Rough Guide to Vietnam - Jan Dodd [288]
Hanoi and around | Travel details |
Flights
Hanoi to: Buon Ma Thuot (4 weekly; 1hr 40min); Da Lat (12 daily; 1hr 40min); Da Nang (4 daily; 1hr 15min); Dien Bien Phu (1–2 daily; 1hr); Dong Hoi (3 weekly; 1hr 30min); Ho Chi Minh City (14 daily; 2hr); Hué (3 daily; 1hr 10min); Nha Trang (1–2 daily; 1hr 40min).
Ha Long Bay and the northern seaboard
The mystical scenery of Ha Long Bay is what draws people to the northeast coast of Vietnam. Thousands of bizarrely-shaped limestone islands jut out of the emerald sea; navigating the silent, secretive channels, past bobbing clusters of fishing boats, and stopping to scramble through caves or swim beneath overhanging cliffs are some of the highlights of a trip to Vietnam. Tourism now rivals fishing as the prime activity, but the bustling harbour retains a certain authenticity and the tourist hordes are easily swallowed up in the bay’s generous proportions, with many overnighting aboard a traditional wooden junk; their tea-coloured sails are just for show since almost all vessels are motor-driven, but there’s a timeless, romantic air to floating amongst pristine moonlit peaks. By far the largest island in the bay, the wonderful Cat Ba makes an appealing base for exploring the area with some fine scenery as well as being home to Cat Ba National Park, a forest and maritime reserve requiring the usual mix of luck and dedication to see anything larger than a mosquito.
The two main jumping-off points for the bay and its islands are Haiphong and Ha Long City: though most travellers pass straight through, both are well set up for tourism. Haiphong is the more appealing, despite being north Vietnam’s second-largest city and a major port: broach the industrial outskirts and you’ll find a surprisingly agreeable centre with some nineteenth-century architecture. Further up the coast, Ha Long City is split by a strait into two mismatched halves - the largely unappealing sprawl of high-end hotels and seaside kitsch known as Bai Chay, and the neighbouring Hong Gai, an earthy, industrious town largely dedicated to fishing.
It’s a further 150km up the coast to the Chinese border with the booming markets of Mong Cai and the long, sweeping beach at Tra Co: hydrofoil services along the coast make travel up to Mong Cai uncharacteristically smooth.
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Ha Long Bay and the northern seaboard |
Highlights
Haiphong’s colonial architecture Fine examples include the municipal theatre, for which materials were shipped from France.
Cruising Ha Long Bay Passing through the maze of limestone pinnacles punctuating the turquoise waters is an unmissable experience.
Overnighting on a junk Spend at least one night onboard, taking a moonlight dip in the Bay’s phosphorescent waters and waking far from the hustle and bustle of the cities.
Rock-climbing Get your fill of juggy overhangs on Cat Ba, one of the region’s freshest new rock-climbing destinations.
Cat Ba With its cluttered harbour, lush interior and easy access to some of Ha Long Bay’s most beguiling scenery, this is the best place to base yourself in the region.
Cat Ba harbour
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Ha Long Bay and the northern seaboard |
Haiphong
Traffic heading out of Hanoi to the northeast coast funnels over the rust-coloured waters of the Red River on Highway 1 and then branches east on Highway 5 across the northern delta’s most prolific rice fields. Road’s end is HAIPHONG, a city of two million souls, where a vast, smoke-belching cement factory dominates the outskirts: it comes as a pleasant surprise, however, to find in the centre of this moderately quiet, orderly city an older district with low-key sites and subtle charms, shaded by ranks of flame trees. Broad avenues of well-tended colonial villas add to the impression of quiet prosperity and the city has a cosmopolitan flavour, evident in a profusion of suited businessmen talking deals in hotel lobbies.
Ha Long Bay and the northern seaboard |