Halong Bay is probably the jewel of Vietnam. It's a UN World Heritage site and is the most popular tourist attraction in the country. The bay contains nearly 2,000 limestone islands that rise spectacularly from the sea. The vast majority of jungle clad islands are small and uninhabited.
Halong Bay is perfect for spending a couple days and nights cruising on a junk (ship). I arranged my 2 day / 1 night cruise through a top-shelf travel agency called HandSpan. They cost more than most other operators, but they are very well-regarded and probably have the nicest junks on the bay. Unfortunately many of the other operators have a reputation for offering cruises with substandard or overcrowded boats. After a 3.5 hour morning transfer by mini-van from Hanoi to Halong Bay, all the passengers boarded the Dragon's Pearl. There were about 30 passengers total on the boat. The passengers were mostly a mix of Australians and Americans. On the junk I spent most of my time talking with a group of recently graduated MBA students from U of Michigan. One of them even knew a friend of mine...small world! The junk was very nice and had private a/c cabins, a dining room / bar, and two open decks to chill out on. The cruise was incredibly peaceful and relaxing. The bay is gorgeous and the islands are so numerous it's amazing. We stopped on a isolated beach for a short hike to the top of an island hill and to swim. The food on the ship was tasty and there was plenty of it. During the cruise, local ladies in row boats would sidle up to the junk and offer us fruits, snack food and cut rate beer. I bought one beer from them but it was pretty skunky. Most of the day was spent just enjoying the sea breezes and beautiful views from the deck chairs. The night spent on the boat was very comfortable. The next morning we swam in the bay and took turns jumping off the upper deck of the boat into the water. We also stopped and walked through a large limestone cavern. The second afternoon we motored back to the port and were transferred back to Hanoi.
One obvious comparison for Halong Bay is limestone endowed Krabi on the western coast of Thailand. I would say that a few sections of Krabi (like Railey) are individually more spectacular than Halong, but Halong's sheer size and enormity can't be competed with. It is like comparing a small, spectacular gorge to the Grand Canyon. Halong was awesome and also very relaxing...a definite must see for Vietnam. After passing back through Hanoi, I'm taking an overnight train north to Sapa. More thumbnails ...
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