From Cruising Halong Bay by Mike & Jac

Looking for tranquility, scenic landscapes, and plenty of fun activities to do? Visit Halong Bay in northern Vietnam where you can sail around the thousands of limestone islands, kayak, swim, enjoy the local cuisine at the many fishing villages around, explore caves, and more.

Realtravelers Mike & Jac took a fun two day/one night tour booked through the Kangaroo Cafe and wrote about it in their blog. After a day of sailing, swimming, kayaking, and more, they had a lovely dinner on the boat:

“After kayaking everyone retired to the upper deck with a beer or drink while the crew prepared for dinner. It was a lovely meal that they just kept bringing out… spring rolls, cucumber salad, whole fish, pommes frites (chips!!) and various other Vietnamese delights and pineapple for dessert. After dinner Mike and I checked out the bottles of wine and discovered a 2000 bottle of shiraz they obviously had just sitting there for years. We cleaned the dust off the bottle and much enjoyed while chatting to the others on board. At night the amount of boats anchored in the same area was amazing, as you could see lights of each just floating around (if not for the rocking of the boat you would just think you were in the city around heaps of other restaurants!).”

The next day the sun was out and the were in for more adventure:

“Early morning start as you could hear all the other boats getting started around us. It was much clearer on that day so a beautiful view in the morning. Breakfast served pretty early - egg and bread, jams, banana and we tried the dragon fruit which is very pretty (pink skin)…then headed for the “amazing” cave - its name actually translates to amazing - and it really was! It took quite a while to walk through and Mike’s highlight was the view of the bay from high up in the cave.

After this we cruised on the bay a little more and found a little exclusive spot and were able to go swimming again. Not all did but I was sure to get in on the action and jump off the boat a couple of times! They threw out some inflatable sunbeds for us to lay on for a bit - was best part of my morning.” (more…)

To plan your own Vietnam getaway, visit:

Halong Bay Travel Guide
Halong Bay Pictures
Vietnam Travel Guide
Vietnam Travel Deals