Heritage Cruises Binh Chuan Cat Ba Archipelago — Hotel in Hạ Long City

The team from Lux Cruises greeted us like royalty, green tea in hand, all smiles and precision. Even our cabin key was presented with a bow. The boat itself was stunning — polished wood, gleaming brass, and a balcony big enough to make you consider moving in permanently. Inside our suite was a four-poster bed, a huge bathtub facing the bay, and soft music playing in the background. Five-star serenity floating on jade-green water.

Lunch was a feast that could have made Michelin weep — grilled prawns, tender beef, perfect rice, and fruit carved into shapes far too pretty to eat. As the ship sailed through the limestone pillars, the world slowed down. The air smelt of salt and sunlight, the water glimmered, and the noise of Hanoi felt a lifetime away.

The afternoon brought kayaking and swimming in warm, clear water. One of us took to it naturally, gliding effortlessly between the rocks; the other mainly concentrated on staying upright while pretending to steer. The water was like soup — deliciously warm and slightly salty — and we laughed until we couldn’t paddle straight.

Back on board, there was the rooftop pool, which, thanks to the gentle rocking of the boat, became a tiny wave machine. Laughter carried across the deck, cocktails appeared as if by magic, and the crew treated everyone like family. Then came the moment of bliss — a bath with a panoramic view of the bay, ruined only slightly when a man in a passing boat appeared selling beer at eye level.

As evening fell, the sky turned gold, and dozens of boats lit up around us like floating lanterns. Dinner was a showstopper: seabass, steak, oysters with melted cheese, and a surprise birthday celebration for another guest complete with glowing letters spelling “LOVE.” We joined in the clapping because it felt impossible not to.

There was even a cookery class before dinner, teaching us to make crispy bánh xèo pancakes. The first attempt fell apart heroically, the second was a masterpiece worthy of applause.

By the end of the night, dressed in traditional Vietnamese outfits and sipping white wine on deck, the whole experience felt surreal — a floating world of quiet luxury and laughter.

As the stars appeared over the bay and the water shimmered in the moonlight, it was easy to see why legends say dragons carved this place with their tails. Magic or geology, it didn’t matter. It was unforgettable.

Verdict:

Breathtaking scenery, flawless service, incredible food, and the kind of peace you don’t realise you need until you’re floating in the middle of it. Just be warned — once you’ve sailed through Hạ Long Bay, it ruins you for every other boat trip...

Good option for Lan Ha Bay September 2025 There are so many cruises in the Ha Long area - it is hard to know what direction to go! I chose this cruise based on itinerary, wanting to go outside of Ha Long to a less crowded and dirty area. Technically, this was the right decision. As we passed through the congestion and wall to wall boats in Ha Long I was glad it was not part of the itinerary.

There are still plenty of boats in Lan Ha. Other companies also make it their base now that Ha Long is so crowded. Since there are specific places where they are allowed to moor at night, the majority of boats mainly stay in the main Lan Ha area. Choose the itinerary and/or activities that suit you the best. The ships are mostly all the same.

Heritage pros - well kept ship, very nice staff with a proficient level of English, delivered what they promised even though I was sometimes the only person on the ship that was interested in an activity. Rooms are nicely appointed with efficient AC, beautiful balconies, bathtubs in some rooms, and spacious common areas. Cons - food was bland but beautiful, obviously dumbed down to the continental palate. The other small complaint I had was that the ship didn't cruise much - it stayed in the general Cat Ba park area, and the day excursions were offloaded onto day-tripper boats which were often of lower quality and removed you from the comforts of the ship for a whole day. For example, on the day advertised as Viet Hai village with biking and kayaking, I was picked up in the morning by a local sightseeing boat who took a group of tourists from many other boats or hotels to the village and kayak/biking areas, returning in the late afternoon. The Heritage boat mainly serves as a floating hotel in the Cat Ba area. I did see other cruise lines going into the Viet Ha area with their passengers, spending the day cruising the beautiful coastline in that area.

Overall, due to the service and the ship, I would choose this...

updating review: Heritage Cruises reached out and offered us a 10% refund only if we deleted this review. This is the reason you don’t see many negative reviews online. They sell this cruise as being luxury, we didn’t have a luxurious experience. Watch out.

Unfortunately, our experience on this cruise was quite disappointing.

The overall cleanliness of the boat was poor — there were stains on chairs, some of the towels in our cabin were visibly marked, and hygiene standards did not feel well maintained. Even worse, we found multiple hairs in our food on different occasions.

Communication was another major issue. Almost no one on the staff spoke English, which made it extremely difficult to ask questions or even order food. For an international cruise experience, this was very frustrating.

The advertised activities were also underwhelming. We were taken kayaking twice but left completely on our own with no instructions on where to go. The “cooking class” was essentially just wrapping pre-made spring roll filling into sheets — and unfortunately, the staff handled the food with bare hands, which didn’t feel sanitary.

Another big disappointment was that there was no explanation at all about the places we were visiting, the history, or the culture of the area. When we mentioned this in our feedback, the manager told us that “there was nothing to say on Lan Ha Bay,” which felt dismissive and untrue given how rich the area is in history and natural beauty.

To top it off, after we filled in an honest feedback form, the manager approached us aggressively during breakfast to dispute our comments, even saying that we shouldn’t expect Vietnamese staff to speak English. This response felt very unprofessional and left us with an even worse impression.

Overall, while Ha Long Bay itself is stunning, this cruise did not meet the standards of comfort, hygiene, or service we expected. I would recommend looking into other operators for a...