Halong Bay

An absolute highlight for every Vietnam traveler is Halong Bay.

We spent a long time researching how to visit this beautiful bay. We wanted to do it on our own and rent a boat directly in Halong. However, we quickly realized that it wouldn't work out that way.

So we decided, despite our skepticism, to book a tour from Hanoi. Every travel agency in Hanoi advertises the best tours to Halong Bay and we were completely overwhelmed by the huge selection. Here, a big thank you to Friedl and her friend. They recommended an agency to us, Ethnic Travel, with which they also took the tour to the famous bay.

So we got advice and booked, still skeptical, a 3-day tour to Halong Bay and Bai Tu Long Bay. More about the latter in the next post.

The next morning, a minivan picked us up and the tour was about to start. In the bus with us, a French couple and 4 French older ladies and gentlemen aged 60 to 76. I tried to start a conversation with the French couple our age, but was brushed off with a single word. I looked at Lukas, he looked at me, and we wondered if this was really going to be our travel group for the next 3 days. Would our skepticism finally turn out to be true?

Arriving at the port in Halong, we were asked to board a small boat to get to our ship. And - HALLELUJAH - more people joined us, all of our age and with smiles on their faces. I breathed a sigh of relief!!!

There it was, the boat that we would now sail through Halong Bay and spend a night on. It was all very rustic, but cozy. Luxury is not to be found here, but we didn't want that at all and felt comfortable right away.

After a brief check-in, our ship set sail and we were served a delicious lunch. We immediately had nice conversations and got to know a great couple from London, Stephi from Munich, Nathalie from Montreal, and a couple from Paris. The older French ladies and gentlemen also fit in great with the group, we had a lot of fun and were simply a great team. Except for the French couple that had already snubbed me in the car. They didn't exchange a single word with anyone, didn't give us a smile, and simply secluded themselves as a couple. We quickly lovingly named them the 'grumpy couple'. Why would someone travel in this way if they aren't willing to meet new people? Why complain, with the most beautiful view in HALONG BAY, in great company and with a holiday feeling, about an orange juice that doesn't suit your taste or a cabin that isn't luxurious enough? None of us could understand that, so we quickly decided to focus on ourselves, our great conversations, and our fun.

Wow, there it is, Halong Bay that everyone always talks about. Incredibly beautiful and breathtaking, with limestone cliffs rising one after another out of the water, creating a stunning landscape.

I have to say, in Halong Bay, you are never alone, but surrounded by hundreds of other boats. But we were prepared for that and it didn't shock us. There was enough great view for everyone and it was impossible to get enough of it!

We sailed to a small cave and a viewpoint - and to a pearl farm. We were all very skeptical of the latter. But it was quite interesting. Small pearls made from shell fragments are placed in living oysters. They are then returned to the water, where the pearls are grown bigger over the course of several years. (That’s the short version;))

After the pearl farm, we returned to our ship to have dinner (which included great fish and seafood), watch the sunset and the boats at our anchorage, have nice conversations over a beer, and then spend the night right in Halong Bay.

The next morning, we took the small boat to rock formations where monkeys live. Of course, a reason to ferry tourists from all boats there. Not our thing, but we saw it. After that, we returned to the ship to go back to the port and continue to Bai Tu Long Bay with the majority of the group in a minivan.

Halong Bay, you are beautiful and it was an honor to meet you.