1000 Places to See Before You Die 11 - Halong Bay, Vietnam

In 2009 on my big Asia trip we also went to Halong Bay in Vietnam. It is situated in the north of Vietnam 160 km east of Hanoi. We went on a day trip from Hanoi. It should be easy to find an agency to book you a trip. As always watch out for tourist traps. It is of course hard to know until you are stuck in said trap whether or not a specific agency has conned you. But ask other travelers for recommendations and check reputable guide books/websites for reviews. 

Halong Bay was according to legend created by a dragon coming from the mountains. It moved towards the ocean and along the way it carved out valleys and gouges with its tail and as it plunged into the sea, the area behind it filled up with water leaving only the tips of the gouged out landscape visible. These tips are what you see rising from the water today. 



The bay was named a World Heritage Site in 1994, and the limestone islands, called karsts, dotted with grottoes fully deserve this designation. It is a wonderful sight, even in the fog and a chilling wind. Should you be lucky enough to enjoy it on a warm day with blue skies, I imagine it must be even more wonderful than I found it.






As far as I recall our trip was not fantastic, but it wasn’t the worst either. We sailed out onto the bay in a medium sized ferry boat with an observation deck (is that what they call it on boats??), where you could enjoy the scenery. Unfortunately the day we came it was quite cold and foggy, so most people stayed inside. This was both good and bad, as it meant I had the observation deck to myself, when I ventured up there, but I was freezing! First of all I hadn’t expected it to be quite so chilly, second all my slightly warmer clothes had been sent to the wash and had not yet returned, so I was forced to enjoy the scenery in a summer dress completely unsuited for the weather! But I persevered in the name of good pictures! 




Included in our trip was a lunch of fish and rice (of course) and a trip to a grotto. The bay is also famous for its caves and grottoes, but this particular one was unimpressive and very touristy, with an actual trackway built through the cave. The neon lights didn’t add to the ambience either…




We paid 21 US dollars for the trip in 2009. According to Lonely Planet these days a budget tour will cost you from 35 dollars and up. Ours was definitely a budget tour, and after having reviewed my journal entry from the day, I must add to my previous statement that the tour wasn’t the worst. It wasn’t, but apparently it was worse than I immediately remembered. I guess that will happen, you erase some of the bad times to remember the good. But anyway, we had a rattling minivan for the 3 hour drive from Hanoi to the bay, we got dumped by our guide on another guide because the one that brought us from Hanoi “didn’t do day-trips”, and the boat was less than impressive, as was the lunch. So beware of cutting costs on this trip. A budget tour will almost certainly underwhelm you, and it can be worth it to spend a little more to ensure you get the experience you dreamed of. 

As far as the best time of year to visit is concerned, February to April is often cold and foggy, while May to September can be full of tropical storms with cancellation of trips as a consequence. From October to January it is cool but mostly dry. We went in late March, and as mentioned above we had the foggy weather, which does add a certain something to the landscape too, so it’s not all bad. 




All facts are from “1000 Places to See Before You Die” by Patricia Schultz and the Lonely Planet website. 

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