I was trying to get my whole group (16) on the Dragon Pearl JUNK for December 31, through Handspan, In a matter of 2 days, everything was booked up. Handspan found me a private JUNK called Au Lac. It looks a little basic compared to the Dragon's Pearl which I think my elderly dad would have enjoyed. Does anyone have any input here?

We wanted to spend a nice quiet New Year's with just the family on a Junk on Halong..

I also wanted Dragon's Pearl, but it was booked. I ended up still using handspan and blindly accepting their advice. I was glad I did, and although I can't remember the name of the junk, it was wonderful.

However..I did a search on the net for you and foiund this description by a travel writer:

Unless you have a keen sense of adventure, you wouldn't enjoy yourself in Vietnam . Plans can change for any number of reasons...like a typhoon ortwo, so you have to be willing to adapt, regroup and choose option B or C..or just make it up as you go along. I was lucky to have made my kayak trip out to Halong Bay in the Gulf with an adventure travel company by the name of Handspan Adventure Travel, which I highly recommend. We got out after one typhoon had hit and washed away our base camp but before the second one cancelled the tour after us.

We,meaning myself, our Vietnamese guide Luc, 3 Australian families and a lone New Zealander travelled together aboard a funky old wooden boat called the Au Lac Junk. It was old school hip with sails that looked like dragon wings, although ours remained tied down, and driven by a diesel engine.

Getting on the boat was an adventure in itself as we had to cross a rickety narrow plank to one boat, step up onto another as it bobbed and swayed in the water and then up to yet another before ours, hoping we didnt fall into the sea between them. Old school as it was, our boat was still quite luxurious. Tables set with full linens, bottles of french wine and bourbon, extraordinary 8 course meals with freshly caught fish, squid and crab.

As we entered the bay and anchored to board the support boat and our kayaks, limestone karsts jetted out of the water- over 3000 of them as if from a scene in a James Bond movie where you're expecting a super secret stealth boat to fly out from beneath one of the heavily forested cave openings.

Island after island was as spectacular as the previous one- from every direction the wild beauty of emerald waters contrasted with rugged, natural landscapes. In a breath or two however, that could fall away. Part of our conversations with Luc, and other guides, included an mini education in Vietnamese history.

The website is http://www.maeleesun.com/pages/mls-blog.htm

This matter is not good, Au lac junk is very basic one compare to Dragon Pearl
you can view luxury Dragon Pearl Photos at
http://www.halongbay-vietnam.com to see how is different between Au Lac which you were and one you intended and booked for.

vicki,
Try the Halong Ginger. We too were looking at the Dragon Pearl, but we found the Ginger to be slightly more upscale for not much more of a pricetag.
It's a lot smaller, and apparently, far less apt to carry the backpacker set.
Check it out here:
http://www.cruisehalong.com/modules....icle&sid=1
Best of luck!

At Handspan, which handles Dragon's pearl, they have an album of many junks. I simply booked the day before after looking through the album and selecting the one that looked best.

Just did a Halong Bay trip in April and after much comparing used Fansipan over Handspan - saved ourselves about $80 and had a terrific time. There was 15 of us on board so I'm sure that wont be a problem

We have just come back from 4 weeks in Vietnam and went out on Halong Bay on the "Halong Ginger" which would be perfect for your group as it only takes 16 people on board. It is probably the most luxurious junk on the bay and extremely comfortable - even the bathrooms are marble floor and walls! The food was excellent and it moored in a secluded cove away from all the other junks overnight. Highly recommend it!!

I would agree that the Halong Ginger would be the perfect junk for a group. We thought the Junk was supurb and the staff, food and experience to be top notch. I would also highly reccomend it.