I came to Hanoi, Vietnam in the December 2013 on the occasion of Christmas holiday with my family. After spending two days to explore the Old Quarter and some landmarks of Hanoi, my parents decided to travel to Halong bay. I thought, at first, it was not the best time of the year to visit Halong bay. However, it is definitely worth visiting this place even you will encounter the bitter cold weather. It is possibly the most popular sightseeing destination in the northern provinces.
Halong bay is located 160 km east of Hanoi. It took about 3 hours to travel to Halong from Hanoi. If you plan to visit Halong bay, you should book a cruise with a travel agency, for example: Eviva Tour, to avoid all the crooks if you try to do it by yourself. Besides, in our case, the company even offered a better price than the cruise line did. Thanks to the agent, everything was included and personalized, we had a marvelous time and stayed overnight on a junk boat (a traditional Asian vessel) whilst cruising through the bay’s 3000 islands rising from the emerald waters. Moreover, we could also leisurely watch clouds and contemplate the sunrise over the sea. It felt like the water sparkled naturally on the deck.
Plus, there was beautiful caves hidden inside the reef which were named Sung Sot – Surprise Cave.
After few steps into the cave, it seemed like a narrow and minuscule one, but with just few more steps, it becomes bigger and bigger. We could not imagine how a tiny path could lead to such a giant, airy, and spectacular cave created by Mother Nature.
Your memories of this inspiring natural wonder are sure to be the envy of friends when you come back home. I believe you will admire the mysterious beauty that nature has bestowed Halong as I am.
Bao Ngoc