Places Visited:

The Franco-Vietnamese trend-setters, Bhaya, were among the first companies to run cruises at Halong Bay, and their four luxurious ‘Classic’ boats continue to raise the benchmark, both for their service standards and handsome appearance. Inspired by the royal cruisers of Emperor Khai Dinh, they’re beautifully designed, with white-painted exteriors and lustrous, varnished wood cabins featuring trims of turquoise and coral-coloured silk. We think they’re the perfect size: large enough to afford a degree of privacy, but compact enough for sociable gatherings on the upper sun deck and in the roomy restaurant, which serves top class gourmet fusion cuisine that perfectly complements the exotic views drifting past outside. This can easily be accessed from Hanoi by a 5 hours drive.