licensed.
6. Our crews are fully trained with clear procedures as to how to deal with emergencies.
7. All guests are briefed and given safety procedures on board with clear instruction in case of emergency.
8. All boats are fitted with professional marine safety equipment: VHF, GPS, radar, walkie-talkies, water leakage alarm systems, water pump systems, fire alarm & fire extinguisher systems.
9. All boats undergo one-month extensive dry dock maintenance yearly and are fully checked by local marine registration authorities before and after leaving dry dock.
10. All boats are covered with maximum boat insurance and maximum passenger & crew insurance.

The safety of our passengers and crew is of utmost importance. We provide safe passage for all our guests.

If you require any more information please feel free to contact our Hanoi office.

INDOCHINA SAILS
Hanoi Office
Add: 27 – A6 – Dam Trau Quarter – Hai Ba Trung District – Hanoi – Vietnam
Tel: +84 – 4- 39842362
Fax: +84 – 4 – 39844150
Email: info@indochinasails.com
Website: www.indochinasails.com

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ACTIVETRAVEL ASIA would like to give out some advices about how to travel safely and enjoyably in Halong Bay. There are some something you should concern about as you plan your trip there.

Halong Bay, Vietnam

1. Overnight junk (vessel) or hotel?

When you travel you can stay in hotel anywhere, anytime and that is just so normal. If you want to have a unique travel experience in Halong Bay it worth spending a night aboard of an overnight vessel amongst thousands of islands and islets. Though the recently tragedy incident happened to an overnight vessel I still vote for it. The question now is how to minimize the risk.

2. How to choose a reliable overnight vessel?

Stick to popular names like Indochina Sails, Huong Hai Junk, Bai Tho Junk, Hai Long Junk,… there are many boat fleets recommended or not recommended on Trip Advisor by travelers. We all know that the big brand is likely a guarantee for the quality. In this case, it is so true. A wooden vessel of a big fleet after some year in operation would be sold to smaller fleet who is targeting at cheap services. These old wooden vessels are not reliable especially in bad weather.

When you book overnight vessel ask your travel consultant or reservation license of the vessel for doing its business. That can tell a lot how reliable your overnight vessel is.

3. What else a popular big vessel fleet can offer?

Their crew are better trained and more discipline. They concentrate on what they do better than crew of a small and unorganized fleet. The vessels are well maintained and safety equipments aboard are better equipped. There are many more things about quality and safety that a small and cheap fleet can not offer traveler since they just target at cheap services.

4. Already aboard, what you should concern?

There should be a hummer in your cabin which can be used to break the glass window in case of emergency. The hummer should be hang right on either sides of the window and you have locate it so you can have it when you need (hope not). If you do not find the hummer you should ask for one from the crew or you make something yourself for that purpose.

There should also be life-vest in your cabin. You have to be sure that you have them ready in case.

Scan the whole vessel for emergency escape way, fire extinguisher,… that would be useful in case of emergency

( Source: news.activetravelvietnam.com)

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2 days and one night aboard a luxurious boat on Indochina Sails on Halong Bay

One of the must do’s if you are visiting Hanoi is a side trip to Halong Bay. I personally have done it twice – once on a bit of a budget and most recently in style on Indochina Sails. Indochina Sails presents a truly elegant cruising experience on its lacquered wood junk.

It all starts with a morning drive from Hanoi, which is about 3 hours – your boat can arrange transport from your hotel. Undoubtedly around the halfway point you will stop at some souvenir shops…these are usually prearranged with the driver (unbeknown st to the passenger) and we suspect he gets some sort of commission. You can either spend time here or go quickly. I will say on my more budget trip the caliber of the shop reflected the caliber of the trip. However on this one, we managed to stop off at a place where they were making pottery and statues, so for some of us, it was actually truly interesting to wander around the workshop and see the vases being hand painted and then kiln fired.

After we drove past the dock where I took off last time (full of backpackers standing around in a dusty parking lot and loading their own baggage), I was relieved to arrive at an entirely civilized departure point replete with coffee and gift shop. If you are traveling Indochina Sails a steward will meet you at the coffee shop and whisk away your luggage while you check in. After a short ride in a smaller boat, you board the junk and are immediately enveloped in old world elegance.

After checking in, lunch was served. We enjoyed (Sup Kem Bi Do) pumpkin soup;

(Nem Tuoi Cuon Phuc Vu Cung Nuoc) fresh spring rolls with fish sauce and green papaya salad;

(Tom He Ha Long Chien Xot Me) fried Halong shrimp with tamarind sauce;

(Ga Nuong Cung La Chanh Tuoi) grilled chicken with lemon leaves;

The pumpkin soup was really excellent – smooth and creamy. And the spring rolls were also a hit.
Overall, it should be noted that while the food is good, this is not a culinary cruise. In my book, the welcome lunch was probably the best. The other meals were buffet style, which is often not my preference. The dinner buffet did however feature some tasty steamed little neck clams. With that said, all food is included in your per person rate, it’s just wine, beer, coffee or tea you will pay extra for at mealtimes (excepting breakfast where the coffee / tea is complimentary.)

The real attraction however on this trip is the majestic scenery of the peridot green Halong Bay and the limestone rocks that make the view so dramatic and compelling. Halong Bay was declared a Unesco World Heritage Site in 1994. As a result the waters and the land are well maintained and one can be sure that the beauty will be preserved.

And beyond the beauty that you can see there is lots of beauty that you cannot. This is where the ship’s excursions come in. On day one we visited Titop Island and hiked 400+ steps to the top for a panoramic view of the bay.

Also on offer was a 1 hour kayak trip (+$10 USD pp) or a visit to a local fishing village. We chose the kayak trip and so we set out with a guide to explore the bay. It was really fantastic being so close to the water after having admired it sparkling gem-like qualities from on high. I was really hoping it would be translucent, but it wasn’t. So instead we got a little arm and shoulder workout as we maneuvered underneath low hanging cave entrances and admired the limestone rock formations.

Once back on board, there was a wine tasting. Again, all drinks are a la carte, but if you do want to participate in an all you can drink wine tasting hour for $15USD the option is yours. The nice thing about Vietnam is given their French colonial heritage; they get a nice selection of French wines. I enjoyed a crisp Sauvignon Blanc on the upper deck with friends as we chatted about the day we had enjoyed and the day ahead. It was a perfect night, a bit crisp and breezy, and as I enjoyed my wine and conversation, the cares of the world melted away and I was in a rare state (for me anyway) of truly being 100% present in the moment.

Later that night, we slept quite comfortably in our cabin. The boat had docked for the night and was quite still in the placid waters of the bay. Paul was worried he wouldn’t be able to sleep on a boat, but his concerns melted away as he fell into a very deep sleep. In fact, in the morning we were both surprised how well we had slept – probably a combination of exercise, fresh air and good wine.

Day 2 started with an early morning trip to Sung Sot Cave (also known as Surprise Grotto) on Bon Hon Island where you can climb the 100 steps to the cave entrance and explore for about an hour. Inside the grotto, light illuminates the passage so you can see thousands of stalactites and stalagmites along the 500-meter paved passage. It’s probably the only grotto of its kind that I have personally seen and so it lives large in my memory. I wish it was a little more rustic rather than tourist heavy, but in the end I am glad I visited.

After the morning excursion the boat heads back to the dock and it is time to head back to Hanoi. Another 3 hour drive, another stop at a souvenir shop. As we recounted the trip during our ride back, myself, Paul and the other 5 travelers who were with us agreed that Halong Bay was an absolutely spectacular thing to see and doing it aboard the Indochina Sails was time and money well spent.

Source: accidentalepicurean.com

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Spending a couple of days floating on the waters of Halong Bay is always an unforgettable experience for Duc Hanh

I arrive in Halong at noon. The sun is high in the sky and burning bright.  Personally after a four-hour-stint on the road, I’m dying to get out the water and feel the sea breeze running through my air. I presume as normal with Halong tours we’ll be left “sitting on the dock of the bay” for the best part of an hour, but almost instantly a speed-boat arrives with a flourish and as soon as we pile on board we’re zooming towards our large and handsome junk, the Indochina Sails, which the captain proudly announces is 44m?long and 8.5m?wide – and indeed it seems a fine, seaworthy vessel to me!

In my time I’ve been on board a few of the bay’s shabbier junks. It is one point worth making: when it comes to visiting Halong Bay don’t go for the budget trips! Thankfully there are more than a few classy junks to choose from these days that are also reasonably priced.

On board the Indochina Sails, there’s a restaurant, a bar, a massage room, a gift shop and even a library.

A trip to Halong is first and foremost about relaxing so within minutes every single passenger arrives on deck to sip drinks in the sunshine while basking at the brilliance of bay. Sun-shy, I stretch out on a lie-low on the more shaded lower deck and listen to the the sound of the boat chopping through the waves. As time slowly passes, I happily doze off in the salty air.

Eventually a call for lunch stirs me from my light slumber. A Vietnamese five-course lunch is devoured by the hungry guests even though we’ve hardly worked up an appetite. Afterwards, we drop anchor by Ti Top Island. The tiny island takes its name from the cosmonaut Ghermann Titop of the former Soviet Union, who came here on a trip with President Ho Chi Minh in 1962.

To mark the significance of their visit, Uncle Ho named it Ti Top Island. Thirty-five years later, in 1997, Ti Top returned. Deeply moved, he wrote in the souvenir book of the Management Board of Halong Bay: “My deepest thanks to destiny, which has allowed me to come back to this tiny island.”

It’s a small island, but certainly one to be proud of. It is quiet and airy atmosphere as well as its clean white sand and clear waters. The beach is ideal for swimming nearly all year round. The island’s main attraction is possibly the pagoda-styled lookout point at its peak.

After climbing the 427 stone steps that wind up to the summit, one is treated to a most incredible 360-degree view of Halong Bay. Heading back to my cabin to shower and change for dinner, I discover a card inviting me to a wine tasting. So when we’re ready, we head back to the deck to sample the offerings of Chilean, South African and American grapes.

We sip and savour the taste on our palettes as the sun slowly drops behind the surrounding islands and the twilight dwindles – just another perfect Halong moment. Slightly tipsy after a sampling the wine, I’m happy to head for the restaurant and fill my stomach.

Sweet melodies of a traditional Vietnamese dan bau (a monochord instrument) fill the air as we feast on an international buffet with Vietnamese sweet-and-sour salad, crab and corn soup, fried rice, BBQ crab, shrimp, oysters and cuttlefish as well as seasonal fruit and green-bean and lotus seed cake for dessert.

With a canopy of glittering stars above us, a refreshing coolness in the air and flashes of fluorescent lamps from the cuttlefish boats in the distance, at night the bay is truly magical. It is pure bliss just to sit around with the other travellers, your friends or partner.

Some may be tempted to try an adventurous night activity and join fishermen casting out nets for cuttlefish before heading for bed but I’m perfectly happy to sit and quietly contemplate life with a nightcap. After a deep and dreamless slumber, the voices of vendors who have rowed up to our junk to sell snacks, seafood, souvenirs and cigarettes wakes me up.

There is not a soul bathing on the beach – truly for tourists looking for a remote hidden getaway spot this fits the bill. The island is 12sqm in area with over 1,000 inhabitants living mainly off fishing, farming, aquaculture and afforesting.

But there are no bars or restaurants, no showers or toilets. But that’s why we’re here: to escape the crowds! After swimming, sun-bathing and walking along the beach, we head back to the boat where our tour guide introduces us to our kayaks. Again, taking a leisurely pace, we paddle around Cong Do, a floating fishing village in Bai Tu Long bay, 25km southeast of Halong wharf.

Here you can find shrimp, crab, fish, squid and aquatic plants. If you’re not shopping for dinner, it’s fun just to soak in the incredible atmosphere of a true Halong fishing village. Personally, it just reminds me that I’ve been promised a seafood dinner tonight back on board the Indochina Sails!

Full steam ahead captain! The Indochina Sails is currently offering a Sensational Summer Savings promotion package for a three day and two night cruise. Check out www.indochinasails.com

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Northern Vietnam’s climate is tropical. The dry season is cool, and lasts from October to April, while the wet season, from May to September, is warmer. The average temperature is 23°C.

Hanoi is not only the country’s capital but also the cultural centre of Vietnam. A modern city, it is home to over 600 pagodas and temples and offers visitors a chance to experience the culture and history within a constantly bustling urban setting.

From Hanoi, visitors can embark on an overnight train heading further north into the mountains of Sapa. Trekking through the breathtaking scenery over natural waterfalls, rice paddy fields and wild bamboo forests, you can also stay overnight in a traditional Vietnamese long house hosted by one of the many hill tribe families.

If you head east for three hours from Hanoi, you will reach Halong City, your gateway to the awe-inspiring Halong Bay, the treasure piece of Vietnam. Listed with UNESCO, this pristine turquoise bay comprises of almost 2,000 islands, and it is picturesque from every angle.

There are many hotels and tourist companies offering their services here, but be warned – you do get what you pay for. For those looking for a little luxury, Indo China Sails operate the newest junks in Halong Bay, offering one- and two-night stays. The extra night is highly recommended, as it allows you to enjoy the full range of activities on offer including kayaking, cave exploring, squid fishing, and a visit to the fishing communities.

RECOMMENDED CRUISE

Deluxe room on Indochinasails

www.indochinasails.com, info@indochinasails.com.

TRAVEL TIP

If you are travelling overnight on a train, don’t forget a pillowcase and a sheet.

Source: http://www.gurusexplore.tv/

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Kayaking on Halong Bay

Just got back from Halong Bay this afternoon and it was absolutely breathtakingly beautiful–even more than I expected. We left at around 8am from the hostel and were picked up by Active travel Vietnam _ the tour company that we’d booked with. We picked up 6 others, a Scottish couple living in Malaysia and a pair of couples from Spain. We then departed for Halong Bay, about a 3 and 1/2 hour drive. We also then met our tour guide Ngoan, a slim young woman who spoke pretty good English. She was no Wasa though! She briefed us on Hanoi and Halong Bay history and then told us about where to go in Hanoi to find good dog and cat meat. (We weren’t too interested). And she told us about how Vietnamese people like to string up live cobras from trees, skin them, and then drink their blood while it’s still hot from the dangling end, like some kind of bizarre tribal beer bong. Yummy.

About halfway through the trip and after a much needed nap, we stopped for a break at a place that sold local handicrafts made by handicapped children. I bought a very cool picture done in embroidery of a Vietnamese woman carrying some mangos on those balancy things that Blake carried in the infamous pineapple fiasco. I talked the price down from to which was fair especially because as the 4 foot tall salesman kept reminding me ‘made by handicap’ children’. no word if the kids get any of the profit though.

After the break we piled back into the van and about an hour later we arrived in Halong Bay City. We jumped out and headed straight to our boat, the cruise and man was it ever. It was soooo nice. A new boat with space for 14 and just beautiful on the inside. Lauren and I shared a room with two big windows (for a boat) and Blake got his own room since there were just 9 of us total. After we set down our belongings, we headed up to the main deck to the open dining area for our seafood lunch. And it was incredible. They just kept bringing out dish after dish! We had the freshed squid salad, huge shrimp, lovely vegetables, rice, noodles, a whole grilled fish, fruit… the food just didn’t stop coming!

Fully stuffed to the gills, we slathered on some sunscreen, threw on our bathing suits and went up to the top deck. By then we were really getting out into the bay amidst the nearly 2000 islands there and it was incredibly beautiful. The islands are all made out of limestone from decayed oysters, clams, etc from the past 350 million years that grew to form a mountain range because of the pacific rim tetonic plates shifting. Eventually the mountain range was eroded by the water and the islands formed. Now they are all protected by Unesco which is fortunate because the only one that can be inhabited is the national park on Cat Ba island. Just beautiful!

Indochinasails Sundeck

After sunning ourselves we then docked briefly to visit the Amazing Cave which is the biggest of the 8 or so caves that have been discovered so far in Halong Bay. And it really was amazing. Especially interesting though were the trashcans inside in the shape of dolphins and penguins which gave the weird sensation that we were at an amusement park of sorts.

From the cave, we moved onward to an island with a lookout pagoda at the very top. One 10 minute very vertical climb later we were super sweaty but enjoying the wonderful view. Blake showed me how to do a stitch assist too on my camera so I think I should be able to join several of the photos together to make a nice panoramic. Next, we returned to the boat and then jumped off from the top of the boat into the water. I was quite scared at first seeing as I’d really never done a high dive before, but it was worth it and then it was great! And the water was wonderful, just warm enough to be enjoyable but not so warm that you feel like the person next to you just ‘relieved’ themselves in the water.

After the swim we towelled off and then were fed another enormous and delicious seafood dinner. Dinner was followed by a great conversation with the Scottish couple that had been living in Malaysia the past 2 years, a little bit of World Cup viewing, and then Blake and I laying out on the top deck to look at the stars. It was the perfect day and we didn’t go to sleep until after midnight when we pried ourselves away from the night sky.

The next morning, Blake woke me up early to have a look at the sunrise, but at 5:15 am it was already up. So we went back to bed and then got back up in time for a 7am breakfast (also way too much food). Breakfast was followed by kayaking which was incredibly fun. We paddled around for about an hour and a half, with 2 people in each kayak. Lauren and I paddled together, and with her excellent instruction I eventually got the hang of it. It was difficult though because even though the water was pretty calm, the current was really strong. We all paddled together into these beautiful lagoons by Cat Ba island which was just such a peaceful experience (aside from the aching arms) that made me feel like we were in the movie “the beach” (which I am appropriately reading at the moment).

After kayaking, Lauren and I had another swim, then it was time to pack our bags… but not without yet another inordinately huge seafood meal that we could hardly finish! It really was the perfect get away. And amazingly enough, it only costs 00 to rent out the boat per week, including food. So I’m thinking, grab a group of 14 and come back sometime in the future for some R&R.

Well I’m back in Hanoi though, wearing my new Halong Bay pearl necklace (they do a lot of pearls there) and getting very excited about tomorrow’s trips to Hanoi’s museums and then the following day at China beach between Da Nang and Hoi An! It’s going to be great!

Source: SMU

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It was my fourth visit to Ha Long Bay, but the first time my mother and I could together float on the sea, from sunset to sunrise on a large wooden junk.
by Cam Giang

Follow the leader: Holidaymakers explore limestone rock formations in Ha Long Bay. Kayaking is just one of many activities tour operators offer in the area. — Photos courtesy Indochina Sails

Our three days and two nights on a the wooden junk named Valentine, of Indochina Sails may just be our most memorable trip together since I was 10 years old and accompanied my mother to visit the sea for the first time. Now I was a 20-something girl, old enough to stretch by my mother’s side on two deck chairs and enjoy the darkness surrounding the numerous white limestone towers, not to mention the melodious ballads flying up from the wooden deck into the sky. It was our first night on board, a moment so tranquil that it made a western couple stand up and waltz. At the time, our junk was still moving slowly ahead, passing through the cool sea-breeze and many gigantic limestone towers, which impressed us with their bizarre shapes in the darkness.

We were excited the moment we took a tender to step onto the gigantic wooden junk, which resembled an ancient French-style palace floating on the sea. Passing through the glittering dining room, with its windows facing the sea, we reached our cabin. My mother and I immediately saw beyond the wooden doors: two parallel white sheeted beds, a jar of white Madonna lilies, two large windows covering almost half of the brown wooden wall, and a splendid view of the sea outside.

Our first day was spent relaxing on the deck and in our cabin, although there were various activities tourists could enjoy partaking in on land, such as visiting Bat Cave, Cua Van fishing village or Soi Sim Beach. Most of us were not interested in stepping off the junk, since it served as an idyllic day-trippers’ paradise. Lying on the beds at night, we could see both the high limestone towers and bright stars glittering in the dark sky.

We went to bed early that night. Perhaps it was the effect of consuming a few glasses of good red wine on deck, or the cool breeze coming in from the large window mixed in with the intoxicating air from the cream lilies, that served as soothing lullabies.

The second day began filled with energy as we woke up early to participate in a tai chi session on the sun deck. We then transferred to the day-trip boat and cruised to the bay’s most untouched areas. A buffet-style breakfast was served on the boat, which was not only impressive in its various delicious Western dishes, but also served very good Vietnamese pho (noodle soup).

The highlight of the trip turned out to be kayaking in the afternoon, when our boat reached Cong Do area. All of us were very eager, although my mother seemed hesitant. She had never squeezed into a kayak before and she didn’t know how to swim.

Our yellow kayaks followed each other, moving in the low surf, with the warm waters of the sea lapping, and the cool breeze wrapping around us. The high rock formations seemed much higher when looked up and could make our way through all the narrow slots between the towers to discover a strange area where big boats couldn’t reach.

Our second day came to a good end with a delicious dinner, a grilled seafood feast, after which we went off to see people catching squids offshore. Passengers who caught squids could be found at our table for a second dinner, laughing away as they shared their funny stories.

The next morning our ship steamed forward to Sung Sot Cave, one of the bay’s most impressive limestone caverns. The entrance required a hike up stone steps to a spot high above the bay. More steps led into receding chambers, past humongous stalactites and stalagmites that resembled giant sandcastles.

Our cruise ended in the afternoon with us waving to the staff as we returned to land.

Many hesitate to vacation in a sailboat, but it is worth trying, for once you go, you will want to go again and again. It is advisable to go in a group, as you can share together all the wonderful moments of sitting standstill in the cool sea-breeze, listening to love ballads, sipping Vallformosa red wine, while the limestone towers all around move softly as the boat keeps drifting ahead.

Ha Long is like a story whose ending I thought I had reached but in reality I discovered that it has many alternative endings that need to be discovered, again and again.

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