As we got closer to Hang Sung Sot cave, we saw floating village in Halong Bay. Locals live in floating house and mainly go fishing from the morning and then sell their catches to bigger boats which in turn sell them on the mainland, or go to nearly islands to cultivate land.
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We’re getting deep into Halong Bay. Bush topped limestone islands have so many kind of formation, jutting out from the sea.
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Dao Ti Top island was the first island of Halong Bay we came closed. It got its name from Ghermann Titov, a former Soviet Union hero. It displays a beach shaped like a crescent moon, and sand that has been washed to a snowy white by the tide. It’s possible to climb to the top, but our junk never stopped.

Vinh Ha Long, in Vietnamese, means Bay of Descending Dragon. It’s a area of approximately 1,500 square kilometers with a 120 km coastline, in the Gulf of Tonkin, comprising 1,969 islands of different sizes. It’s located at Quang Ninh province of Vietnam.
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As promised, we were served lunch shortly after the junk started to sail towards Halong Bay. It’s basic Vietnamese culinary which very similar to Chinese culinary. On this junk (we later moved to another junk), the service was better. We were offered the towel napkin, and the table was properly covered. Yet, I didn’t see any seafood lunch as promised by tour itinerary.

I believed women in Vietnam are pretty tough. Everywhere I can saw women do pretty hard and blue collar job, as labor. Here a Vietnamese woman sailed a ship.

This was the water for our Junk, uncovered during the rainy day and the worker moved the pipe by leg. I doubted they ever cleaned the containers too. We did drink a tea, and got no diarrhea. But it’s a good idea to bring lots of water, wine and soft drinks on board too, as drinks are not included in the tour package, as a way for them to earn more.

Whenever a cruise boat or a junk stops wherever in Halong Bay, it will most likely be approached by Vietnamese hawker on this type of small boat, hoping to sell something to the tourists, such as drinks, fruits, fishes, snacks and most things you can imagined.

We walked to the tourist wharf which located along Ha Long Road beside that Thang Long Restaurant. Everybody was in raincoat. This is the main entry where your ticket will be checked to go into the tourist boat pier.
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At Halong City, we were droped and asked to wait at Quang Ninh Tourist Company operated Thang Long Restaurant, along Bai Chay street. The restaurant is just beside the tourist wharf / boat pier. It was raining all day since we departed from Hanoi. Here, we were assigned to another guide which will lead another group of people in another junk.
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