We hire a bike through our hotel for 150000 dong per day – cheap! Ha Long city is spread out across two peninsulas that are connected by an impressive modern suspension bridge. We cross the bridge to see what’s in the other side and to look for some breakfast. We find a great little street-side eatery. This part of town doesn’t see too many tourists do I’m a bit of a novilty. And again my chop-stick skills are under severe scrutiny! I feel the pressure!
Ha Long Bay is a significant port city and has a busy fishing industry. We’re in the old part here and very Vietnamese. The off-shore views are impressive, despite the scenery being subdued by haze and an overcast sky. The many islands stand vertical in the water and there are hundreds of fishing boats moored just off shore. The wharves are busy. Also in the water are two huge cruise ships. Ha Long Bay filled with these upright limestone islands has become a very popular place for tourists. There are already many huge hotels here but there are many more to come by the amount of construction and development going on.
After lunch we go in the other direction for a look. There is a bridge connecting a small island. Oyster farms are exposed in the low tide. Riding around this island I become gob-smacked by the amount of development going on, including a golf course. Projects that are complete are very un Vietnamese. This would put the Gold Coast to shame.
It’s overcast and hazy now, bringing on the night prematurely. For dinner tonight we find a restaurant not far from our hotel that specialises in seafood. There are many plastic dishes outside at the entrance filled with water and live seafoods including oysters and other shellfish, octopus, fish and worms! The food is great. There ‘a a birthday party going on for a young girl. The kids are typically loud and naughty but hilarious to me. They could be kids anywhere. We get offered a bit of cake, which was a nice gesture by the birthday girl.
angusmccoll 