Travel Diary in Halong Bay: Day 2

Our second full day in Vietnam was spent in Ha Long Bay, something I had been looking forward to. We booked through Klook, which made everything easy, and started early with a hotel pickup.

As we left Hanoi, the busy streets slowly turned into peaceful countryside—rice fields, small villages, and locals going about their day. The long ride was relaxing, and I think I even dozed off a bit before arriving at Tuan Chau International Marina.

The first thing on the itinerary was buffet lunch. There was so much food to choose from that I didn’t even get to try everything. By the time I finished one plate, I was already too full to go back and sample the rest.

It was windy and overcast that day, nothing like the photos I had seen online. But honestly, the weather turned out to be perfect. I didn’t feel the heat at all, which made the whole experience even more comfortable.

The next stop on our trip was Ti Top Island. When we arrived, the place was buzzing with people. Some of our tour mates headed straight for the beach while others started the climb up to the viewpoint. I decided to skip the stairs and just stayed by the shore. I enjoyed just sitting there, feeling the breeze and watching everything around me.

Some history: Formerly named “Cat Nang” (or “Graveyard Island”), it was renamed on November 22, 1962, by President Ho Chi Minh to mark the visit of Soviet astronaut Gherman Stepanovich Titov, strengthening Vietnam-Soviet friendship. A statue of Titov stands at the foot of the mountain. -Google

We were given a choice – bamboo boat, kayaking, or speedboat. Easy choice, we went for the speedboat, even with the extra cost.

It was fast, bumpy, and so much fun. The driver really went all out and we couldn’t stop laughing. After the thrilling ride, we stopped at a peaceful pearl farm in Ha Long Bay, surrounded by calm green waters and limestone cliffs. Learning how pearls are formed made it even more interesting*.

*These farms are typically located in isolated, calm, and scenic areas of the bay,, where they are protected from strong currents. The small buoys seen from tourist boats mark the locations of suspended underwater cages, where thousands of oysters are cultivated, cleaned, and checked for pearls over a period of 1–5 years. The farms use a combination of Japanese technology and traditional Vietnamese techniques, where a membrane is implanted into the oyster to stimulate pearl growth.

Warning: Please put the volume down.haha

Then we stopped at another calm side of the Bay, where everything felt peaceful and still. It was the perfect spot, and our tour guide happily took photos for us. With the quiet water and limestone cliffs as our backdrop, it felt like one of those simple but beautiful moments you just want to capture and remember.

Next was Sung Sot Cave, which I decided to skip, especially after hearing about the many steps going up and down. Not really listening to the instructions (my fault!), I got off thinking I could just wander around…but the cruise had already moved to the other side of the cave.

Good thing the tour guide was amazing and helped me catch a small ferry to get back. Phew—lesson learned: listen properly next time!

We stayed on the cruise until late afternoon, enjoying cocktails and drinks as we sailed through the bay. It was such a relaxing and wonderful way to end the day.