For our last full day in the Hanoi area, we booked a day trip to Halong Bay. It’s one of the most touristy things you can do in Vietnam but for good reason. The striking limestone archipelagos are like nothing I’ve ever seen. To get there with time for a solid day of cruising, we had to leave our hotel early in the morning and drive East a couple of hours. We boarded a standard cruising vessel in the mid morning and set off to see the natural wonders just before lunch. Our stops included a extensive cave system, a small lagoon, and a scenic outlook. In between stops, we took in the foggy views and chatted with our table-mates, Harry and Maggie, a young couple from Houston. It was great to exchange info with them, being that we were traveling the country in opposite directions. They gave us some good tips for our stays in Saigon and Danang. We got back to Hanoi late in the evening and after a quick take-away dinner of Banh Mi, we prepared for our morning move to the South.

Check out the highlights below and click any photo to see the full Google album.