Hanoi and Ha Long 2023
Canon T6i + Canon 18-55 mm lens. Adobe Lightroom Classic.
We had been in Sài Gòn, Việt Nam for over a week but then took a trip up north. Our flight to Hà Nội was only a couple of hours and after grabbing lunch, we headed to our first destination: Văn Miếu, also known as the Temple of Literature. It was the first university in Vietnam that was a temple dedicated to Confucius. We then went to the historic Hanoi Train Street where a train would drive on the tracks very closely past houses and buildings. Afterward, we quickly checked into the Hanoi Royal Palace Hotel 2 to put our luggage away and then drove to Chùa Trấn Quốc or Tran Quoc Pagoda. This is the oldest Buddhist temple in Hanoi, having been constructed over 1,500 years ago. The next stop was Đền Ngọc Sơn or the Ngoc Son Temple, a temple on an islet that was dedicated to Confucian and Taoist philosophers. It houses two preserved Hoàn Kiếm turtles in which a turtle of their species was the Golden Turtle God Kim Quy who played a legendary role in giving a mighty sword to the emperor Lê Lợi for war. Lastly, on this day, we visited Nhà Thờ Lớn or the St. Joseph’s Cathedral, a Catholic cathedral of French colonial architecture. Lastly, we had dinner at Bún Chả Đắc Kim, a Michelin-selected restaurant selling bún mắm; a Vietnamese gumbo with thick vermicelli.
The next day, we drove to Đảo Tuần Châu or Tuan Chau Island in Hạ Long to prepare to get on our cruise in Ha Long Bay (Vịnh Hạ Long). The cruise, Paradise Elegance 2, picked us up and we had lunch. We then went kayaking in the Ha Long Bay part of the Gulf of Tonkin (Vịnh Bắc Bộ) and then went swimming at the beach off the coast of Đảo Ti Tốp or Ti Top Island. Afterward, we watched the sunset on the cruise and had a delicious dinner served by the crew consisting of Atlantic smoked salmon, a seafood bisque, lobster thermidor, Australian beef fillet, and dessert consisting of chocolate cake, crême brûlée, and vanilla ice cream. We spent the night in our cabin on the cruise.
We woke up on the third day early for a quick mini breakfast before embarking to explore Hang Sửng Sốt or Sung Sot (Surprise) Cave located on Đảo Bồ Hòn or Bo Hon Island. It was a hike through the cave and coming out, we were at the top of a mountain/hill. Nevertheless, we had a fantastic view of the bay and the islands. After heading back, we had breakfast before being dropped off by the cruise. We drove to Hanoi for pho at Phở 10 Lý Quốc Sư and then finally headed to the airport to fly back to Saigon.