Tour of Ha Long Bay and Cat Ba Island

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A floating fishing village at Ha Long Bay

A floating fishing village at Ha Long Bay

I was going to skip Ha Long Bay and Cat Ba since I had seen similar scenery in Tam Coc and also was spending more time and money in Vietnam that I had anticipated. However, I had spoken to several people who said that it was a sight not to be missed, so I booked a tour from Ninh Binh for two nights. Unfortunately, I got scammed. I was sold a mid-range tour and instead ended up on an extremely low-budget boat, had to share a room when I had booked a single, and was served inedible food. The people on my boat who had paid less than half what I did were not terribly upset, but as I realized what happened I got very frustrated. To make matters worse, the “guide” on my boat was extraordinarily unhelpful and unsympathetic.

Scams and bad tour experience aside, I did mostly enjoy visiting the Ha Long Bay area. It’s a UNESCO site and has some impressive limestone cliffs and caves, and hiking on Cat Ba was a fun morning. Unfortunately the site is not well taken care of and it’s highly polluted with tons of rubbish. The boats are very unsafe to boot. Hopefully UNESCO can step in and clean up the area before it’s too far gone.

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Ninh Binh, Tam Coc, and Mua Cave

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The limestone cliffs of Tam Coc

The limestone cliffs of Tam Coc

The surrounding countryside of Ninh Binh was highly recommended by some friends of mine, so I made sure to stop there on my way up north. The town itself is not very impressive, but there are several small villages accessible by bike as well as Tam Coc, a village near a gorgeous by surrounded by limestone caves and cliffs. You can also climb one of these cliffs, above a cave called Mua, to get a view of the area. In addition to the scenery, I was impressed by friendly people and cheap prices.

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The Imperial Citadel in Hue

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A detail of a gate at the imperial citadel

A detail of a gate at the imperial citadel

From Hoi An I traveled further north up to Hue, a UNESCO city with a rich history and the site of the former imperial seat of government. I arrived just before tyhpoon Haiyan was due to hit and spent my first 24 hours holed up in my hostel dorm with loads of cookies and three fellow solo female travelers. The typhoon fortunately ended up missing central Vietnam entirely, and the excitement surrounding it seemed to snap me out of my two-week travel slump. I finally got my camera and guide book out.

The imperial citadel in Hue was a really interesting place to walk around for a couple of hours. It’s not quite as well preserved as I had expected, but regardless the size is impressive and there’s an informative video in the palace that explains the layout and functionality of the complex. The best part is the colorful, eccentric gates spread throughout.

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Recovering from Travel Fatigue in Hoi An

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The Japanese Covered Bridge in Hoi An, Vietnam

The Japanese Covered Bridge in Hoi An, Vietnam

Still feeling a bit lethargic and overwhelmed by Vietnam, I arrived in Hoi An and wasn’t entirely gung ho about sightseeing and taking photos. Despite my mood, the town proved to be a nice place to hang out. The old part of town is a UNESCO site and has some striking examples of traditional Vietnamese architecture. About 5 km away is a surprisingly peaceful beach. Throw in the opportunity to get cheap, custom-made clothes from one of the abundant tailors in town as well as some delicious food and there’s enough to keep a jaded traveler going for a few days.

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Getting to Vietnam and the Long Son Pagoda

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A plaque with a quote from the Dhammapada at Long Son Pagoda

A plaque with a quote from the Dhammapada at Long Son Pagoda

After Hong Kong I felt another bout of travel fatigue setting in. I flew to Manila and stayed for just a four-day layover, which was meant to be relaxing but instead just added to my anxieties, as Manila is a rather dirty, hectic, and poverty-stricken city. From Manila I flew to Ho Chi Minh City, which was again extremely hectic and stress-inducing. I was not in the mood to sightsee or take a lot of photos, although I did visit the War Remnants Museum which was a sobering way to spend an afternoon.

When I finally got to the beach town of Nha Trang, it was great to relax and eat some delicious, cheap fish dishes. I finally got back into a travel mood and started sightseeing again. One of the few main sights in Nha Trang is the Long Son Pagoda, a Buddha statue and temple situated about a 20-minute walk from the main part of town. I got lucky and ended up being the only tourist there, although when I was leaving a massive group of talkative Russians was coming through the gate. Also detracting from the peaceful atmosphere were rather aggressive “students” selling overpriced postcards. Despite this, the site was worth seeing and spending a few minutes walking around.

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