Ha Long & Lan Ha Bay via Aspira Cruise

Image from Aspira

Introduction

Early in the morning at 7:40AM, we were picked up from our hotel in Hanoi by a luxury bus. The night before, I was contacted by several agents providing me the hotel pick up time, our tour guide name and the bus number. One seems to be the tour guide and another guy who is the agency of the tour guide. Several days before, I was contacted by Aspira cruise representative. It was kind of confusing that so many parties were involved. I was looking forward to the cruise until the agent told me at 9:30pm, the night before our cruise that I only had 2 bus seats from Hanoi to Halong Bay. Squize me...I paid for 3. Before I knew it, I was entangled with 3 agents chatting with me in Whatsapp. One told me he will cancel our bus and another bus will pick me up. Another one told me he has cancelled everything. Getting agitated I tried to call the Aspira cruise agent with no response but she later told me not to worry as someone will definitely pick me up. I just need to wait for the next confirmation. It was already midnight and no one contacted me. I contacted Aspira again and she reassured me that all will be well. Just wait for the bus in front of the hotel at 7:30AM. The next morning I woke up early and found a message from the same agent who cancelled me the night before; that they have rearranged and he will pick us up at 7:40AM from the hotel. Geez....

The bus ride from Hanoi to Halong Bay took us 2.5 hours. We departed at 7:40am and the bus made a few stops at the Hanoi old quarter to pick up other passengers. We had 1 stop in between for toilet break and arrived at Halong Bay's Tuan Chao harbour at 11:15am. The bus stopped at different cruise docks to drop passengers and finally we arrived at Aspira Cruise dock. We were immediately welcomed into the dock by a staff lady in blue (Aspira color); confirming our names and providing us our room number. Then we waited at the comfy lounge equipped with aircond, clean toilets, wifi and drinks for purchase. At 12pm, we were ushered into a small boat that will transport us to the cruise ship. 

The journey to reach our cruise ship was longer than expected. Each time we saw a ship, we thought it was ours. But then the boat kept going further into the sea. The anticipation heightened as the Ha Long bay scenery got better and better. It is like a preview to the finale moment. After 45 minutes in the boat, we finally saw our ship! As the boat docked, the ship staffs were waving at the ship dock welcoming us aboard.

We were ushered into the cruise dining area as we sipped our welcome drink while getting a cruise briefing. Next, we had a delicious lunch buffet. I was so hungry by now and cannot stop helping myself with the delicious buffet spread. They always have some kind of fresh seafood like fish, squid or prawns which were really yummy! Meanwhile, the cruise captain went round each table to hand us the room key. The captain thought I was Vietnamese and I wouldn't blame them for having a typical SEA look. 

I did not remember which meal was this and surely I took too few photos of the buffet spread as I was too hungry! Everyone finished their lunch and retreated to their rooms. Meanwhile, I was still going for x-th round of food. 

Finally, off to our room! We didn't even need to know which is our room as our luggage was waiting in front of our room .. and that was the last luggage in the corridor as everyone has checked in. 

The room was so luxurious that it was the best accommodation we had in Vietnam. I'll let the pictures do the talking. 

  

 
Cruise lobby. I was mesmerized by the cherry blossom tree. 

Spa and massage parlour at the lobby area. 

Our itinerary

The first event of the day is to explore the "Dark and Bright" cave located in Cat Ba National park. We took the bamboo boat instead of kayaking. If I were to go again, I would take the kayak. Beautiful limestones rising above the emerald waters. The water was so calm and clear. I didn't see any fishes in it. 

Into the "Dark and Bright" cave. 

As we exited the cave, the sight was spellbound. It was like we entered into another mystical land. The feeling is like Spirited Away where the kid entered a small dark tunnel which led them into another world.

Pictures will not do justice to this place and you have to see it with your own eyes. Please see the video above for the whole experience. 

Back to our ship. 

We explored the 4th floor of the ship where we found a small heart shaped pool and deck chairs to enjoy the picturesque view. It was really cold up here in January but the feeling was so serene. Others can choose to jump off the ship for a swim or simply relax at the al-fresco bar at the 3rd floor. There was a Happy Hour buy 2 get 1 free drink at the sky bar. 

We retreated back to our room to enjoy the view at our private balcony. It was peaceful until I heard the load noise "tutututu". Small fisherman boats neared the ship carrying food and drinks for sale. I got pretty annoyed of the pesky sales whenever I tried to go out the balcony. Luckily, it didn't last long. There was even a sign in our room not to buy from them due to health and safety concerns. 

I went up the 4th floor again. This time enjoying the sunset. This activity is not to be missed! There were only about 3-4 groups of us up there at that time. It was pretty cold up here but with a good jacket and blanket, you can cozy up as the ship gently cruise along the bay with the most beautiful sunset backdrop. It was all serene until the tranquility was broken by the loud "tututututu" noise again. There they were again. Several of these boats trying to make a sale. I was at the 4th floor and they even gestured for me to buy stuff from them. How am I supposed to do this transaction if I ever buy from them? Throwing money down and they throw up the drinks?  Sorry, I knew they were trying to make a living but the hard sell and loud engine just spoiled the whole ambience. Luckily they dissipated as the ship cruised further into the bay. 

Back to my Lofi moments...

There was a fresh spring roll making demonstration before dinner. We skipped that as I have seen that a thousand times (OK, exaggerating). It seems like regardless of which cruise company you choose, the itinerary is similar and making spring rolls is one of those activity.  

It was time for dinner!

Dinner was like a fine dining experience. I was too tired to go back to the room to change after all the sunset chillaxing so I went in with slippers. I knew I was under dressed when the passengers came dressed to the nines. Some even looked like they were going to the club. The 2 young ladies gasped when they saw my slippers. I am like... "Yo! Yes I have slippers, I bought it from the market and they costs only one buck!" Then again, I am sorry to my fellow Asians. Being the only SEA representative in this ship, I didn't live up to the expectations. But hello.. this aunty saved money and gave tips to the staff unlike those dressy passengers that just went off after the cruise. Aunty can see...lol

Dinner has started. 

The tables were beautifully setup. There was a live Gu-Zheng performance. Someone received a surprise birthday cake presented by the cruise. The captain and the chef made rounds to each table asking about the food experience. Nothing to complain about the food & the seabass was the best. Fresh and very tender.

On another note elsewhere, it was when I went to a local restaurant. The staff will ask me about their food. Most of the times they are good and sometimes, I gave some constructive feedback. They just smiled and proceed to ask me to give a Google review. 

Dessert - Flan with black sugar tapioca pearls.

At home, this is called pudding with boba. LOL!

Being an ex-boba addict, this boba is freshly made. Bravo to the chef. 

After dinner, one can relax at the sky bar or go squid fishing. For me, I want my me time in the bath tub. How many times can I enjoy a bath tub in a ship, with wide windows overlooking the picturesque bay! 

A little side note, there was no hot water coming out from my bath tub. I had to call for help and the captain who also played the role as operator, mechanic and customer service came to help. After a while, he figured which knobs to turn and taught me. Then he emptied the cold water. Both of us were staring at the super slow speed of the water draining from the tub in silence. It felt like eternity and it was a little awkward. I almost laughed at this bizarre situation but held in. One must not further destroy the SEA image. 

After a good soak in the big tub, it is time to say Good Night. 

The next morning, I set my alarm to wake up at 6:00AM. 

I told myself I must at least once in my life join a sunrise Tai-Chi class on top of a cruise ship. For those who knows me, they will be laughing at me as never in a million years I will be able to wake up early .. what more to do Tai-Chi? Hahaha...

Unfortunately, I woke up with a headache. After taking some medication, I got up to the top deck. They have started the Tai Chi guided by the captain. It was a very silent atmosphere and COLD! I just did 3 strokes and ran inside. A few other passengers did the same. 

Morning at the deck was very energizing surrounded by the beautiful limestones. We saw the staff caught a small fish and a few squids overnight. Then, the captain met us and told us to quickly go catch the sun rise. We caught it just in time as the sun rose from behind the hills. Yesterday, I saw the most beautiful sunset and today, I was greeted by the most beautiful sun rise. Unfortunately, Vietnam was affected by heavy haze, allegedly from multiple hot spots in China. We were pretty lucky to still be able to see the scenery but it would have been even more perfect without the haze. 

  Honestly, I did not understand what the itinerary meant by light breakfast. 

We were served with a full breakfast buffet, chicken/beef pho and customized eggs from the chef. The egg may I say was cooked perfectly. Crunchy on the outside and yolky on the inside. It takes skills to do this. The pho is another chef kiss. 

After breakfast, we have the option to do more kayaking. It was really liberating to be able to kayak in this atmosphere. However, being the lazy pigs like us, we headed back to bed. 

I laid on the super comfy bed while watching the changing facade as the ship gently cruised back to the bay. I really did not want this to end. 

At 8:45AM, captain announced through the AP system that it was time to get ready to check out from the room. No......  After check out we headed up for the last meal - a buffet brunch. At 10:30AM, we had to disembark from the ship into the small boat again. Good bye Aspira cruise as the boat pulled away while the cruise staff aboard waved us good bye. Hope to see you again!

Sun World @ Ba Na Hills

Sun World at Ba Na Hills - aside from Danang's white sandy beaches and coastal vibes, Sun World is a must visit for theme park lovers. It is one of the best themed parks I have been and let me tell you why...

Sun World is a themed park built on top of Ba Na Hills. The park is high above the clouds horizon which makes you feel like you are playing in a heavenly kingdom. Its design is integrated with nature and going up Sun World itself via the single rope cable car is an attraction on its own. Did you know that the cable car here is the LONGEST in the world and deemed as the most impressive cable car rides in the world. Let me show you below. 

Firstly, let's break down some key tips before going up to Sun World. After much research coupled with my own personal experience, this will save you some time and hopefully gives you a great experience up there. 

1. Weather - Please check the weather forecast to ensure it is sunny before going. As mentioned, the park is on top of a hill so expect some slopes and inclination while exploring the park. Some areas have cobblestones or stairs which will be more difficult and slippery to navigate while raining. Besides, you will miss all the chances to get good views of the scenery and opportunity for good pictures. Also, majority of the attractions are outdoor. For those going during winter, it is a different vibe where fog is prevalent. You get the winter feel but your pictures will be just foggy and probably your memory of the place too. Haha! We went up in January and it was perfect on that day. It was sunny with blue skies and the weather is still cool. 
   
   
2. Arrive early - The park opens at 8AM. Arriving before 9AM will be ideal especially if you want a good shot of the Golden Bridge without all the tourists heads. Tourist buses and the shuttle bus from Danang generally arrives at 9AM and that will suddenly over-crowd the Golden Bridge. We hired a private car to Sun World by leaving at 7:15AM from Danang hotel and we reached in less than an hour even though the driver was driving just 55km/hour. 
   
   
3. Online tickets - Get your tickets online if possible to avoid queues. Your time is precious on this day to get the most of Sun World. We got ours from Klook. 
   
   
4. Outfit - Sun World can get really hot even though we went during January. Equip yourself with sun block, sun glasses, hats and umbrellas. Wear layered for possible change of temperature. After all, you can "come down" and "go up" again to change your outfit.  
   
   
5. Food & Drinks - Food is not permitted. However, there doesn't seem to have checks at the gates. Bring plenty of water to hydrate. Food in Sun World is generally more expensive so be prepared with $ if you are dining there. If you are parched, Sun World's ticket gives you 2 cold beers per person where you can claim from the Brew House. 
   
   
6. Transportation Pick Up - The cable car ride per way takes about 20 minutes. Remember to allocate at least 30-40 minutes to make your way down from Sun World to meet your driver or bus. It is not easy to find your way down due to multiple paths with lack of signage. It also depends on where you are at the top. If you are somewhere in Land of the Moon, you have to wait for the slow tram and walk some distance to the nearest cable car. Not to mention there are 4 cable car routes. Tip is to ask the staff with a map. They are stationed at keys areas to guide you. We met our driver on time although it felt like Amazing Race connecting the path towards the exit. 
   
   
7. How long to spend in the park - Sun World is a large park and you may not cover everything in a day. Although we spent about 8 hours there, we didn't get to cover every areas as we spent time leisurely enjoying the rides, pictures and shop. Try to cover the attractions that interest you first. For me, it's the Golden Bridge as timing is crucial for that one. Once that was completed, I have a leisurely stroll in the park and go to whenever the path brought me. 

Short Introduction

Now, let's begin our journey ...

Main Entrance of Sun World Bana Hills

 

Pathway to the cable car. Tickets will be checked at the cable car entrance. 

Going up and up! 

The scenery got more dramatic the higher we went. If you are a single traveler, you can get the whole cable car to yourself. Yes, it was that nice unlike some places where they forced you to share the car with others. For those with fear of heights, don't worry it is only 1,487 meters high with your life held by a single cable car rope. You can DIY to resolve your own problems as air sickness bag is provided. They even put calming music for you to enjoy the ride. 

Oh we reached the top. I see the hands! 

Golden Gate bridge (Giant hands bridge). This is the top attraction in Ba Na hills. 

If you follow the tips above, you should get these amazing views!
The sun was so bright that we could not see some of the pictures we were taking. So we just clicked our phones non stop hoping we get a good shot. 

As we left the Golden Gate bridge around 9:30AM, the throng of tourists flocking the bridge became unbearable. So we left by taking another cable car ride to the French Village. 

The ambience became more tranquil at the entrance of the French Village. Angels, Gargoyles and more sceneries. 

We entered into the heart of the French Village where the atmosphere became more lively. There were shops, restaurants and even a hotel here. 

We watched 2 live performances in front of the cathedral which was lively and entertaining - The skating performance and the French Cabaret or can-can dance. 

Finally I found the Brew House to get my ice cold beers. I am parched from all the walking. You will need to walk towards the end of the French village to reach the Brew House. 

After a quick refreshment, we came to a small outdoor park. We took the Swing du Fantasie and the slow-mo carousel. 

Next, we entered into the Spiritual Zone. 

I was attracted by the beautiful deco with smoke coming out from the stairs giving a mystical feel. Little did we know that climbing these small stairs led to a bigger revelation at the top. 

Here, you get the best bird's eye view of the entire park "floating" above the clouds. Magical sights. 

There's a tea shop if you fancy. 

Coming down, we entered back into the "city center". 

Suddenly, Pop Mart in a shape of a castle appeared. 

It was crowded inside but I must say that this is the most comprehensive pop mart I have visited. I have been to several Pop Marts just to browse but can never find a Labubu. Here, you can find all the collections. You even get to buy the full set. Folks were going crazy and grabbing the blind boxes as if they were free. Mind you, one box costs more than US$10 and you don't even know what is inside. I was looking at the Labubu Yoga collection when a girl just snapped up the full set which costs more than $100. They kept saying it's worth it - it's worth it here. So I got easily influenced and grabbed 2 Labubu blind boxes. OMG! 

Even if you don't fancy Pop Mart, you can enjoy window shopping here but beware of the crazy crowd.  

The cute yoga series which I got a blind box. Guess which one I got?

Excuse me, who buy these? They are so depressing and kind of ugly...

All the cute plushies are not for sale :(

This "Pop Ma" (Grand Ma) was holding up the queue at the counter. Video calling her grand kids on which Labubu to buy. I bumped into her later seeing her leaving Pop Mart with a big bag full of goodies. Lucky grand kids. 

All these while we have just covered Land of the Sun. Time check, we had about 1.5 hours left to 4:30PM. Time flies when you are having fun! 

We made a bee line to catch the tram to Land of the Moon. We ran to catch two 4D shows at the 4D Theater and The Flying Eyes theatre. The 4D movie was cool showing an animation of a family in a high paced chase to catch a witch. Meanwhile The Flying Eyes theatre let us explore the different continents of the world. It was memorable that the theatre became really hot as we flew above the desert grounds. IMO, the video resolution of the Flying Eyes theatre can be upgraded. Each show lasted about 15 minutes and there was not much queue. 

 I was nervously watching the time as we waited for the slow-mo tram to bring us out from Land of the Moon. After asking the staff on the fastest route down, we did an Amazing Race sprint to catch the closest cable car to meet our driver. The cable car ride down was different as the clouds were heavier now. We were enveloped by the white clouds and cannot see anything but whiteness. We kept asking ourselves, is this what heaven feels like when we die? 

We left at 4:30PM skipping the tour bus crowd again and head back to Danang. 
We were really thankful for today's amazing weather and had a wonderful time at Sun World, Ba Na Hills.