Halong Bay Cruises

This guide to Halong Bay Cruises traces the boats that first left this dock in 1991, open sided and benchless, with no food unless ordered days ahead. It follows the scramble that began after UNESCO listed the bay in 1994, when operators raced between 1997 and 2000 to add decks, cabins and kitchens to a growing fleet. A single company, Bai Tho Junks, ran some of the very first of those early trips out onto the water.