Vietnam — Ha Long Bay, Vietnam — part 1 of 3

Exploring Ha Long Bay, Vietnam

September 2015

During my visit to Ha Long Bay, Vietnam, the weather did not cooperate. It was misty and rainy, but it did make for some interesting photos.

I was on a three-day, two-night cruise with Glory Cruises.

Day 1 consisted of the transfer from Hanoi to Ha Long, which meant we didn’t get onboard until 1 pm. Upon arrival, there was a briefing, and at 1:30 pm, lunch was served. It was a good meal, with a range of dishes, with the spring rolls being the best.

Even though the light was terrible, it made for some great photos.

Ha Long Bay was stunning.

The low cloud and rain made for some atmospheric photos.

What was surprising was the number of other tourist boats in the bay. Pretty much everywhere I looked, I could see other boats. Particularly at night, when I could count ten or more boats nearby.

The other surprise was we never got very far from the mainland. As seen in the photo below, a nearby city was still visible. I often thought we travelled some distance, yet we would round a corner, and the city would be in the distance.

The strange twilight in the bay made for some interesting photographs.

However, the clouds did lift, and we did get some sunshine.

And Ha Long Bay was truly stunning.

There were so many small islands rising straight from the sea.

Surprisingly, even with all these small uninhabited islands, I saw very little wildlife. I was expecting to see a lot of bird life. Where had all the birds gone?

My first experience of Ha Long Bay was very memorable. The bay had magnificent scenery, although I was disappointed by the number of other boats and the fact we never got too far from the mainland.