Hau Long & Lan Ha Bay

 4 April 2026

(Usual waiver applies to grammar, typos, spelling as I'm posting via  a small phone screen on the hoof 🤭, click on the pics to zoom in)

We set off from Hanoi in a coach to Tuan Chau Port. We had a 3hr drive with the obligatory WC & refreshment stop at a gallery/art shop/mini market... exit through the gift shop😁. There were so many coaches with tourists we each got a colored lanyard with the bus number/provider in case someone got left behind. Mild chaos😀

At the port there were more tourists and more boats than you could shake a stick at. Tourists trying to find the correct pier, porters loading luggage, announcements you had no idea of what they were saying, boats chuffing out diesel fumes 🫢🫢....glorious chaos. 

We did a three day, two night cruise on the Aqua of the Seas. We had a fantastic cabin with a balcony and a big bathtub.... perfect to have a soak and watch the scenery change. First things first though, we had a welcome from the Captain, Entertainment Manager and the Head Chef. 

Lovely big ship with plenty of viewing decks, bars, pool, gym etc. 

We had literally just opened our cabin curtains and you heard the chug, chug, chug of a local boat alongside. They were selling fruit,  beer, juice etc. They had a long pole with a net at the end to deliver your goods and you put the money in the net. That's hard core sales work. They were really signalling up to us to buy something. The pole didn't reach the top deck we were on so we wrapped some money around a mandarin, secured it with a hair tie and aimed....it got there on the deck and they were happy.  Hard yakka sales.

We had an afternoon row to a small cave amongst the limestone karst islands. 

It's certainly beautiful but we were sorry the sky was so full of smog....no blue sky and a watery sunset.

All the boats seems to anchor up in the same location  overnight so it's a very pretty sight.

There are goats on the islands. We saw them fleet of foot skipping across the rocks. I asked a local and apparently Cat Ba island goat meat is a delicacy.

The pollution is heartbreaking to see in this paradise. In the north of Vietnam there are over 3.6 million cars and 58 million motorbikes.Many are old and produce high emissions. Add to that the thousands of old diesel boat and tankers and  you can see why the smog levels are so high.

It's a tough call for the government to try and rectify. They need the emerging industries and the growing tourist numbers. In July this year they are going to phase in 'no motorbike hours' in Hanoi centre as a first step to addressing the terrible emissions.

We stopped at a working pearl farm. Fun fact the oysters can be in the baskets for three years before they get opened. They can open 300 oysters and only get on average three good quality pearls. Now ya know why pearls are pricey 🫣.

Some of the workers live out in the platforms for months on end. We saw a pussycat on one farm platform....oysters for dinner kitty cat 👍

The contrast between the local lives and some of the tourist boats was striking.

On day 2 we went to Cat Ba island. We had to go on a smaller boat which was pumping out black diesel fumes and gassing us in the process. Cat Ba is a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve and has  a small village and lots of natural jungle. We had the option to try rice wine snake tonic....3 years of the snake soaking infuses the wine with health benefits allegedly. We've got a lot of travelling ahead so took a pass on the rice wine options. You could also get your feet nibbled by fish here, we took a pass on that too as the water didn't look to be refreshed between sittings 😱.

The local village had some historic buildings which were really  interesting. 

The limestone karsts are certainly beautiful .

There are beaches for swimming and kayaking but the water pollution was terrible. We thought of our beautiful clean water in New Zealand and decided to sit that one out. So much rubbish floating in the water - bottles, plastic bags, old bits of polystyrene, diesel slick....tragic 😥

The chef worked his magic and the food was wonderful. He was a good singer too - he belted out a version of 'Oh Vietnam' on the karaoke.

A wonderful 3 days, 2 nights in this beautiful part of Vietnam.

These two loveable rogues were clearly up to no good as they went  walkabout on Cat Ba island.

Hanoi foodie heaven

If you like coffee to you're in the right place in Vietnam. Coffee was introduced by French colonists and once a luxury . Now Vietnam is the world's second-largest robusta bean exporter. 

We've been working our way through the options, salted coffee, egg coffee, coconut coffee and short blacks. It's all good 👌

The silken spicy beef roles were yummy 😋.

Enoki mushroom  stuffed and baked tomatoes 👌

Seafood stew with ginger, lemongrass and chives.

Fresh squeezed watermelon juice, beef pho and Enoki mushroom chips.

Coconut coffee👌

The size of the fruit here is amazing. Great mango, pawpaw, dragon fruit and pineapple 

The flavour in the pho here is the real deal, like nothing we've tasted back home. I could eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner! 

Green papaya and shrimp salad with chili lime sauce.

Grilled pork on lemongrass skewers with herbs and rice paper rolls👌

The ladies that deliver the fruit are gutsy weaving in and out of the traffic with ease.

Never seen such big pawpaw 

We haven't been eating much food off the streets vendors as we're here for a few more weeks so just adapting. It's certainly cheap though and  many tourists are sitting down at the little stands where the locals eat. They have these tiny plastic stools which once I got down I'm not sure I could get up again that easily. 

Along with coffee the French  also introduced the baguette 🥖 now morphed into the famous banh mi. These are delicious. We ate them too quickly..... so no photos.

The local Hanoi beer is pretty good too 🤞

Hanoi history day

(Usual waiver applies to grammar, typos,spelling as I'm posting via  a small phone screen on the hoof 🤭, click on the pics to zoom in)

Today was a day for learning  a little of Hanoi's incredible history. It was drizzling when we set out so we had a driver take us to our first stop and then it was on foot the rest of the day. The sun came out , well you could feel the heat but you couldn't see any blue sky for smog 😬.

The Trấn Quốc Pagoda is the oldest pagoda in the city, it's been a sanctuary of calm for over 1,500 years. It's on a little island linked by a causeway. 

The pagoda holds many important monk's ashes.

 Most of the pagodas were made in the 17th century. Monks still live there today. 

Visitors to the shrine  give offerings like food or small amounts of money as a present for the gods to give themselves good luck. Incense is burned to send wishes to the gods. It's a peaceful place to wander and the scent of incense calming.

As we left the little causeway it was interesting to see the lake being cleaned. Very humble boat and outboard motor but it worked.

Next stop was the Ho Chi Min Mausoleum. 

The entry system was run with military precision. Ladies wearing  traditional Aoi Dai we're very clear with their instructions 'single file! One line!  The system  worked and before we knew it we were in front of the mausoleum in time to see changing of the guard. 

Guards were in white military uniforms, no smiling or photos. Very serious guard change and sombre atmosphere befitting the resting place of the father of their nation. The guards looked so young. It was hushed as we walked past Ho Chi Min in his glass coffin, flanked by a ceremonial guard with soft lantern lights at each corner. Very impressive. The mausoleum was built despite Ho Chi Minh’s wish for cremation. It's said to be inspired by  Lenin's Tomb but designed with Vietnamese features. In complete contrast is the Presidential Palace next door. 

There were  school and kindergarten groups visiting and they were so lovely, keen to practice their English skills😁

Wasn't expecting to see a statue of Lenin in Hanoi. Lenin and Ho Chi Minh met in 1922. Ho Chi Minh was inspired by  Lenin's ideals. 

 This bronze beauty was a gift from the Soviet Union in the 1980s, and not surprisingly its the only statue of Lenin in Southeast Asia.

The Flag Tower of Hanoi was  built in 1805 and unlike many other structures it was not destroyed during the French invasion (1896-1897).

We literally stumbled upon the famous Train Street where you can sit almost on the edge of the rails and have a coffee as the train passes. Today a young gal got her scooter stuck. We also saw our first small scooter crash and the guy picked himself up, revved the scooter and went on about his business. 

Hoa Lo Prison  was our next stop. It was a prison originally used by the  French  colonists for political prisoners  and later by  North Vietnam for US prisoners during the Vietnam War. American POWs called it the Hanoi Hilton. Senator John McCain was one of the US pilots imprisoned here. 

It's a deeply confronting museum and record of terrible cruelty and suffering. A guillotine from the French is still in place . The  photo boards and old cine film with Vietnam freedom fighters stories was heartbreaking, so many  young, men and woman.

The American POW black and white photos are equally moving.

The shrine of offerings was so peaceful and a good spot to let it all sink in.

A full on day of history and learning for us.