Bhaya Cruises Blog

Why the whole Halong Bay scenery is going to change dramatically in the next coming months?

Bhaya Cruises — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 02:53:58 +0000

Tourists coming to Halong Bay from May 2012 might not recognize what they have seen on their favorite movie of Halong Bay or their travel agency brochure…

Indeed, the board of management of Halong Bay has recently announced to all cruise operators that all boats cruising the bay of the descending dragon shall be repainted in white except for the dragon heads junks, sending the image of traditional wooden junks to the past.

The reason invoked by the board of management is the necessity of creating a unique image for the boats sailing in Halong bay after the bay recently received international recognition as a new wonder of the world. The boats that wouldn’t follow this decision would lose their license.

After this decision was made official by the board of management of Halong Bay, a unanimous reaction of surprise and disagreement was felt among cruise operators in Halong Bay. Indeed, the association for Halong bay tourism boats sent a letter to the board of management to oppose the decision.

The reasons raised by the members of the association are the costs involved in such operation and the loss of Halong bay’s traditional brown wooden boats. Indeed, painting a boat in white costs between 30 and 40 million VND depending on the size of the boat, and about 500 boats in Halong Bay are concerned by this decision. The bill is even bigger as Halong Bay knows at the moment its high season for tourism and painting the boats requires stopping them at a time when most of the companies reach an occupancy rate of 70%.

In terms of image, cruise operators have been opposing the idea of losing the traditional brown wooden junks with brown sails to white boats. The brown wooden junks are a tradition of Halong bay whereas white boats refer to international yachts and big cruise ships and imposing a unique color could be misleading for the guests.

As a result to this fierce opposition from Halong bay cruise operators to create a branding image of Halong Bay boats through the white color and after a meeting organized with the association of Halong bay boats, the Quang Ninh’s people committee decided to come back on this decision and impose the use of white color for some details only.

Right after this decision, the association for Halong Bay boats has expressed its relief. Mr Doan Van Dung, chief of the association said that cruise operators in Halong bay “are now not facing the financial burden of following the authorities’ order, because it would have cost them tens of millions of dong to repaint their boats and been a time consuming process as well”.

However, a decision is still to be taken on the percentage of each boat that should be repainted in white. Many people fear that Halong Bay boats would still lose their uniqueness after this decision and that it doesn’t contribute to development of tourism in Halong Bay. John, a British tourist interviewed on Bai Chay tourism wharf explains: “people coming to Halong Bay don’t expect to see hundreds of boats painted the same way, with the same color. Taking this kind of decision helps erasing each boat’s identity in order to create a general image for Halong Bay, it’s counterproductive. We lose tradition to marketing.”

An official announcement on the exact terms of this decision is to be made in the next few days.

Filed under: Bhaya News, Halong Bay, Travel News

Bhaya Cruises got recommended on The Independent UK

Bhaya Cruises — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 08:07:54 +0000

The Independent

A breathless week in non-stop Vietnam

Mark Stratton embarks on a turbo-charged seven days travelling from north to south – all made possible by the first direct flights from the UK

Mark Stratton

Sunday, 15 January 2012

‘Good Morning Vietnam!” boomed the taxi driver shuttling me from the airport to breakfast in Hanoi.

His Robin Williams impersonation wasn’t great. But I’d certainly arrived early enough – on the first-ever non-stop flight from the UK to Vietnam – to witness Hanoi waking up. The city’s parks swayed to tai chi; hungry patrons breakfasted on pho noodles at pavement food-stalls. Even Hanoi’s millions of motorcyclists had not yet reached the ear-splitting pitch that marks the daily rush hour.

Vietnam Airlines has just begun flying from Gatwick to the capital, Hanoi, and the main commercial hub, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), each at opposing ends of the country. Is Vietnam, then, now within the realm of an exotic week-long break? I decided to find out during a turbo-charged trip flying “open jaw” in to Hanoi and out of Ho Chi Minh City. In between I’d experience one of Asia’s great rail journeys, plus Halong Bay: one of the world’s greatest natural wonders.

Vietnam has embraced the internet energetically, and before travelling I’d saved time booking everything online: visa, airport transfers, train ticket, day trips and accommodation. My hotel was a friendly new guesthouse called the Art Hotel in Hanoi’s atmospheric old quarter around Hoan Kiem Lake. There was no app available, however, to assist with my disorientation amid the old quarter’s frenetic maze of markets, cafés, street-restaurants and crumbling French colonial architecture.

Hanoi became Vietnam’s capital in 1010. The old quarter’s labyrinthine geography appears to have changed little since then. My survival strategy for exploring it (beyond not getting run over by scooters) involved allowing fate to deliver me hither and thither. I happened upon backstreet gems such as Bach Ma’s 18th-century temple dedicated to a white horse spirit, and a handsome 19th-century house at 87 Ma May, whose hidden courtyards and creaky wooden rooms were redolent of a forgotten age.

Besides baguettes, Hanoi’s most eloquent Francophone expression is the decadently opulent Metropole Hotel, which dates back to 1901. During the Vietnam War it played host to various anti-war celebrities, including Jane Fonda, while the hotel recently unearthed a forgotten air-raid shelter where Joan Baez part-recorded her protest ballad “Where are you now, my son?”. But the times, as her old flame Dylan noted, they are a-changin’.

Luxury outlets such as Bentley and Cartier surround the hotel, a reflection of communist Vietnam’s post-war economic liberalisation. Its reforms have mirrored China’s authoritarian capitalism. Hammer-and-sickle motifs on public buildings and visibly prominent green-uniformed soldiers are a reminder to the visitor that Vietnam’s one-party state remains a politically repressive regime, intolerant of dissent.

The arrival of top-end British motor cars and luxury French watchmakers would not have amused Vietnam’s revolutionary guiding light, Ho Chi Minh, with whom I would come face-to-face with later at his mausoleum. A short walk outside the old quarter, amid a stylish suburb of French Art Deco villas around Ba Dinh Square, and I joined a lengthy queue of Vietnamese filing into his monolithic mausoleum: a Soviet-style Parthenon. Inside, I had less than a minute to file by his waxy corpse (still with signature straggly goatee) as it lay in quiet repose inside a glass chamber flanked by expressionless soldiers with glinting bayonets. I exited at the propaganda-drenched Ho Chi Minh Museum, perhaps Hanoi’s most obvious expression of concrete neo-brutalism.

Hanoi is also responsible for some of South-east Asia’s tastiest street food, the best of which I sought with Belgian expatriate Yves from HG Travel, with whom I’d organised several excursions. Down Ngo Trang Tien near his office, we ate bun dau: tofu served with vermicelli-noodle cakes soaked in fermented squid sauce.

“Many visitors don’t like this strong taste,” said Yves. I did. The 75p dish combined hot chilli, slimy vermicelli and the pungent sauce, but somehow it worked.

Pavement eateries aren’t the limit of Hanoi’s culinary ambitions. That evening I dined at the Press Club, haunt of Hanoi’s well-heeled – a decadent whirl of white tablecloths, silver service and Asian woodwork. It may be the swankiest fine-dining eatery in town, but my three-course meal (featuring Australian tenderloin beef in green peppercorn sauce) cost just 975,000 dong (around £30).

The general manager, Kurt Walter, told me that since opening in 1997 the restaurant’s clientele has expanded from expatriates to a mix that now includes the Vietnamese nouveau riche.

Before heading south, there was time for an excursion eastwards, to the coast. After a three-hour drive from Hanoi, I was ensconced on a wooden junk marvelling at Halong Bay’s breathtaking limestone karsts: sharpened like shark-fins, or undercut to form stone toadstools, or in pitted rows resembling cavity-filled dentures.

“I’ve been here 100 times but never tire of their beauty,” said Dang Dong, my guide. During our four-hour cruise we watched foraging sea-eagles and ate squid, tiger prawns and cockles. Then it was time to shuttle back to Hanoi to catch the 11pm Reunification Express to Ho Chi Minh City.

She left on time. I boarded the rather functionally named SE3 service, which pulled out of Hanoi station with a groan of metal I’d heard before in disaster movies. I’d booked into a comfortable four-berth soft-sleeper cabin for a whopping 1.76 million dong (just £54). The 30-hour, 1,726km marathon south proved a scenic revelation.

Relaunched in 1976 after wartime partition, the rail route shadows two borders – those of Laos and Cambodia – while to the east the Gulf of Tonkin morphs into the South China Sea. My fellow passengers came and went, jumping off at exotic destinations such as Hue, the ancient imperial capital straddling the Perfume River; and Danang for Hoi An, a coastal port whose architecture has been richly augmented by centuries of foreign trade. I remained for the long haul, immersed in Graham Greene’s Vietnam classic, The Quiet American, and gazing seawards as the SE3 snaked through tunnels, along plunging coastal cliffs, past deserted beaches and rice-paddies being furrowed by buffalo.

I arrived in Ho Chi Minh City a mere 96 frenetic hours after touching down in Hanoi. During the 2002 remake of The Quiet American, Michael Caine and the rest of the cast stayed at Hotel Caravelle, which hosted journalists during the Vietnam War. Even after the hotel was bombed in 1964, they continued frequenting its Saigon Saigon Bar, which still swings away on the 9th floor. The hotel has been refurbished along with Saigon’s name: it is now Ho Chi Minh City’s most luxurious offering. I rolled in at 6am after two nights on the rails, eager for a bed that didn’t rattle.

The next morning, I learnt that Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi are worlds apart. Founded in 1698, the southern city outshines its northern rival in size and population, and in the burgeoning capitalism epitomised by the designer soaked Dong Khoi Street, nicknamed locally “Champs-Elysées”. Its broader French boulevards prove even more hazardous to cross than in Hanoi – with relentless, molten streams of scooters.

There’s rivalry, too, between the cities. I was variously told the North Vietnamese were haughty, unfriendly, too serious, and obsessed by bureaucracy. Tittle tattle, maybe, but the cultural differences are still tangible between the Western-influenced south and the more communist north. There are also differing dialects and cuisine, with Ho Chi Minh City’s food influenced by its large Chinese contingency and its climate – it was a good 10C hotter than chilly Hanoi when I visited.

Many of the city’s highlights fall within administrative District 1 (the equivalent of a central business zone) including two must-sees around Tao Dan Park. Communist tanks stormed the Independence Palace on 30 April 1975, ending the war. The tanks are still mounted within this former South Vietnamese headquarters in attractive grounds of azalea and frangipani. The building itself has become the Reunification Palace, but retains its 1960s-era modernist interior that is full-on Thunderbirds retro, all curving sofas and leather-clad cocktail bars.

Nearby, the absorbing War Remnants Museum hosts sobering exhibits of Agent Orange’s lasting effects on the Vietnamese, alongside a gripping collection of wartime photography seen through the lenses of Robert Capa and his contemporaries.

Meanwhile, Ben Thanh market seduces visitors with souvenir shops, bars, spas and a nightly food market. On my last evening, I grazed there on banh xeo crêpes stuffed with bean sprouts, before migrating to Thuong Hien street to eat steamed crab claws and green mussels. But I preferred the grittier authenticity of Binh Tay market, 10km away in Cholon, established by Saigon’s sizeable Chinese community. I reached it by riding pillion on a xe-om motorbike-taxi (drivers tout for business on every street corner). It’s a handy service, but my safety helmet’s markings – “hope you are lucky” – probably said it best.

One week after leaving London, the evening timing of Vietnam Airlines’ Friday departure permitted one last excursion; 60km outside Saigon lie the remarkable Cu Chi defensive tunnels, dug on three levels by the Viet Cong in the 1960s. My guide, Dam, and I potholed through sections of the 250km complex, which survived B52 bombing, and rediscovered the surface in plenty of time for my flight.

I arrived back in London at 6am on Saturday morning weary but with the weekend to shake off jetlag. Slow travel it wasn’t. But a non-stop flight seemed tailor-made for a non-stop destination. Vietnam never pauses for breath.

The Itinerary

Friday: Depart Gatwick on flight VN0144 at noon

Saturday: Arrive Hanoi 6.40am Hanoi sightseeing

Sunday: Hanoi sightseeing

Monday: Daytrip to Ha Long Bay from 8am-6pm; board SE3 Reunification Express to Ho Chi Minh City at 11pm

Tuesday: All day on Train

Wednesday: Arrive Ho Chi Minh City at 5am. Sightseeing

Thursday: Sightseeing

Friday: Cu Chi Tunnels excursion from 8am to 2pm. Depart Ho Chi Minh City on flight VN0141 at 11.15pm

Saturday: Arrive Gatwick 6am

Travel Essentials

Getting There

Vietnam Airlines (020-3263 2062; vietnamairlines.com) flies non-stop from Gatwick to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City twice weekly; £618 return. Open-jaw fares start at £780.

Staying There

Art Hotel, Hanoi (00 84 98 234 5239; hanoiarthotel.com). Doubles start at US$38.50 (£26), including breakfast.

Hotel Metropole, Hanoi (00 84 4 3826 6919; sofitel.com). Doubles from £175, room only. Hotel Caravelle, Ho Chi Minh City (00 84 8 3823 4999; caravellehotel.com). Doubles from $200 (£133), room only.

Getting Around

For train reservations, see vietnam-trains.com. A single ticket from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City in a four-berth cabin costs 1.76m dong (£54).

Visiting There

Local operator HG Travel (hgtravel.com) can arrange excursions and tours to destinations such as Cu Chi and Halong Bay (bhayacruises.com).

The Press Club, Hanoi (00 84 4 3934 0888; hanoi-pressclub.com).

More Information

British passport-holders require a visa, available for £44 from the Vietnam Embassy, 12 Victoria Road, London W8 5RD (020-7937 1912; vietnamembassy.org.uk). Authorisation letters for visas on arrival can be obtained from myvietnamvisa.com for £12.29, plus a US$25 (£16.70) stamping fee on arrival. Vietnam Tourist Board: vietnamtourism.com

Filed under: Bhaya News Tagged: Bhaya Cruises, Halong Bay, Hanoi, ho chi minh city, Vietnam

Vietnam to welcome 6 million foreign visitors by year end 2011

Bhaya Cruises — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 09:49:27 +0000

Vietnam will welcome the 6 millionth foreign visitor by the end of this December, who would help the tourism sector surpass its target of 5.3-5.5 million foreign arrivals this year, according to the Vietnam Administration of Tourism (VNAT).

In the first 11 months, the country welcomed more than 5.4 million foreign visitors, up 17.8 percent year-on-year. The number of tourists from overseas has increased, of which China took the lead with more than 1.2 million visitors, up 49 percent.

The VNAT said the increase was attributed to local tourism agencies’ unceasing efforts to hold various promotion events, besides improving the quality of tourist services.

The National Tourism Year 2011 with focus on marine tourism in the coastal southern central provinces, and major cultural events including the international fireworks contest in central Da Nang city, the Sea Tourism Week in central Nha Trang city, Khanh Hoa province, and the Carnival Week in Tuan Chau, Quang Ninh province, contributed to attract more foreign tourists to visit Vietnam, according to the VNAT.

Filed under: Bhaya News

Halong Bay, Vietnam, has been named among the world’s new seven wonders of nature

Bhaya Cruises — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 02:39:48 +0000

Based on the first count of vote results on 11/11/11, the Amazon rainforest, Vietnam’s Halong Bay, Argentina’s Iguazu Falls, South Korea’s Jeju Island, Indonesia’s Komodo, the Philippines’ Puerto Princesa Underground River and South Africa’s Table Mountain, have been crowned as the world’s provisional new 7 wonders of nature.

1. The Amazon Rainforest, also known as Amazonia, the Amazon jungle or the Amazon Basin, encompasses seven million square kilometers (1.7 billion acres), though the forest itself occupies some 5.5 million square kilometers (1.4 billion acres), located within nine nations. The Amazon represents over half of the planet’s remaining rainforests and comprises the largest and most species-rich tract of tropical rainforest in the world. The Amazon River is the largest river in the world by volume, with a total flow greater than the top ten rivers worldwide combined. It accounts for approximately one-fifth of the total world river flow and has the biggest drainage basin on the planet. Not a single bridge crosses the Amazon.

2. Halong Bay is located in Quang Ninh province, Vietnam. The bay features thousands of limestone karsts and isles in various sizes and shapes. The bay has a 120 kilometre long coastline and is approximately 1,553 square kilometres in size with 1969 islets. Several of the islands are hollow, with enormous caves, other support floating villages of fishermen, who ply the shallow waters for 200 species of fish and 450 different kinds of mollusks. Another specific feature of Halong Bay is the abundance of lakes inside the limestone islands, for example, Dau Be island has six enclosed lakes. All these island lakes occupy drowned dolines within fengcong karst.

3. Iguazu Falls, in Iguazu River, are one of the world’s largest waterfalls. They extend over 2,700 m (nearly 2 miles) in a semi-circular shape. Of the 275 falls that collectively make up Iguassu Falls, “Devil’s Throat” is the tallest at 80 m in height. Iguazu Falls are on the border between the Brazilian state of Paraná and the Argentine province of Misiones, and are surrounded by two National Parks (BR/ARG). Both are subtropical rainforests that are host to hundreds of rare and endangered species of flora and fauna.

4. Jejudo is a volcanic island, 130 km from the southern coast of Korea. The largest island and smallest province in Korea, the island has a surface area of 1,846 sqkm. A central feature of Jeju is Hallasan, the tallest mountain in South Korea and a dormant volcano, which rises 1,950 m above sea level. 360 satellite volcanoes are around the main volcano.

Final results will be announced early next year, said the New7Wonders foundation.

5. Indonesia’s Komodo National Park includes the three larger islands Komodo, Rinca and Padar, as well as numerous smaller ones, for a total area of 1,817 square kilometers (603 square kilometers of it land). The national park was founded in 1980 to protect the Komodo dragon. Later, it was also dedicated to protecting other species, including marine animals. The islands of the national park are of volcanic origin.

6. The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park is located about 50 km north of the city of Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Philippines. It features a limestone karst mountain landscape with an 8.2 km. navigable underground river. A distinguishing feature of the river is that it winds through a cave before flowing directly into the South China Sea. It includes major formations of stalactites and stalagmites, and several large chambers. The lower portion of the river is subject to tidal influences. The underground river is reputed to be the world’s longest. At the mouth of the cave, a clear lagoon is framed by ancient trees growing right to the water’s edge. Monkeys, large monitor lizards, and squirrels find their niche on the beach near the cave.

7. Table Mountain is a South African icon and the only natural site on the planet to have a constellation of stars named after it – Mensa, meaning “the table.” The flat-topped mountain has withstood six million years of erosion and hosts the richest, yet smallest floral kingdom on earth with over 1,470 floral species. Table Mountain boasts numerous rare and endangered species. It is the most recognized site in Cape Town, the gateway to Africa, owing to its unique flat-topped peaks which reach 1,086 m above sea level.

The final lists will be announced early next year, said the New7Wonders foundation.

Filed under: Halong Bay, Travel News Tagged: Amazon Rainforest, Hạ Long Bay, Iguazu Falls, Jeju-do, Komodo National Park, Philippine, Puerto Princesa, South Korea

Festive Season Cruise in Halong Bay with Bhaya

Bhaya Cruises — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 04:00:14 +0000

A Christmas Seasonal cruise is always a wonderful experience! With Bhaya Cruises, not only can you enjoy the festive season with all the traditional trimmings, but you can do so while exploring the mystical majesty of World Natural Heritage-listed Halong Bay.A 2 day 1 night luxury Christmas cruise aboard Bhaya Classic offers the ultimate in yuletide indulgence.

Bhaya Christmas Seasonal Cruises are a combination of outstanding accommodation; superb dining choices and a unique ‘home-away-from-home’ setting to ensure a magical trip.Book today for Christmas and New Year 2012 Seasonal Cruises with Bhaya and look forward to a festive season like none before.

Cruise Duration: 2 days/ 1 night Vessels: Bhaya Classic

For more details please click here

Filed under: Bhaya News

Last Minute Deal – Big Promotion Ever – Only $135/pax !!!

Bhaya Cruises — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 01:51:41 +0000

Last Minute Deal – Halong Bay 2 day 1 night cruise on Bhaya Classic. 30% off or only $135 per person/night from now to 15 Oct. 2011! Visit our website at www.bhayacruises.com or Contact us now at: sales@bhayacruises.com

Up to 30% OFF or $135 only per person/night from today to 15 Oct. 2011. This limited-time, special introductory promotion offers an unbeatable chance to discover one of the world’s most adored travel destinations: Halong Bay, while enjoying the ultimate comfort and luxury onboard a Bhaya Classic cruise vessel.

See more details of this promotion

Filed under: Bhaya News Tagged: Cat Ba Island, Cruises, halong bay cruises, Hạ Long Bay, promotion, Travel, Vietnam

Bhaya Cruises to Launch 4 New Vessels in Mar 2012

Bhaya Cruises — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 02:46:55 +0000

Bhaya Cruises, Halong Bay’s premier cruise provider, is launching 4 new vessels in the Bhaya Legend Fleet. Built in similar style to the larger Bhaya Classic vessels, the 4 new Bhaya Legend vessels feature two decks with a semi-covered dining area offering panoramic views. They have between one and four Bhaya Suites offering luxury fit for royalty. Attentive, personalized service and a maximum of four passengers will guarantee intimate privacy.

The launch of the new fleet gives more options to tour operators and travel agents catering to the increasing demand for luxury cruise tours in Halong Bay and Cat Ba Island. Bhaya Cruises will offer special deals to promote the 4 new vessels.

For more information, travel agents, tour operators and press are welcome to contact the Bhaya Team at IFTM Top Resa in France during the 20^th-23^rd of this month.

Or you can visit Bhaya website: bhayacruises.com

Filed under: Bhaya News Tagged: Cat Ba Island, Cruises, Hạ Long Bay, launch, Travel, Vietnam

Bhaya Cruises Certificate of Excellence 2011 by TripAdvisor

Bhaya Cruises — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 11:11:38 +0000

Bhaya Cruises proudly announce that we have awarded Certificate of Excellence 2011 from TripAdvisor on 27 May 2011 for excellent service quality. Bhaya Cruises has received 12 excellent rating from domestic and international travelers. We are passionate to offer passengers truly authentic cruising experience to amazing destinations and graceful accommodation on board. Furthermore, Bhaya’s dedicated crew team offers a smiling service with thoughtful little touch adding another charming feature to the cruise. We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your continuous support and it would be such a great honor to have you cruise with us on your next journey.

Filed under: Bhaya News Tagged: Cruises, Hạ Long Bay, Travel, TripAdvisor, Vietnam

Bhaya Cruises is the Silver Sponsor for YouPlanet Hanoi Launch Event

Bhaya Cruises — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 03:05:32 +0000

YouPlanet.com is a social media online-network enterprise designed for travelers and businesses in tourism-related industry. Their online functions serve to members and partners all over the world and now they are ready to take a part in Vietnam’s booming social network. The launch event of YouPlanet in Hanoi is going to take place at The Match Box Restaurant & Café on 31 Aug 2011.

Youplanet Vietnam and Co-organisers have decided to support an NGO organisation-Vietnam Relief Services (VRS) with projects on local scale to build & improve communities in Vietnam. Their aim is to raise funds and awareness during the Youplanet Launch.

The Launch Program will have 3 main parts: Business Lunch Network, Travelers’ Network and Chambers’ Network. Then, on the second day of 1 Sep 2011, there will be an After-Party DJ Show.

On this ocassion, Bhaya Cruises is proud to be the Silver Sponsor for the YouPlanet Hanoi Launch Ceremony. We hope to build the cooperation between both sides in the future to develop the social media online network in Vietnam tourism industry. You will find Bhaya Cruises on the official website of YouPlanet.com

Filed under: Bhaya News, Events Tagged: Bhaya Cruises, Disc jockey, events, Hanoi, network, Social media, Social network, Travel and Tourism, Vietnam, Youplanet, Youplanet.com

Bhaya’s Newsletter August 2011

Bhaya Cruises — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 10:41:20 +0000

NEW SAFETY POLICY FOR CRUISE OPERATORS IN HALONG BAY

Since June 2011, the Halong Authority has tightened control over all its operating tourist junks and vessels. New, stricter regulations regarding Safety Equipment have been issued. All boats are now required to have Global and Fire-fighting Systems, GPS and are expected to have sophisticated accident prevention measures in place.

Bhaya Cruises is proud to be among first operators that’s met these exacting standards. Being the largest operator in the bay for the luxury segment, all Bhaya vessels operate under strict professional and daily technical and maintenance-schedules. Each schedule includes regular monthly and bi-annual routine maintenance and annual dry-docking to ensure that the standards of seaworthiness and accommodation are met. All vessels are equipped with safety facilities in strict compliance with governmental regulations.

The vessels are managed by experienced captains and professional crew team. The staff has acquired training certificates accredited by the relevant Vietnamese Government Authority. All our efforts have secured us approval and we’ve been granted a permanent registration certificate to operate in Halong Bay.

For further information about our Safety Policies on board, please click here.

TUAN CHAU ISLAND BEACH, NEW VENUE FOR LARGE MICE AND INCENTIVE GROUPS

As the largest MICE operator in Halong Bay, Bhaya Cruises is a pioneer in creating, handling and promoting MICE in Halong Bay. Most frequent venues for MICE group in Halong Bay are Ho Dong Tien grotto, Hang Trong grotto & Titov beach. Bhaya Cruises is among few operators which can organize exclusive events in Hang Thay grotto, Sung Sot grotto & floating platform.

The Tramplin Club chose Bhaya Cruises to organize the recreational retreat for their top executives. We welcomed 250 distinguished guests and treated them to an exotic, open-air BBQ party with Tuan Chau Island beach as a backdrop. Top DJs and bands provided the musical entertainment. The guests savored both Western and Vietnamese cuisine. We are happy to report that the Tramplin executives treasured every moment.

To view pictures and set up of the event, please click here.

ANNUAL MAINTENANCE FOR THE BHAYA CLASSIC III

Bhaya Classic III will dock for intensive renovation and maintenance from now until 30 September 2011 in the Vinashin Halong Shipyard. This is part of our commitment to the safety of our passengers. The entire vessel will be under inspection and no expense will be spared to ensure your safety. Our technicians will upgrade equipment where necessary. This is in compliance with the standard safety and environmental regulations. Furthermore, all our facilities have been upgraded to guarantee your comfort.

BHAYA CRUISES GOES FIVE STAR

In March 2012, Bhaya Cruises will be launching two unique new vessels, The Au Co, the first and only luxury operator to offer an exclusive 3 day 2 night cruise in the Gulf of Tonkin, visiting Cat Ba Island and the bays of Halong, Lan Ha and Bai Tu Long. The Au Co sets new standards in terms of luxury guaranteeing its guests an experience of a lifetime.”

Download Bhaya’s Newsletter Aug-2011

Filed under: Bhaya News Tagged: Bhaya Classic, Bhaya Cruises, Halong Bay, MICE, newsletter, safety