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Gracing the cover of many a Vietnamese travel brochure are the James Bond-worthy karsts of Halong Bay, rising mysteriously out of the startling emerald waters. Despite their ubiquitous marketing nature, seeing the bay in the flesh for the first time is spine-tingling and wonderful. Legend has it that the 1000 limestone pinnacles are the jewels of spitting dragons, left behind to protect the northern coastline from foreign invaders. Whether that or dazzling geology, the area is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and quite rightly so. The most popular way to explore the coves, islets and grottoes is on a luxury junk boat; both overnight and day cruises are possible, with a variety of options to add-on including kayak trips, lunch on sandy beaches, and swimming in hidden lagoons. If time is short, jet in from Hanoi by seaplane and take to the skies in a heli for exceptional views of the seascape from above.
Stay overnight on a junk and savour the blazing, fireball sunsets of the evening, and rise early in for a mellow Tai Chi class on the deck at sunrise.
Rent a junk exclusively and dictate the pace and direction of your float, dropping anchor wherever you’d like and taking a sunset dip in a wave-carved grotto…
Halong is northern Vietnam’s number one tourist hub and visitors are drawn in their thousands. One way to avoid the crowds is to explore the neighbouring and much less-visited Lan Ha Bay, or spend at least 2 nights on a junk in Halong and sail further afield.