Finally out of the smog and traffic noise of Hanoi, we thought as we were picked up by the tour guide shortly after 8am. The bus journey took us through the suburbs of Hanoi and some industrial towns to Ha Long City. Although there is naturally more space here than in the big city, the Vietnamese still build tall, narrow houses. These only have windows at the front and back, the sides usually remain windowless. There are lots of farmers on the countless fields. So far, we have hardly seen any machines used for agriculture in Vietnam.
Asean Halong Hotel
Our hotel for 2 nights in Ha Long City is the Asean HaLong Hotel. We have a great view of the foothills of Halong Bay from our room. The room is larger than the one in Hanoi, but does not correspond to the designated 4-star level.
We spent the afternoon organising a boat tour for tomorrow. After a bit of haggling, we got a 6-hour tour with catering and kayaking for 525,000VND per person.
