Boat International — January 2018

http://www.boatinternational.com | January 2018

CRUISING KNOW-HOW

DON’T BE NAUTI

Yachts are limited to ports approved for foreign

commercial vessels, such as Ho Chi Minh City,

Nha Trang, Da Nang and Ha Long. Cruising is allowed

freelybetweenports,butdroppinganchoris

discouraged unless special permission is granted

and fees are paid.

BERTH RIGHT

Nha Trang, Vietnam’s popular beach and diving

destination,issettobehometoVietnam’sfirst

superyacht marina. Once completed, AnaMarina

will have more than 220 berths and will be able to

accommodateyachtsupto70metres.

PORT PILOT

“Wheneverweweremovingaroundaport–anchoring

orleaving–wehadtogetapilotonboard,”saysDe

Kock. In principle, every yacht with a GT greater than

100mustcallforapilot,andHoChiMinhCityrequires

every yacht to have one.

NO-GO ZONE

Ha Long Bay, with its thousands of limestone cliffs,

is one of Vietnam’s most iconic sites but private

yachts are not allowed to freely cruise the bay.

PrivateyachtscanberthatQuangNinhmaritimeport

andHonGaianchorage,nearHaLong,andcharming

traditional yachts can be chartered for a day.

EXPERT GUIDANCE

Sytske Kimman, of Northrop & Johnson Asia, says

it’s imperative to have a good yacht agent. “Over

the past years, there have been some yachts who

went there and tried to arrange things themselves,

and one owner was jailed,” she warns.

PEACE OF MIND

Regulationsrequirea24/7watchonboardbythe

crew,soadditionalsecurityisn’trequired.Ifweapons

are on board, this must be mentioned before arrival,

andbelockedawayduringthestayinVietnam.

BLOWN AWAY

The best times to visit Vietnam are when the

temperatures are more moderate and the

rainfall is low, from February to April or August

to October. Typhoons can strike in May and

June in the north and move south through to

the end of December. September, October

and November have the most typhoons.

Aboutanhour’sdriveinland
fromHoiAnistheMySon
Sanctuary, another of
Vietnam’s UNESCO World
Heritage Sites, dating from
as earlyasthe4thcentury

Voyage

The best

adventurous

superyacht

destinations

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