Summary of my Northern Vietnam travelogue; a six days journey in Hanoi and Halong Bay in July 2008. You can read all the journals in usual blog formats; below is a summarised story of the tour with links to specific articles (and photos) instead…
Day 1 – Took an AirAsia flight from Kuala Lumpur to Hanoi; the KL departure was delayed because of heavy rain, but arrived in Hanoi on time. Hopped on a cab from airport to my hotel and experienced the chaotic traffic on the way, where rules were virtually non-existence. It’s going to be an interesting trip, I whispered to myself.
Started roaming around after checking into my hotel; found my way to Hoan Kiem Lake after an hour of wandering. Had a walk at Ngoc Son Temple before taking my lunch at Kangaroo Cafe and continued my journey with a cyclo-ride at Old Quarter before ending the day watching the famous water puppet show (pic).
Day 2 – Had pho and ice-milk-coffee for breakfast before taking off to Museum of Ethnology which showcased some interesting cultural stuff.
Lunch at Cay Cau restaurant and stayed in the hotel for the rest of the afternoon… the summer heat made it a bit unbearable to walk around. Dinner at Quan An Ngon, a famous eatery in Hanoi.
Day 3 – Squatted in the hotel for almost the entire day; too lazy to walk under the merciless sun. Managed to catch some nice meals though, at Hue Food Restaurant and Quan Com Pho. Check out other random photos of Hanoi.
Day 4 – Embarked on a tour to Halong Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was a scenic place with mountains, granites, isles and waters… a must visit for nature lovers (which I am); might be a bit boring for thrill seekers though.
Spent most of the time sightseeing on the junk (boat); stopped by a floating village and a beautiful limestone cave (pic) on the cruising journey; did a bit of kayaking and swimming in the evening.
Check out all Halong Bay photos… first glimpse ~ random 1 ~ random 2 ~ sunset
Day 5 – Stayed overnight on the junk and cruised around for a few more hours before making the way back to Hanoi in afternoon. Had Cha Ca (bottom pic) for early dinner, an iconic grilled fish dish in Hanoi.
Day 6 – Left Hanoi for Kuala Lumpur in the morning; end of journey. It was an enjoyable trip; could have visited a few more places with better planning… guess I’ll have to visit the country again next time.
Related Hanoi and Halong tags
Related tags about my Hanoi and Halong Bay travelogue on this website…
Vietnam ~ Hanoi (Hoan Kiem District) ~ Halong Bay ~ Travel Asia ~ Travel Vietnam ~ Travel Hanoi ~ Travel Halong ~ Asian Food ~ Vietnamese Food ~ Hanoi Food ~ Asian Culture ~ Vietnamese Culture ~ Hanoi Culture ~ Buildings and Architectures ~ Caves and Tunnels ~ Cruise Tours ~ Crypts and Tombs ~ Historic Sites ~ Leisure and Recreation ~ Monuments and Memorials ~ Mountains and Hills ~ Museums and Galleries ~ Nature Wonders ~ Oceans and Seas ~ On the Road ~ Places of Worship ~ Rocks and Stones ~ Scenic Views ~ World Heritage Sites ~ Travel and Living
Other travel journals (coming soon)
Guilin 09 ~ Kinabalu 09 ~ Taiwan 08 ~ Hong Kong 07 ~ Europe 05
