Peaceful sampan through Van Long

Jessica, Jasmine and I had a relaxed day at the resort in Ninh Binh. In the late afternoon we took a boat ride through the Van Long nature reserve, only half a kilometre away. Walking along a dusty road where children were playing and dogs and chickens ran about, I was reminded that beyond the compound walls of the resort we are really in a remote location. Further up the road piles of dry grass were being burnt and the horrible smoky smell took me straight back to Fansipan; my clothes are still enveloped with the smoke of the mountain campsite. Ahead were the limestone peaks of Van Long, similar to those of the famous Ha Long Bay, but as of yet untouched by mass tourism. Not for the first time since I have been in Indochina I had the feeling of being at the edge of the Earth. The scenery was magnificent, but without tourists there to seemingly 'affirm' this, the nature reserve blended into the background as though it were the community back garden. 

The huge rocks sit in a shallow river, navigable by rickety wooden sampan boat. Tall reeds swayed peacefully and flocks of birds wavered across the skyline, black against the sky and then white against the rock. The three of us sat in one boat. At this pink and dusty time of day there were no other boats ahead of us and no noises disturbed us besides the creak of the oars. We were slowly taken along the river through the vast rocks and into the lip of a cave. “This is very romantic,” Jessica began, “but what it needs is better boats, with comfortable seats, a glass of champagne and beautiful music”. But I thought it was a perfect moment- a special opportunity for me to experience a natural beauty spot that has not yet been branded for t-shirts and postcards. The extent of tourism here was a sampan ride offered by a local man for a reasonable price and a few stalls down the road offering tablecloths as ‘souvenirs’ to the passing foreigners.