Halong Bay, Tam Coc And Hoa Lu

Halong Bay

From Hanoi you can do a series of trips to some wonderous nearby locations. My first trip was to Halong Bay. Its a few hours drive from Hanoi but once you arrive - it's definately worth it. With more than 3000 islands rising out the waters on the Gulf of Tonkin, it's clear to see why it's a Unesco World Heritage site. You take a boat trip around the bay, past limestone karsts, their shapes formed by the waves and the wind. You also stop to venture the many caves and grottoes, the larger caves filled with stalactites and stalacmites. For lunch, you pass a floating fish farm where you can choose what you want for lunch - fresh from the waters. I ate rice that day.

Unfortunately, due to some bad weather in recent weeks, Halong Bay was quite misty when I went but it did give an interesting, almost eerie atmosphere to the whole place.

The other trip from Hanoi was to nearby Ninh Bihn and the natural wonders of Tam Coc and Hoa Lu. Tam Coc has amazing scenery. Its exactly like Halong Bay except the limestone islands rise out of paddy fields rather than a bay of water. You take a two hour row boat (though I didn't row) down the river and through the rocky formations.

The scenery at Hoa Lu is similar to Tam Coc but slightly less impressive. It was however, once the capital of Vietnam for a short period and so is filled with temples and an Ancient Citadel, most of which is now destroyed. Both locations are definately worth a look - especially to get away from the big cities and see some geology!!!

I then headed back to Hanoi, where I would begin my journey south, down Vietnam's long coastline.