Our James Bond-like Adventure in Vietnam: The Red River Ramble
4 august 2023
A few months ago a regular client came to us and told us he wanted to explore Northern Vietnam, taking in probably the ‘holy trinity’ of north Vietnamese landmarks - Hanoi, Sapa and Ha Long Bay. That was his only brief, other than the words “Surprise me”.
“Surprise me”. Oh my, that’s music to the ears of our creative team, for whom the word ‘surprise’ means a lot more than a chocolate on your pillow at night (though we quite like that too, provided it’s still in the wrapper). With creative license granted to dream about what might normally be considered impossible, we hatched an adventure plot straight out of a Bond film including helicopters, jet skis, E-bikes, boats, private islands, and a lot more.
Naturally we started in Hanoi, capturing the essence of the old town using vintage motorcycle side cars, essential stops for pho and egg coffee (much better than it sounds), and a highlight reel afternoon of lunch with a famous Vietnamese Cold War airforce pilot, dinner in a museum hosted by musicians and artists, and a little spa time at the stunning Capella Hanoi.
Northern Exposure
Looking further north, travelling the northernmost regions of Vietnam is a throwback to the old days of Southeast Asian travel, before highways and high-speed trains, when getting from A to B meant hours in a bus or car over serpentine mountain roads. Hence, typical journeys to the far north tend to focus on one single area, and not ideal for travellers whose time is very limited. The answer? A helicopter. Taking the chopper from Hanoi to Sapa enabled a day with a zen master in a Buddhist monastery, followed by a mountaintop picnic, an afternoon of E-biking the countryside, and a fabulous BBQ under the stars and mist. Helicopter backup brings the world to our fingertips.
More importantly, heli-hopping the various points beyond enabled us to turn a remote and rugged part of the country into a supreme luxury adventure playground, especially the remote border region of Ha Giang and Dong Van, way up along the China border.
From our brand new private villa near Ha Giang, Papiu, we launched into couple days of E-biking the stunning village roads, a bamboo rafting journey downriver to a glorious BBQ on the banks, a hike in the corn whiskey villages, and a couple of evenings of ethnic Hmong entertainment.
The River Wild
One of the most spectacular road journeys in Vietnam – or anywhere for that matter – is the ‘Road of Happiness’ from Dong Van to Meo Vac along Vietnam’s rugged northeastern ridge bordering China. We traversed this dramatic route by jeep and motorbike, before arriving at the foot of the stunning Nho Que river for another jolt of high-energy fun.
While we’re suckers for a romantic sojourn, and the thought of slowly rafting down an alpine river through fjord-like canyons appeals to all of our senses, we knew this particular guest would hope for something a little less ordinary. But in remote Northern Vietnam’s highlands nearly straddling the China border, “what might be possible”, we thought? Naturally, jet skis! When we initially proposed the idea of jet skiing down the spectacular Nho Que, everyone thought we’d finally gone mad (verdict still out), and it was said to be impossible (evidently it is still thought to be). But to the Smiling Albino team it seemed the most absurdly fantastic thing to do, so we engineered a logistical plan to boldly jet ski where no jet ski had gone before. Behind the scenes involved a convoy of trucks making a two-day journey to transport jet skis from Hanoi by road, then winching them down into the water with a 70-foot crane. Local villagers were delighted at the spectacle. Rice whiskey shots were enjoyed by all. And cue one VERY surprised and delighted client!
Fantasy Island
With the first two acts full of twists, our final challenge was to come up with a grand finale as a fitting end to such an adventure. The destination: Ha Long Bay, one of the world’s great natural wonders. We’d chartered a private junk, fitting it out with a serviced bar, a spa and massage room, and a mobile office. But here at Ha Long, we wanted something truly special and unique as a capstone to the trip.
Ha Long and Lan Ha Bay boast over 1600 islands, with several of them appearing and disappearing with the tides. Conspiring to end with a triumphant bang, we wondered if one of these islands would be a spectacular location for a private dinner party? Maybe one with projection mapping against the mountains, and some dancers? Maybe a fire show? And a pop-up water puppet theater? Traditional Vietnamese instruments with an electro-synth backup? A fully-stocked bar, and a DJ? Oh go on then.
For one night only, we transformed a tiny limestone outcrop and crescent beach into Vietnam’s most exclusive private party, leaving at 10pm as the tide came in – a few hours later, our little island was gone, leaving only memories of an incredible evening.
“Surprise me!” Well, we’d like to believe that we did just that. At times we even surprised ourselves. The beauty of our journeys is not so much the destination, but the magic one creates in the spaces in between. Best takeaway? When our Smiling Albino team hears that something is impossible, you’re pretty much guaranteeing that we want to make it happen.