We flew from Hueʹ to Hanoi, and then had a long bus ride to Ha Long Bay. There was plenty of traffic on the way, so lots of starting and stopping and shifting of gears. We stopped at a rest stop that was actually a huge store where one could buy all types of local goods and foods. I had gotten motion sickness on the bus ride so rather than shop or buy snacks, I took the opportunity to get some fresh air and take a Dramamine to get me through the rest of the ride. Altogether, it took over three hours to get from the airport to the hotel.

When we pulled up to the hotel, Bee informed us that we would take the highway back to Hanoi. Highway? You mean to say we didn’t have to endure that awful ride from the airport? Obviously, we took the back roads in order to stop at the rest stop so everyone would have ample opportunity to buy some souvenirs. The hotel we stayed at was in Halong City. From what I understood from Bee, this is a new city and was constructed before Covid hit. It is filled with hotels that face the water so one has the opportunity to wake up to see the sun rise over the bay. Unfortunately, there is a bar on the waterfront that plays music at top volume until late in the night and so if you have a room facing the water, you are also treated to a thumping bass line for hours on end. I always travel with ear plugs and so was not bothered.

We had dinner at 7:30 at the hotel (yet another feast) and then had the rest of the evening to ourselves. We were up bright and early to catch a Halong Bay cruise. The ride from the hotel to the boat was about a half-hour in length. We passed by many brand-new, empty hotels that never saw guests due to Covid. Many investors lost a bunch of money. The Chinese were the largest group to visit Ha Long Bay prior to Covid and though they can now visit, few have. Until tourism from China returns to normal, these hotels will continue to lose money.

Ha Long means “descending dragon” in Vietnamese and there is a legend about how the bay got its name. Bottom line, the islets and islands that are scattered throughout the bay are members of the dragon family that were sent by Ngoc Hoang (the king of heaven) to help defend the Vietnamese people against an aggressor. Did you know that it is thought by some that the Vietnamese people are descended from dragons?

Please enjoy some of the many pictures I took of this beautiful location. We were on a three-hour tour that included a stop at a cave and lunch on the boat. If you visit, be aware that to enter the cave, you need to climb many steps. There are many more stairs to climb within the cave, and to get out of the cave.