Ha Long Bay, Vietnam
Our journey to visit the karst island formations that comprise Ha Long Bay in the East Sea began with an early morning pickup from our little Hanoi apartment of the previous three nights. After a few hours journey with a small bus load of other sight-seers, we made a pit stop at a pearl farm where we witnessed the pearl farming process outside and avoided the sales pitch in the posh air-conditioned sales floor inside. Fifteen minutes after re-boarding the bus we arrived at the busy Ha Long Bay boat terminal, where our guide handled ticketing as our group milled around the lobby, hiding the plastic water bottles (as instructed) that we were just given but not technically allowed in the sanctuary. After clearing “security”, where the few oblivious members of our group had their unhid water confiscated, we were led to our “junk” boat for a long day exploring the 1969 islands that comprise the Ha Long Bay protected area.
Our boat tour began with a family style lunch served in the open dining room downstairs in the boat. As we motored towards the islands we were acquainted with our table mates, a friendly, semi-retired, octogenarian professor from New Zealand that teaches in BC and a nice young couple, the woman from a tiny island in southern Vietnam that works for Pfizer in Hanoi and the gentleman, a Columbian living and working in Tokyo. After enjoying a spread of not the most impressive, but fresh Vietnamese cuisine we made our way up to the deck to take in the incredible scenery that we were beginning to motor through.
Oliver’s immediate reaction to the karst formations was to remark on their similarities to the floating islands in Avatar, not a far fetched comparison and surely an inspiration to the creative team behind the movie design. The countless jutting rock islands, draped with jungle and surrounded by crystalline blue waters really is a stunning sight to behold. It was even better to experience up close, as we had an opportunity to do after our lunch and journey to a dock on a few of the islands. At one we were able to hike up a (very, very busy and sadly highly littered) path to the summit, offering an incredible vantage point to take in the expansive beauty of the seemingly never ending islands. After returning from the hike we had a little time to enjoy a crowded beach and a swim in the warm waters before returning to the boat.
At the next docking we were given the choice of kayaking or taking a ride on a guided bamboo boat. Katharina made the (in retrospect, disappointing) decision to take the short and crowded bamboo boat, while Oliver and Gabriel carefully boarded a two-person kayak for an adventure. After hopping into the kayak the boys navigated the congested waters heading through a cave to access an impressive sheltered lagoon where they basked in the splendor of the karst surroundings and found themselves bummed by the quantities of human detritus floating in the otherwise gorgeous waters. Using it as an opportunity for learning about conservation, Oliver was enthusiastic with the suggestion to scoop out whatever garbage they encountered along the route. He had a great time pointing out floating debris and by the time of docking they had collected several pounds of plastic bottles (clearly the embargo isn’t working…), nets, fishing line and other containers.
On yet another stop, on the island of Bo Hon, we climbed a short way to visit Sung Sot Cave (also known as Surprise Cave). It is divided into two chambers; the first chamber, known as the “Waiting Room” was vast, adorned by stalagmites and stalactites and lit by somewhat kitschy multicolored lights positioned to “complement” the chamber’s structural beauty. The second chamber is known as the “Serene Castle”; it is large and grand (you could fit a Costco inside!) with an extremely high ceiling and has many intriguing rock formations which locals identify by likening them to various animals related to their shapes. It was an incredible cave system and would have been even more impressive if it weren’t for the throngs of visitors crowding the paths throughout the experience.
Our extensive boat tour through Ha Long Bay wrapped up with a lovely evening cruise back from the islands as the sun began its descent into the waters. We took in the shimmering silver waters and pink and purple hues of light from the top deck, where we enjoyed sharing life details, travel plans and engaging in interesting conversations with other fellow travelers. Upon returning to the boat terminal at the Ha Long port we were greeted by a waiting taxi, which escorted us for our one night stay in Ha Long city. The drive from the dock took us past countless new high-rise buildings that were dark and seemingly deserted. Turning off the main road, our kind taxi driver dropped us off in front of one of the few buildings in the area that had any signs of life. After checking in to our surprisingly lovely room we decided to take a walk and explore the area in search of somewhere to enjoy dinner and a bit of local flavor.
To say Ha Long city was different from our experiences in Hanoi (and even Ha Long Bay) would be a massive understatement. Whereas the city and the bay pulsed with activity and life, Ha Long city seemed nearly devoid of both visitors and locals, alike. After quite a bit of walking we managed to find a very large local seafood restaurant, where we were one of few tables occupied, and enjoyed a delicious and generous meal together. After dinner, full and exhausted, we walked back to the hotel and collapsed into bed, enjoying the luxury of blackout shades and one of the first restful nights, actually sleeping through the night, since our arrival in Vietnam four days earlier.
The next morning we woke relatively early and decided to use our limited time in town to further explore the area and take in the views from the beaches overlooking the islands in the distance. During the day it is clear that Ha Long city is a city that was being built for a surge in tourism that has yet to arrive. We wandered through empty beachfront, empty parks, an empty amusement park and eerily deserted concert venue, whose dilapidated state looked like something out of some sort of post-apocalyptic or dystopian future. After a few miles of walking we managed to find a much more modest part of town that had signs of life and a simple restaurant where we were able to enjoy a very tasty, and very inexpensive, breakfast with a group of local men sipping tea and seemingly discussing whatever it is that middle aged men discuss the world over.
Our several mile walk back to our hotel took us on another route through a long cobblestone boulevard, surrounded by nearly deserted shells of European inspired buildings with ornate marble statues of great European composers marking each unused roundabout, separating block after empty block. We returned to our hotel, packed our bags and made our way to the lobby, where we inquired with the desk clerk about the lack of people and surplus of space and buildings throughout the city. He kindly, and regretfully, let us know that prior to Covid the city was on an ever-increasing trajectory of development meant to cater to the vast numbers of visitors arriving other parts of Vietnam as well as from Europe and Asia. Our shuttle bus to our next stop in Ninh Binh/Tam Coc arrived and as we navigated the city to pick up a few other visitors heading the same direction, we reflected on our experiences of the time in Ha Long and lamented the realities of how Covid has upended lives here much more than in our more fortunate part of the world.
