halong bay, vietnam

While planning our trip to Asia I came across a blog post talking about the beautiful scenery of Halong Bay, Vietnam.

I happily added it to my travel wish list.

Which we very conveniently crossed off this summer!

We flew to Hanoi and traveled by mini bus to Halong Bay.

It's quite a drive.

4 plus hours with a stop at a tacky place selling all sorts of goods.

Thankfully the landscape of Halong Bay made up for it.

We booked our two night, three day cruise with Paradise Cruises. It was more expensive than some boats, but we decided it wasn't something to skimp on.

And, for that, we were thankful.

view from the top

While cruising, we were treated to meals of several courses, learned how pearls are cultivated, passed through a floating village, kayaked, hiked through a cave, climbed to the top of one of the mountainous islands, and toasted with some not-so-delicious rice wine.

women in their boats would pass alongside the larger cruise boat
to try and sell you wine, snacks, and other trinkets

lovely sunsets

floating village

it was annoying how strictly they upheld the regulation
of wearing a life vest...it was just too hot for that!

a squid boat. they're attracted to the light.

We really enjoyed the cruise in Halong Bay. There were some positives and negatives as you'll find with any travel scenario. One being the local area's pollution. It's disappointing how much trash and debris is in the water of the area, so swimming in the water may not be your first choice. While there is some evidence that Vietnam is working to change this, they have a long way to go. We did get in the water once, but another cruise guest was almost immediately stung by a jellyfish when she entered the water, so we promptly left the water.

Traveler's Tips:

Deciding between the 1 night and 2 night cruise...I'm glad we did the two night. Those doing just one night must have felt like they were just hustled on and off the boat. And to have to make that van ride two days in a row? Ugh. No thanks. The two night cruise was slow paced overall and relaxing. It did feel like we did a lot of sitting, as there's not too much moving about to be done. Not everyone was thrilled that on the day in the middle you must leave the larger boat for the day's excursions while they pick up the new passengers. But this is well detailed on the site and reviews, so I was prepared for it. 

Visas for Vietnam are required for US citizens and take a little more pre-planning than some other Asian countries. You can not just show up and apply for a Visa on Arrival. Visas must be done in advance at a consulate near you or can be done on arrival with a letter from an agency within Vietnam that provides you clearance for this. Paradise Cruises wrote our letter for around $10 USD per person. This is the best explanation I found about the process.