Halong Bay

Halong Bay

Where We Stayed: Hera Cruise Ship on Halong Bay

The next leg of our journey brought us to Halong Bay, known for it’s emerald green waters and massive limestone karsts emerging from the water. Of course we traveled to Halong Bay in style (via sea plane!) This gave us a chance to get an overheard view of the amazingly unique scenery of this UNESCO World Heritage site!

When we arrived in Halong Bay, we boarded our overnight “cruise” boat, chartered by Hera cruises. We were just one of the two families on board this overnight cruise, which was super nice. The staff onboard were welcoming (shout out to Kenny!) and the boat itself was beautiful!

We relaxed as we cruised our way through Halong Bay. Our cruise boat offered several day excursions for us to try. We decided to visit the Cua Van Fishing Village, where we were able to see how the villagers lived on the water. I was fascinated to learn about their fishing techniques that they still use today!

The next morning, we went one one more excursion in Halong Bay which included an onshore hike into the Sun Sot Cave. This cave was filled with stalactites, stalagmites, and striking colors.

Later that day, we disembarked our boat and made our way to the airport. Along the way, our A&K guide asked if we wanted to stop by the “Ceramic Village”. We are so glad we said yes to this! This village is known for its beautifully sculpted ceramics and pottery. Upon arrival, we were invited into the home of a family who specializes in creating large ceramic panels that truly depict Vietnamese culture. We even had a chance to make our own clay vases using their pottery wheels (My Dad’s definitely turned out the best!) This was definitely one of the highlights of our trip!

After this, our A&K guide, Hai, brought us to the airport and we said our goodbyes. We had a fun 6 days with him and couldn’t thank him enough for everything – he truly went above and beyond! Onto our next destination – Hue!