I visited Halong Bay in mid-January 2019 in what is considered low season. Despite the time of year, there were at least 400 boats on the bay the day I visited, with an average day in the busy season numbering closer to 1,000. Halong Bay is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Southeast Asia, and rightfully so. Located approximately 4 hours from Hanoi, most visitors visit the bay on day trips from the capital city. If you decide to travel to Halong Bay on a longer trip, Tuan Chau Island is located near the port and offers various …

Usually when I arrive in a new city, I can tell whether I like the place or not within the first few moments. As soon as I entered the Old Quarter of Hanoi, Vietnam, I felt so at home, as if I had been there before. Maybe that’s what inspired me to head out into the busy capital city to get wonderfully lost. Hanoi has a long and impressive Vietnamese history, as it started as the capital of the Au Lac kingdom in 268 BC, remained the capital during the years of French colonialism and even during wartime. Now, this …