We visited Halong Bay on a sunny warm week, so we got to see the fantastic formations rising from the seabed in a fantastic light, the water in calm blue bay was fantastic and we can understand why this was a natural habour in the past and a popular tourist destination today.
Halong Bay overview
We booked a night on a cruise ship and that was a good decision. The ship was a fantastic, a new one and the crew was very helpful and professional. On board we had a wonderful time on the deck looking at the beautiful nature while enjoying a local ice coffee with milk. The other guests on board were a mix of foreigners from all parts of Europe and Asia, so a wonderful cultural exchange of information and insights.
Turtle islet at Halong Bay
We visited the caves, did fishing from the Cruise deck and also had a lovely trip in canoe where we sailed freely around the bay as far as we could manage. We had a nice relaxing time on Titop beach. In evening we joined a cooking class, where the chef was trying to teach us how to carve a carrot in such a way it looked like a rose, however mine looked more like a wounded carrot than a rose.
Titop beach in the morning
Next morning we had a nice breakfast, sailed more in canoe and arrived at shore at noon, where we went back to Hanoi again. In hindsight, we think we should have taken a trip to Catba island instead of going directly to Hanoi, but we will do that next time.