Halong Bay Travel Blogs | Travelogues | Travel Journals

I woke up with a hacking cough (sigh).  I really am not so unhealthy but you wouldn't be able to tell reading this particular travel blog.  A was a bit nauseous when she awoke due to motion sickness i think...  We had a nice breakfast (eggs, soft white toast, fruit and coffee) and then took more pictures on the top deck.  We were supposed to check out of the room and then go visit a floating village.  But the tour group messed up again - for some reason the small bo...

After two days at Hanoi i taked the bus direction halong bay 2 hours and half of road who take wonderfull stop to a compagnie to help indicap young person and i buy wonderfull stock there and it would be  a pleasure to help young community at this place!!!!!!!!!So we arrive at the port so we make the check in for the ship and go for the advanture on the wonderfull bay!!!!!!!!!! We navigated abouit 1 hours and halft before the first stop where we can swim and take a break of the shi...

On the 2nd day at Halong Bay, after Daniel's and Susana's dive in the cool Halong Bay water and our brunch on the Junk we headed for Handspan’s office where we arrived at 17:00. We were so tired we decided to return to the Hotel on Vietnamese rickshaws. After some tough negotiations we were on our way. Daniel decided to take a ride on a 2 man motorbike. As we whisked through the streets we could feel the terrible Hanoi Air pollution entering our lungs and making our throats dry and so...

Here it goes.I will try my best to sum up the past few days into this little blog...It was Tuesday morning, I had booked my trip to Halong Bay but hadn't paid yet. I had 30 mins to eat a piece of bread(which will prove to be my stomach's savor later in this trip), get to the ATM that denied me the cash I asked for the night before, and get back to the hostel to hop in another cramped bus. Long story short, made it by a couple minutes. All 12 or so of us were off...Leaving Ha Noi I must say wa...

It's an exciting day! Today, we'd get to see Ha Long Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site (or something like that) lister and probably Vietnam's main attraction. According to Wikipedia, there are close to 3,000 limestone cliffs scattered all over the bay. And for each cliff, there are 1,000 tourists, so you'd get the picture (I invented that one, but really, it was crowded like that).Our tour van picked us up at the guesthouse at 8AM, then proceeded to pick up more tourists from other hotels aro...

After conquering Mount Fancypants we have just enough time to sqeeuze in a well needed shower and a shitty massage before we head down to Lao Cai for the train to Ha Noi. While waiting for the train Anthony and I meet up again with fellow Rooftopper Leigh, who we met in Kunming. Ozzie Kath joins us as well, and in the train we have an enjoyable trashtalking session. Needless to say, Anthony wins it, again. No surprises there. The night on the train is good, until it's five o'clock and time f...

Very early in the morning, we arrived in a dark and damp Hanoi. Not the best weather for our Halong Bay day! Roommate #2's mother was waiting for us at the hotel when we got there. She was joining us for the rest of the trip through Laos. In the hotel we took out clothes and toiletries for a night. We were going to be staying on Cat Ba Island and leaving our luggage at the hotel in Hanoi. I packed my stuff into a small packable backpack I had brought but not used up to that point. I was consi...

Myself and Tina booked a 3 day tour of Halong Bay from Hanoi, it is apparently a lot more hassle to attempt to arrive at Halong City and then get on a boat tour from there. Halong Bay itself is a body of water in north Vietnam, east of the capital, Hanoi. The bay consists of a dense cluster of limestone islands, covered in places with thick jungle. These islands of various sizes rise out of the ocean spectacularly and cover a vast area. Many of these islands are in fact hollow and allow vis...

Getting there is shocking. uncomfortable bus, trying to relax while driving on the wrong side of the road with trucks coming toward you :) also be prepared to hand over your passport and not see it for an hour or so, it seems a bit worrying  wiht so many boats, but they do it every single day so the system was relatively efficiant and reliable. We started off our trip on a high note with a seafood lunch. we ate all that we possibly could and rolled up to the top deck to soak in some of...

This is the reason why i came to Vietnam. Yup, going to Halong Bay. I've already booked my Halong Bay tour packet only $69.50 in my hostel (http://hanoibackpackershostel.com/travel/rocklongrockhard) one day before. Gathered around in the lobby, the group has 15 person (including me) plus 1 guide. On 08:30 am, we were move to the bus and left the hostel. It takes about 3 hours to Halong City. At 11:00 we were just stopped by, having a break in the art craft shop and restaurant. I bought 26000 ...

This day, we had to set off early as the journey from Hanoi to Halong Bay takes close to 4 hours thus meaning you have to be prepared to spend 8 hours on the road. It is time not well spent right? On a holiday.. But there isn't much of choice. We booked this tour in advance with a local tour company for one day's tour and set off in the morning reaching our destination at noon time, with a stop along the way. Hordes of tourists were already at the pier and many junks waiting in anti...

People i met here, who contributed to and improved my trip: Juliana (Russia), Lina and Carola (Germany), Arancha, Marina, Monica and Teresa (Spain), Markus (Germany) Another early start was on the cards for a 3 day 2 night trip to Halong Bay and Cat Ba Island. When we arrived into Halong Bay, we were introduced to our fellow sea faring companions, 2 German girls - Lina and Carola, 4 Spanish girls - Arancha, Marina, Monica and Teresa and 1 German guy called Markus. After a spot of lunch on th...

3 weeks of exploring the north of my favorite country, along with a 5 day detour to Hanoi and a few day trips to Myanmar and Laos.

HaNoi is just what one expected it to be; a busy and bustling metropolis thriving with food, culture, people, and experiences. At any given street corner, my father and I encountered a much aggrieved shopkeeper yelling, "BEE HOI!! Come, Come! Bee Hoi!" Halong Bay was quite a breathtaking experience, from the tranquil waters to the stalagmite/stalactite infused caves. Just seeing those huge, lumbering mountains emerging right out of the green-blue sea, is enough to make you want to s...