It is no coincidence that Halong Bay has twice been recognized as a World Natural Heritage by UNESCO. The beauty and the fascination of this natural landscape, the unique of friendly people, the special dishes of the sea are the reasons why Halong Bay always on the top of tourists destination. Every time coming to Halong bay, you will get a new experience in this place without being bored. Discovering the most beautiful coastal city in Vietnam is definitely an integral part of your tourist map. With that, the following are things to do in Halong bay that you must put on your list when planning Vietnam tours.
Practising Tai Chi exercises
That is totally right, Tai Chi exercises must be the first Halong bay activities that I have to mention. Why is it so? You might be wondering. The reason is that practicing Tai Chi in the early morning on the deck is the perfect way to start your day in Halong Bay. Most cruises on Halong Bay have Tai Chi exercises in the early morning as part of the cruise’s full package tour.
When the dawn comes, you will participate in the Tai Chi training with the guidance of a professional. These teachers will not only show you the combination of muscle movements and breath but also inspire you with a unique culture.
The session includes light postures, starting at 6 am every day. During the practice, you will be able to admire the marvelous views of Halong Bay at dawn being the scene that helps awaken both your mind and body.
Kayaking
Listed as one of the top 25 kayaking tourist destinations in the world by National Geographic Adventures magazine, Halong Bay is an excellent destination for you to experience kayaking. In this journey, you can pass over the extraordinary limestone mountains named after its natural shape; such as fighting cock, roof island, the island of incense, etc. With thousands of large and small limestone islands of various sizes in different forms, you will commune with nature, the sea and the blue sky.
Kayaking is a great way to feel all the grandeur of the nature of Halong Bay; and explore the cliffs under the thousands of years of rolling waves. If you do not know how to swim, could you try to cross the small kayak between the immense waves? It is challenging and exciting, as well.
If you do not know how to start your journey, you can have the specific instructions of guides from the kayaking render.
Relaxation is also the most exciting when the yacht is parked next to the fishing village where you can see a part of Vietnamese culture.
Visiting fishing village
If Halong Bay is the garden of natural castles in the middle of the world, the Cua Van fishing village is the truly unique wonder of fishermen.
In 2012, Cua Van fishing village was listed on top 16 most beautiful ancient villages in the world. The criteria for the selection on this list are that they must be antique, have a charming beauty, and retain their distinctive traditional culture.
This floating fishing village includes 12 rafts being classrooms, cultural houses and home of fishermen. More than 300 households of the town make their life by net fishing. The floating house is located away at least ten kilometers from the shore, on the cliffs like valleys in the sea. These small and lovely houses are adjacent to each other. You will find here no noise of the bustling car, but only the sound of fishers calling each other, or the sound of the wave hitting the boat.
The generations of fishers living here consider the ship as their home and the sea as the homeland. Children in the fishing village from 4-5 years old already know how to hold the paddle to swim. In the fisherman families on Halong Bay, young children are familiar with bait drop; a little older know all about how to convertible and dragnet.
All of that makes people gather together and connect with the sea. All activities of the business, living, cultural and spiritual events throughout their lives, from birth, take place in this fishing village. With the mentioned features, visiting a fishing village and swimming in the beaches in Cua Van must be on your list of things to do in Halong bay.
Swimming
Mentioning Halong bay, maybe the first thing comes to your mind will be the charming beauty of stone islands. But you don’t know that its attraction is created by 3 elements such as stone, water, and sky. The sea water is emerald green and calm. This is the perfect place for travelers to be able to explore the wild beauty through swimming. Just simply flow your body into cool water, you will get away all of the anxiety in the daily life and enjoy the total freedom. Green water, golden sunrise, and smooth-white sand combine together are willing to bring to you a very nice and refreshing feeling. Don’t forget to follow some swimming safe guides in order to have a nice trip!
Squid fishing
One of the most exciting things to do in Halong bay at night is squid fishing. Indeed, by these activities, you can relax leisurely watching shimmering, fanciful of Halong Bay at night; and enjoy your achievements right in the on the sea. What a wonderful feeling, right?
To prepare for the squid fishing, the yacht’s crew will install a water lighting system to attract the squid to the side of the boat. You will be provided with a fishing line and net to start your luck. Squid hooks are beam hooks in a shrimp shape working as a fake bait. As the squids are very greedy, when they see the hook under the light, they will think that the shrimp and rush to grab it without bait.
After getting some squid by yourself, it is excellent if you can take that as an ingredient for your cooking class.
Joining a cooking class
It seems to be a tiresome activity at first, but it is not. On some cruises, the cooking instruction is offered as a part of their services. These class will give you visually and genuinely understand the uniqueness of cuisine in Vietnamese culture.
Cooking class usually takes place on the deck with the most commonly instructed dishes being the traditional Vietnamese spring rolls. You will observe the process of preparing and making meticulous dishes of the chef, then producing your plate by yourself. After finish cooking, you will find out some the cooking experience that works out for you in the nest time making Vietnam traditional foods.
If you are on a trip with your children, this is an activity you should not miss. The reason for that is most children are very excited to be able to roll their rolls and enjoy the result right after cooking.
Suggested Halong bay cruises with interesting things to do in Halong bay
Those are all things to do in Halong Bay that you cannot forget to try out. Start your Halong bay tours now and share the best time in life with your partners. Cheers!
Phuong Dao – Travel Lover
