On a trip to Hanoi in Vietnam I took an excursion to Ha Long Bay. This is famous for its rock formations in the South China Sea. Many boat excursions will take you out into the bay to visit the sites. Some offer overnight stays on the boat. I chose a boat that offered a one night sleep over in the bay.
The area is a favorite of movie makers. Perhaps the most notable movies include Pan, the story of Peter Pan, and Kong, Skull Island. When you cruise through the bay, it's easy to see why this is such a great place to make movies.
The boat excursion offers very simple sleeping accommodations. But they do offer very fine dining. A five-course meal was offered at dinner along with snacks and drinks on deck throughout the day.
The boat makes several stops in the bay for recreational purposes. You can take a small kayak into the bay for further exploration, and they allow you to swim in the south China Sea, if you desire. I went swimming in the sea, but I have no photos because I had nobody with whom to leave my camera while I swam. It's a little unnerving swimming in strange waters when you don't know what's in them, but as this was a common practice, I was not too concerned.
The boat lands at some of the rock formations. You're allowed to disembark and explore the caves that are in the rocks. I certainly took advantage of this.
Inside of one of the caves of a rock formation
You can see how popular this place is.
Ha Long Bay is such a unique and surreal place. I have travelled from Ho Chi Minh city (Saigon) to Hanoi, including Da Nang and this was by far the most beautiful place I visited in Vietnam. Just slowly floating by these magnificent natural rock formations lets you know youre in a special place on this earth.
WOW, this is amazing 🤩. I know what you mean about swimming in water that you don’t know what lives in it. I don’t blame you for trying it however. My mother took a chance and look what she got. 😂
Beautiful area the natural beauty is incredible