The wonderful waters of Halong Bay were to be our backdrop for the final days of our holiday in Vietnam. We had already spent a week in Saigon, been to see the Mekong Delta, which was amazing and had been over to the island of Con Dao. The island was great, really relaxing. So after a packed week in the biggest city in Vietnam, we headed out to the capital Hanoi to see what that had to offer.
We arrived at Hanoi airport in the early afternoon and caught a taxi into town and our hotel. Hanoi is nothing like Saigon. Whereas Saigon is big brash and full on, all the time, Hanoi is smaller, more paid bakc and appears to close down completely before midnight. I really enjoyed the Old Quarter. The French buildings, left over from their colonial rule, are really lovely. This of course can also be said about Saigon. But here in the capital, a lot of the buildings are smaller. The old shops and bars in the Old Quarter are really picturesque. We spent each evening here, enjoying great food and very good company.
For the last few days we had booked a cruise in Hallong Bay. The photos we had seen in advance were amazing, but in reality, they didn’t do it justice. It is just awesome. The islands tower about the boats as they cruise in between. They look unreal, the way that they stick straight up out of the sea. The weather was perfect, the cruise boat was like a floating five star hotel and everything was simply wonderful.
I couldn’t imagine a better end to any holiday. The food on board was delicious, the staff were excellent and our cabin was large, with a huge window and a private balcony, where would sit at the end of the night, enjoying one last glass of wine before climbing into our huge bed.
We saw an amazing cave with stalagmites and stalactites, visited traditional villages and went to old temples. We swam, kayaked, snorkeled and sun-bathed. It was heaven. I just wish we had booked a longer trip.
We both returned home from this holiday, more relaxed and chilled out than from any other I can remember. Vietnam was the most amazing experience. I loved everything about it. The people were really kind and helpful, the scenery was beyond beautiful and the cities are everything that a city should be. To cap it off with Halong Bay was the icing on the cake. I would recommend this country without reservation.