Mon Cheri Cruise – We embarked on a three day, two night cruise of Halong Bay with our friends Heidi and Eric. We selected Mon Cheri Cruise line, a fairly new company, and were not disappointed. One of the fun cruise activities was a cooking class taught by Mr. Bill, cruise director. Passengers experimented with making their own spring rolls and Heidi won the contest for the best looking roll.

• 

• 

• 

Halong Bay – This very popular tourist destination is a two hour car ride plus a 30 minute boat ride from Hanoi. The bay, which includes approximately 1,600 islands and classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is part of the emerald waters of the Gulf of Tonkin. During the Vietnam War the US military placed underwater mines in the bay to hinder North Vietnam progress through this waterway. The word long means dragon and the translation of Halong Bay is where the dragon descends in to the sea. The bay is another Vietnam filming location for the 2017 movie Kong: Skull Island. We did not find any dragons or apes during our time in the bay, but we did see an adventurous black kite which enjoyed flying back and forth in front of our ship. Our favorite parts of the bay were the limestone islands with grottoes caused by wind and water erosion. One the second afternoon of our adventure the four of us enjoyed kayaking in a more quiet part of the bay to see the beautiful rock formations up close. 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Dark and Bright Cave – Our cruise included several excursions and we visited Dark and Bright Cave on the first afternoon. While most of us rode on a bamboo boat, Eric explored the area by kayak.  After passing through the cave we appreciated the blue, tranquil waters of a hidden round lake surrounded on all sides by tall limestone walls. Very peaceful. 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Cat Ba Island – On bicycle and by foot we explored a tiny part of Cat Ba Island, which is 285 square kilometers and the largest island in Halong Bay. After bicycling from the dock to the small Viet Hai Village we were encouraged by Ms. Heart and Mr. Leo, our day-trip guides from the ship, to experience a five minute fish pedicure. Eric was the only brave one in our group to do so. We talked with several villagers who explained the process for making pig food from sugar cane and how to make rice wine with different colors and enhanced flavors. We also saw several old-style houses that were in the refurbishing process. 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Fish Farm – After visiting Cat Ba Island we stopped at one of the fish farms in the bay. We wandered around on the narrow, somewhat rickety floating walkways amongst the fish enclosures and floating buildings, including a couple of houses and a shared kitchen and eating area. 

• 

• 

Trung Trang Cave – Our final excursion away from the cruise ship was walking up to and through Trung Trang Cave, also on Cat Ba Island. During the Vietnam War approximately 2,000 Vietnamese lived in the cave for protection. During their time inhabiting the enclosure they even constructed a water tank and several altars for religious worship. Fortunately we were able to enjoy the very beautiful and unique stalagmite and stalactite formations as we walked through Trung Trang Cave before heading back to the ship.

• 

•