Ha Long Bay

We went to Ha Long Bay in Viet Nam for a 3 day / 2 night small ship cruise. Ha Long Bay is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We had a wonderful time. We both agree that this is right up there with other beautiful places to visit like the Grand Canyon. The geology is fascinating. There is a wonderful legend of how the bay came about at https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hạ_Long_Bay. Ha Long Bay is actually composed of two bays, Ha Long, the larger one, and Bai Tu Long the smaller one. Ha Long is quite developed from a tourism perspective while Bai Tu Long is being developed. We went to Bai Tu Long using Handspan Travel out of Hanoi and Treasure Junk Cruise.

Our cruise ship, the Treasure Junk, held less than 50 passengers. When we went there were less than 20 guests on board. 

There are 2,000 of these geological formations, called karsts, in the bay. 

There are 600 of these tour boats in the bay. 300 are day trippers, and 300 are overnighters. 

There were kayak trips to explore. 

Swimming for the adventurous (a bit chilly).

Diving too,

Fine dining. Multiple courses at each meal. Here was a starter soup course. 

Breakfast

Wonderful ambiance!

We visited a local fishing village. 

Where they grow pearls. 

Inserting the “seed” for the pearl

The finished product

We were paddled around by a local fisherman (that’s a woven bamboo boat).

Beautiful evenings

Amazing scenery

We returned to a bustling harbor. 

And we met new friends from around the world!  Friends from Argentina

and Germany!

We even saw a boat made of concrete!  

We have been so impressed with Viet Nam. The people, food, and country are AMAZING!  We 

can recommend it without hesitation.