Halong Bay

Ha Long Bay is a place not to be missed if you’re visiting Hanoi. A UNESCO World Heritage Site and a popular travel destination, it is located in Quang Ninh province, Vietnam. Halong Bay features thousands of limestone karsts and isles in various sizes and shapes. To the northeast is Bái Tử Long bay and to the southwest lay the Cát Bà islands.

The name Ha Long, which literally means “descending dragon”, is derived from a local legend where Vietnamese believe that the gods sent a family of dragons to be protectors against invaders. The dragons spewed jewels and jade that turned into islands and islets that linked together to form a great protective wall. As the rock-mountains appeared so abruptly, the invaders’ ships struck the rocks and each other, thus Vietnam won the battle! The place where the mother dragon appeared was named Ha Long, while the place where the dragon’s children attended upon their mother was called Bái Tử Long island.

Travellers to Halong Bay can opt for the Halong Bay Overnight Cruise or the Day Cruise. Day Cruises can be 4 hours or 8 hours long. Day cruises would usually come with lunch on board, while Overnight Cruise would include canoe-ing and swimming in Halong Bay as well as the three main meals you’ll be eating on board.

My family of four took the 4-hour Day Cruise on a cozy and private Jung boat, name the Victory 4. We started our journey early in the morning, cruising along the bay, taking in the sights and enjoying the cool breeze. As it was middle of May, the weather in Halong was sunny and the clear sky brought forth beautiful pictures. We visited Thien Long Cave and even bought a perfume snail at the Floating Village. For a small fee, we got the in-house chef to serve the perfume snail along with lunch.

Perfume Snails

Cooked Geoduk Clams (Tu Hai)

Cooked Perfume Snail by our in house chef!

The journey from Hanoi City to Halong Bay is about 4 hours long and can be bumpy at certain sections. Traffic is usually slow in the suburbs as traffic speed limits must be strictly obeyed. Nevertheless, one should enjoy the view of the countryside and if you’re going with a guide, get him/her to entertain you about some of the interesting stories and histories of the towns you pass by along the way.