Quang Ninh

I traveled solo, and overall, it was very good. First, regarding transportation. I had some issues with the hotel, so I contacted them via WhatsApp at 1 AM to change hotels. They responded early the next morning and picked me up in front of the new hotel. Thank you for accommodating my rescheduling. I chose the limousine bus. It was about six rows of 2-1, with a wall-mounted charging port that supported USB A and C. I was able to charge my phone without any issues on the way there and back. I wanted to share this information so I don't have to carry a heavy battery. The itinerary was very efficient and well-organized. We stopped at service areas along the way, but many of the stalls don't accept cards, so it's a good idea to bring cash. The other participants were one Japanese couple, two Indian couples, and a Westerner. Since I was traveling alone, I didn't talk much, but I was able to communicate easily in English, even borrowing and lending charging cables.

This two-day, one-night cruise on the Hermès ship, with its beautiful scenery of Ha Long Bay, delicious food, and engaging itinerary, was definitely worthwhile.

Overall, it was good. Our guide, Austin, handled every point very well. He was friendly and humorous. The buffet on board was just barely passable in terms of food and taste, but it was acceptable for the price. The overall experience felt a bit commercialized, which is understandable. For the canoeing, we chose the less strenuous option with 20 people per boat, and the boatman was very friendly and offered to take photos for us. The Surprise Cave was very crowded; we spent about an hour just queuing, but the wait was definitely worth it. The cave is a hidden gem, and the wonders of nature are truly breathtaking.

This trip started with my wife's words: Let's go to Vietnam for New Year's! We had a really fun trip to Halong Bay! We managed to overcome the language barrier, which worried me, but when we arrived at the kayaking area, I got a little lost because the guide went ahead without explaining anything. I didn't have my ticket at the ticket handover area, so the ticket attendant at the gate told me to leave someone else behind to get my ticket, so I hurried over to get it from the guide. After receiving it, we were able to go kayaking around Halong Bay without any problems! Personally, I'd love to kayak again! 🤤 Thank you!