Halong Bay our first UNESCO World Heritage Site of the trip, it was declared in 2000 due to its marine geological formations which are principally limestone towers in various stages of formation and erosion.
After a 2 hour road trip from Hanoi along Highway 5 to Halong Bay we
boarded our Junk for lunch and then set sail for the open water of the bay.
It is possible to do a day trip from Hanoi with lunch at one of the islands but we decided
that if one was coming all this way, rather than be rushed about, we would spend
the night on the boat and enjoy the sunrise and have a lazy breakfast on board.
It proved to be well worth it, as the humidity makes it impossible to see the detail in the limestone outcrops or take clear photos after about 9am, this is also the most pleasant part of the day.
At the head of the bay is Vietnams largest port, Hai Phong.
This means that many large bulk carriers move through the bay on a daily basis
often mooring out in the bay to be unloaded by lighters and smaller ships.
During the Vietnam War this was North Vietnams’ principal port. This lead to it being extensively mined by the South, thus closing the area down to international shipping or development.
This action is probably responsible for so many individual islands maintaining such
pristine shore lines.
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A 6 am Sunrise with coffee and croissants to start the day as the
crew lower the sails and we cruise to a small floating fishing village.
