After kayaking, the Bien Mo Junk sailed to Cat Ba Island to unload passengers who opted to stay in the hotel on Cat Ba Island. On the way, more beautiful scenery shown.
Continue reading →

After visit to Sung Sot Grotto, the junk sailed to nearby floating village. Here we were asked to transfer to another junk Bien Mo. To me Bien Mo was an inferior junk, although they showed a 3-star rating on the boat. But we met back the original guide that brought us from Hanoi, Ha.
Continue reading →

Although our itinerary supposed to be Thien Cung (Celestial Place) and Dau Go Grotto (Cave of the Wooden Stakes), we were brought to Hang Sung Sot Grotto (Cave of the Surprises) instead. It’s one of the 3 most popular caves in Halong Bay, and requires separate ticket from the first 2 caves. It’s discovered by French on 1901, and is on the same Bo Hon island with Trinh Nu Grotto (Virgin Cave), but our guide never brought us there.
Continue reading →

A shrine was built inside a grotto of Halong Bay islet

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.
Continue reading →

We’re getting deep into Halong Bay. Bush topped limestone islands have so many kind of formation, jutting out from the sea.
Continue reading →

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.
Continue reading →

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.