Ninh Binh
Atop Mua Cave
The entrance gate to Hoa Lu
What to Expect
I want to start by saying I'm a little disappointed with the day's photos. A lot of them came out kind of washed out with a haze. I'm pretty sure this was due to heat affecting my phone. I'm going to have to figure something out for this problem in the future. I pretty much never use filters but I did it with a few shots here that just had too much potential but for some reason had this haze over the photo.
The entire day takes about 12 hours and about 5 of that will be spent in the van. It is about two and a half hours there and another two and a half back but when you get there, all of the stops are really close together. No more than 10 minutes apart. When I booked the tour, he said I could get the ride in a limousine for an extra 100,000 dong ($4). Now I wasn't sure what this meant because I knew we wouldn't be rolling up like it was prom night but I went ahead and opted for it. It was WELL worth it. It was a very nice bus. The seats were kinda like 1st class airline seats. Very comfy and plenty of space.
You start the tour heading south and the first stop was fucking weird. After about an hour we stopped for what I assumed was breakfast but it was something that appeared to be like a "bamboo museum". We walked in and they handed us these things that looked like "press passes" to go around our necks and the walls were covered with info about how bamboo is turned into fabric, so I thought "oh neat" we will see a demonstration. Oh we saw a demonstration all right.
The passes were just to make it feel important and "official". They took us in a room and put on a display that was like damn infomercial. A lady was talking about how great the bamboo rags were and she dumped soy sauce on the table and tried to clean with normal rags and then again with the stain fighting power of bamboo rags. She then modeled some bamboo clothes for us and then they herded us into a store where we could buy these amazing products.
Now the towels at my Airbnb are actually kind of small and not great so I was considering buying one, but the stuff is ridiculously over priced. A full size towel was almost $50.
Whole thing took about 30 minutes and they also sold some snacks and drinks (also ridiculously over priced) and then we were back on the road.
First stop, Hoa Lu
Hoa Lu is the ancient capital city of Vietnam during the 10th and 11th centuries. It is the first place you visit and easily the weakest stop on the tour (besides the bamboo demonstration). It was honestly very rushed too, which will be a recurring theme.
It is mostly a very large empty field, but around it is a main path with side paths leading off to a few small temples. We could either stay with our guide while he explained things, or go off on our own and meet him out front. I decided to go off on my own, but we only had 45 minutes and I barely saw everything. I am pretty sure the rest of the group only saw the first section because, like I said, I was kinda zooming through and barely made it around.
The temples are cool but very small. Most had long-ish lines to go inside, but they are just a quick 20-foot horseshoe walk-through. I went inside one and skipped the rest. There were signs asking not to take pictures, so I did not, but the rule is not enforced at all. Plenty of people were doing it anyway.
They also had a few koi ponds where you could buy a bag of food for 10,000 dong ($.40) and feed the greedy little bastards.
The courtyard to one of the temples in Hoa Lu
I told you it had a large empty field
They would literally be on top of each other out of the water for that sweet, sweet fish food.
The view of some mountains near the stop for lunch
Lunch and then a boat ride
Next was a buffet lunch and the price was included in the tour but you had to buy your own drinks. The food was awesome! Had to be careful not to pig out too much because you got a 500-step hike coming up later. Right before lunch you can take a quick bike ride to a scenic spot nearby. Maybe 20 minutes total there and back. It's free and worth doing. Be careful, the brakes on the bikes aren't great.
The hike up the mountain is considered the main event of the tour but I thought the boat ride was cooler. You will be broken up into several groups of three or four and be paddled on a rowboat down a river. The views down this river are great. They give you a couple umbrellas to protect you from the sun. Luckily for us it was kinda overcast and not that bad but I imagine this could be rough in the Vietnam heat.
The ride takes about two hours and every second has incredible views. King Kong: Skull Island was filmed here. I know this because the lady paddling the boat tapped me on the shoulder about 10 times saying "King Kong King Kong"
You will also paddle through about five or six short caves, with low roofs. They also have a nice breeze blowing through them that gives a break from the heat.
I'm pretty sure this is a re-creation. I don't know what its significance is, but there was a bell inside of it
In one of these caves someone was facing the other way taking pics. I had my camera waiting for the moment they clocked their head. Unfortunately, no such luck.
I thought this mountain looked like Godzilla
One of the few pics I was able to get with no boats and life jackets able to be seen from space
The start of the hike
Mua Cave Peak
Finally we come to the "main event". Wear good, or at least decent shoes here. I saw a lot of girls gingerly walking down the rocks barefoot, because walking down pointed uneven rocks barefoot was a better option than busting their asses on the wet stairs. Towards the top the steps aren't nearly as nice as the pic to the right shows at the bottom. The stairs have some tough areas. Some are just really high steps designed to give you that fun burning sensation in your thighs.
When you get here there is a little more to do than just the climb. It is set up like a village at the bottom. There are a few shops and restaurants around. There is also a huge lotus field you can walk through as well as a few other photo ops.
But as I said before, our tour was kinda rushed. We were only given about 70 minutes here so I didn't get to see the lotus field.
At the bottom there is a very tiny cave that leads to nowhere but it signifies the start of the hike. I stopped in when we got back down, there is a little statue and then it leads into pitch blackness. I turned on my phone light to see where it went but it is just a 10x10 round black hole. It also had just enough water at the bottom for me to step in and make my shoe squishy.
When you get about 70% of the way up, the path forks and there are no signs to which direction goes which way, and this was the part that kind of upset me. I went to the right and it had much more challenging stairs but at the top there really wasn't much besides a great view. The other side had the dragon statue and more space. From the fork at the bottom you can't really see what is at the top. And unless you have more time or are climbing the stairs quickly you won't really have time to see both. So if you are doing this tour, go to the left first, it also had easier stairs.
I'm not saying all groups are like this because I saw plenty of people exploring the lotus garden but no one on our tour was able to. One positive was from the side I went on you can get a great view of the lotus garden which has a path cut into it in the shape of some sort of flower, possibly a lotus but I'm not a botanist so I couldn't tell.
Then we headed back to the bus for the non-stop ride home. Other than my shirt being so wet from sweat that it felt like I took a shower in it, it was a pleasant comfortable ride back. Even with parts being a little rushed it was still a great tour and well worth the money. I went with Win Anh Travel but in some parts of town there is a tour office every 10ft so you won't have a problem finding a way to get there, but don't go with the first place you see. Shop around because the first place told me $80. The second place told me $40 and I would have gone with them but they didn't take credit cards (because of ATM fees I try to use cards whenever I can especially for big purchases). This was the third place I went to and was $42 including the option for the limo buses and they accepted credit cards.
The dragon at the top that I'm kinda pissed off I didn't get to see
Giant lotus field seen from the top of the mountain, it even forms the shape of a lotus
Ha Long Bay
Dusk at Ha Long Bay
Should You Visit Ha Long Bay
I can't really say in good conscience you should go to Hanoi and not take a trip to Ha Long Bay. It would be like saying, check out Florida without going to Disney World. Many people have a great time in Florida without seeing Disney, but it is a top destination there for a reason. But Ha Long Bay hits the nail on the head for the very definition of "overtourism." Now I will never complain about long lines while standing in them, hence being a reason the line is so long, nor am I complaining about them here.
What I would recommend is reading about this trip and checking with tour groups around Hanoi to see if they offer trips to Ha Long Bay that were different from mine. I don't mean I had a bad time, my expectations were just a bit different and if I was steering the boat, I would have done it differently.
A Little About the Formation of Ha Long Bay
Ha Long Bay had me confused when I first saw it. I just couldn't figure out how they were formed. It reminded me of the floating mountains in Avatar, except they didn't float. But they were small, individual peaks. I assumed if it was geological, it would be like an interconnected mountain range. After some research, I found it was a phenomenon called karst topography, and the whole place used to be a giant limestone plateau slowly being eaten away by rain until only the toughest peaks were left. This also means if you want to see it, you need to go in the next million years or so before it is completely gone.
Starting the Day
The bus picks you up at around 7:30 AM for the two-and-a-half-hour ride to the bay.
When I was booking the tour, I was asked "do I want the limousine option for 100,000 VND ($3.80)". I knew it wouldn't be a stretched black car like the one I took to prom so I wasn't sure what to expect, but I said "yes" anyway. It was a wise choice. The bus was really comfortable and I saw some other buses on the trip. None looked awful, but I think it was worth the small upgrade.
On the Ninh Binh tour, we were taken to a place that appeared to be a little tour that showed how to make bamboo into fabric, but just ended up being an infomercial to get us to buy stuff. This tour had the same thing.
We were told we were going to be shown how pearls are collected from the bay, and it really just turned into a way to herd us into a gigantic jewelry store that sold pearl jewelry and we stayed here for like 45 minutes.
One of the 1,969 islands in the bay
I also found the town itself really bizarre. Coming in, there are tons of hotels, like literally enough that you feel like this place could host the Super Bowl, and tons of construction going on as they were still building more stuff. But it really seemed like a ghost town. Most people either stay the night on the boat or do it in one day and head back to Hanoi. I can't really see what the draw would be to staying here. I did some research and I get the feeling it is just a speculative real estate bubble that isn't too far from popping.
Our "limo". It probably was the nicest tour bus I have been on.
Getting ready to go to the boat
This was one of the few photos that I got that were relatively free of boats.
Most of the photos looked like this. This was taken from Sung Sot Cave.
The breeze made the heat a non-issue on the deck
Lady Liberty at the helm
Yeah...I wasn't getting in that...at least 50% piss and 0% chlorine and 100% chance of ringworm
Expectations vs Reality of the Ha Long Bay Tour
Now the booking office did say we would see a cave and had the chance to do some kayaking, but again, it just wasn't what I had pictured.
I saw several pictures of boats with nice pools and I really thought the focus of the tour was just sitting poolside on a boat sipping drinks and enjoying the views of the bay. Part of me didn't want that so I was glad that kayaking and hiking were options, but after going, part of me wishes the tour did have more lounging.
I know that all reads wishy-washy as fuck, but I'll try my best to explain.
See, the islands are AMAZING to look at, and I guess in my head I pictured it as just a long scenic ride close to the islands and soaking in the views, but, except for the places you actually dock at, you don't get that close to many of them.
And docking, I found funny as fuck because, unlike Carnival cruise lines, it is a game of bumper boats. The boat pulls in for a tight fit and it'll be thunk-thunk-thunk as you ricochet off the boats next to you. If you want to see that stop, the boat quickly unloads people and then backs out to let the next boat in and then picks you up later.
Getting on the Water...Finally...
At about noon, after navigating some crowds, you finally get on the boat. This was one pleasant surprise I had on the trip. I expected the boat to be much more crowded than it was. We weren't jammed in like sardines. We sat down for lunch and there were maybe 10 tables with five or six people per table. Felt like we were filled to capacity but not overcrowded.
They served a nice buffet lunch as the boat departed for an hour-long ride into the bay. The ride out and the ride in were my favorite parts of the tour. Sitting on top of the boat with a nice breeze and enjoying the view is great. Just be warned, you are probably not going to be able to get many of the pristine photos you probably saw while researching this place. There are 100s of big cruise ships just like yours in the harbor.
I took this photo with my camera held in the air, just below the field of view is a back and forth line of around two hundred people.
This is taken from where you exit the boat and then you will go through the rock and exit at another point and be picked up.
First Stop Sung Sot Cave
The first stop was Sung Sot Cave. It was a 1.4km hike with about 100 steps up and 100 steps down. That cool breeze from the boat is gone so it got pretty hot here. It was neat inside the cave because you would just walk through these natural "cool spots" where it suddenly got ten degrees cooler and five feet later it is back to hot.
Now the cave is awesome, just be prepared. It feels exactly like the line waiting to get on a roller coaster. You know how the lines are usually decorated to keep it as interesting as possible while waiting. That is exactly what this felt like. I do mean EXACTLY. It was weird even though I knew it was a real cave system, my mind just kept picturing it like I was getting on a King Kong ride. The crowds here are brutal and were pushy as shit. I can't stand when people are all fighting to get to the same place. You have still got to be picked up by the fucking boat. I don't see what the rush is. And be careful with the steps and the crowds, it could be a little dangerous.
Now it wasn't all bad. The cave just has some severe bottlenecks. It does open up in parts allowing you to breathe, even though I'm a little disappointed with how a lot of my photos turned out because I didn't want to stop for more than a second or two to snap one off because I knew there was a herd of impatient tourists behind me.
There was an older couple at our table that didn't get off at any of the stops. Maybe they had the right idea. If I had it to do over again, would I have gotten off or stayed on the boat? Yeah, I'd still have gone and seen the cave, but just prepare yourself for it.
I found it hard to believe so much green would grow on what appeared to just be giant rocks in the middle of a saltwater bay
This is right after you actually get inside and the worst bottleneck
I had to keep reminding myself "This is real, not a fiberglass set design at a theme park".
In my opinion this was the coolest part of the cave. Seemed like something out of Indiana Jones.
Kayaking in Ha Long Bay
Back home, I owned a kayak, so this was what I was looking forward to most about the trip. When booking, all the pictures from the tour office showed pristine stock photos of a single person alone in the bay on a kayak.
This was...not that.
Your options are to either take a tandem kayak or ride on a large rowboat paddled by a local with about ten other people. I don't really know why anyone would choose the rowboat, but surprisingly, most of the people on our cruise did.
Since the kayaks are two-seaters, if you're traveling solo, you have to pair up with someone. Luckily, I met another solo traveler from Scotland on the tour and we hit it off, so she and I grabbed a kayak together.
The spot they take you to is nothing like the pictures I saw, but it's still a very scenic area. You paddle out, go through a small cave, and circle around another bay. We took a wider loop than most people and were able to avoid some of the crowds. But watch out for the big rowboats with locals paddling them. They don't give a single shit about avoiding kayaks and will charge right through you. It got pretty tight inside the cave. You actually need to lean way back and allow them to swing the paddles over you.
I didn't get many pictures while I was kayaking because I was too busy dodging other boats, but once we got away from the crowds I stopped to take a few.
Ti Top Island Beach
The Beach
This was the final stop and talk about being wishy-washy... I was full of increasingly poor decisions here. Every choice I made was wrong.
When we first got here, we could go swimming, take a hike to the top, or stay on the boat.
I was at the top of the boat (where I should have stayed) enjoying the air. I was planning on staying, but at the last minute I decided, "No, while I'm here I need to explore when given the chance." The boat was actually seconds away from backing up when I got down, but they held it up for the dumb American.
Even though I could clearly see the crowds, I got off and IMMEDIATELY wanted to get back on the boat, but it was already backing up. I did want to climb, but I didn't want to deal with the crowds like at the cave. I decided to explore the little island.
I quickly realized there wasn't a whole lot to see on the island and went over to where the climb was. Then I see it doesn't look crowded at all, but now I am worried that since I farted around on the boat and island I wouldn't have time to climb it.
So I just sat around on one of the decks people-watching until I started seeing members of my group. But it was at least another twenty minutes from when they started appearing to when we got back on the boat, so I would have had plenty of time to do the climb anyway. Total shit show of a stop for me.
I do regret not doing the climb, but I definitely don't regret not swimming. I mean that shit obviously wasn't happening, but I saw two people limping out of the ass soup with jellyfish stings, so if you go and decide to swim, remember that. I'm sure the pool on our boat would have had enough piss in it to neutralize the pain, though.
All of those boats dumping waves of people on the island 50 or 60 at a time
I actually took this photo on the way out not realizing that little pavilion would be the destination at the end of the trip
Sunset in Ha Long Bay
Final Thoughts on Ha Long Bay
So maybe after reading this you can tell I'm not a big fan of crowds. Would I recommend going to see Ha Long Bay? Yes, absolutely. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site for a reason. Put on your Panama Jack hat and Hawaiian shirt and embrace being a tourist for a day.
I would, however, recommend shopping around and finding an option that doesn't sound like the tour I took if your budget allows. They have cruises that go for one or two nights. I think I would have gotten bored on those solo, but with a lady friend or group, it probably would have been great.
Also, while Ha Long Bay gets all the name recognition, right next door are Bai Tu Long Bay and Lan Ha Bay. I originally saw options for Lan Ha Bay and wrote them off as the lame little brother to Ha Long, but now I would seriously consider it instead. Lan Ha has more high-end luxury boats, while Bai Tu Long has rustic wooden boats in areas that are far more remote and almost deserted. Plus, I found out too late that squid fishing is an option on some of those trips and I would have been all about that.
I booked both my Ninh Binh tour and Ha Long Bay tour not long after I arrived in Vietnam, but spaced them out and did Ha Long right before I left. I wish I had done Ha Long Bay sooner so I could have booked another tour out to Lan Ha Bay afterward.