The last part of our Ha Long Bay cruise was a brunch that was served as we were on our way back to Ha Long City. The food served seemed to be the leftovers of the ingredients that the boat carried for the three-day cruise; unlike the previous meals, it was not set up as family style, but as individual portion. It was still really good; the food was as delicious as the previous meals we had during the cruise.

At the end of the meal, our tour guide Smiley called for our attention as he wanted to acknowledge the crew members of the junk boat that had been serving us during the cruise. There were six of them serving us. Some were more visible as they were on the forefront in preparing for our activities and serving us during the meals. There were also a couple of them who were behind the scenes, including our boat captain and chef.

Once everyone was introduced, we gave them a nice round of applause thanking them for their excellent service. I had never been on a cruise before, but in comparison to services received in other hospitality industry before, this was definitely among the best. What’s impressive was when we found out that the chef who cooked all of the wonderful meals during the trip was a young man in his early 20s.

I’m not sure how long typically these guys stay in the same business; I’m sure for many of them this is only a stepping stone towards other careers. Hopefully the training and experience they get from this job would translate to brighter future.

The photo below was taken at the end of the cruise. You can see here the crew of the boat who helped make the cruise a memorable experience for the guests. The guy in red jacket was the chef who prepared the delicious meals during the cruise.