Halong / Bai Tu Long Bay - Halong Bay / Long Bay

In order to visit the tourist attraction of Vietnam, Halong Bay, one should book a boat tour to explore the bay with its small rocky islands, beaches, and turquoise water. That's what we did and booked a two-day boat tour for $135 per person - extremely expensive (for our standard of living). A shuttle service from Hanoi was included. Since it picked up all the passengers from their hotels, but only in the "Old Quarter" area, we chose the most expensive hotel in this area as our pickup point. We were the last ones to be picked up from "our" hotel and, from the perspective of the other tourists, we looked like the richest and youngest travelers getting on the bus. The appearance planning of the decadent millionaire sons with sunglasses was perfect. After a three-hour bus ride, we reached Halong Bay and our boat. It had space for 25 people + crew, a sun deck, and a restaurant. Our cabin was paneled with wood and even had a stunning view of the bay from the shower. During the seven-course lunch, we made friends with a couple from Canada, who were in their early thirties and, apart from us, the youngest travelers. Our route in the bay deviated from the typical tourist routes and we continued north to Bai Tu Long Bay, which had the same enchanting scenery as Halong Bay but was plagued by far fewer tourists. In the afternoon, we went on a canoe tour to an island with an empty beach, tropical plants, bright sand, and unfortunately, a lot of plastic trash. The way back turned into a race between the Canadians and us. The stake was free beer for the winner. Driven by the beer and with the Canadians on our heels, we naturally won and were able to demonstrate our well-developed team spirit. The evening ended with a seven-course dinner, free beer, and happy hour.

The next morning, the tight program continued. We had Thai Chi on the sun deck at 6:00 am to wake up. In the afternoon, we visited a rather boring stalactite cave and enjoyed the sunset. In the evening, we returned to Hanoi. The all-inclusive package was over and - free of charge. Because the included street food tour unfortunately did not take place, we requested a partial refund through "PayPal Buyer Protection" and ultimately received a full refund. Awesome!