After breakfast at Tru by Hilton Viet Tri City Centre, we all boarded our coach for the over 4-hour/258-km. drive, including short stopovers at Hanoi and Hai Durong, to Ha Long Bay arriving, before noon, at the Ha Long International Cruise Port which just came into operation in 2019, is closer to the city center and, hence, easy to travel.

Upon entering the terminal, we walked towards the berthing area of Ambrose Cruise which was to take us on a a modern, 5-star luxury six-hour day cruise of Ha Long Bay.

Launched in 2025, Ambrose Cruise is a 40 m. long, vessel, with three luxurious decks with an area of 400 sq. m.. Built in an elegant and sophisticated Indochina style, it can accommodate up to 99 guests.

It has an infinity Jacuzzi pool on the second deck, an ocean-view restaurant and bar, a grand stage with a large LED screen and state-of-the-art sound and lighting systems, and a spacious outdoor lounge area.  I liken it to a “floating hotel” with high-class, 5-star standards.

We arrived just in time for a premium gourmet buffet lunch with a wide selection of local traditional Vietnamese dishes, including vegetarian/vegan options, seafood, fish and chicken.  The spacious dining area featured a wooden ceiling, a yellow lighting system and black and white pattern floor tiles. 

We were soon on our way and, as we were dining, we had great panoramic views, from large windows, of the city’s harbor as well as its iconic landmarks such as the breathtaking Sun Wheel (a towering Ferris wheel, with 64 cabins, perched atop Ba Deo Mountain), the Queen Cable Car (known for having the world’s tallest cable car tower and a double-decker cabin) and the Ban Chay Bridge (a unique cable-stayed bridge) and, soon enough, of limestone islands such as Hon Ga Choi, Hon Dinh Huong and Hon Cay Dua.

The first stop in our itinerary was Bo Hon Island where tourists can ride traditional bamboo rafts (a relaxed, local-guided option perfect for families or those wanting to soak in the scenery without paddling) or go kayaking (a self-paced adventure), paddling through the low archway of the natural tunnel of Luon Cave (Hang Luon), into a serene, enclosed lagoon, surrounded by limestone cliffs with lush vegetation, where you can spot rare orchids, ferns and playful golden monkeys.

Our next stop, also on Bo Hon Island, was Sung Sot Cave/Surprising Cave (Thien Cung Cave), the largest and the most beautiful cave in Ha Long Bay.

Check out “Sung Hot Cave”

After disembarking from the boat, Jandy and I and joined other tourists, from other boats, in exploring the cave’s stunning formations of stalactites and stalagmites and two vast chambers.

Our last stop was the 3.7-hectare Ti Top Island, one of the smallest islands making up Ha Long Bay and a not-to-be-missed stopover for tourists in the journey of exploring the bay. Originally called Nghia Dia or Hong Thap Tu, the island was renamed after the Russian cosmonaut Gherman Titov during his visit to Ha Long Bay in 1962. Here, tourist can go swimming along the beautiful, crescent-shaped Vang Trang Beach, with its smooth white sand beach, or hike up 400 steep steps, up a 100-meter high hill, to the island’s peak for spectacular panoramic bay views.

Come sunset, a party was held on the sundeck where guests relaxed and served Vietnamese tea, cake, fresh fruits, and snacks.

Ambrose Cruises: 173 An Duong Vuong Street, Tay Ho, Hanoi, Vietnam. Tel/ Whatsapp: +84.987.876.013.  Email: contact@cruise-halong-bay.com.