Myth has it that a huge dragon descending from the land, splashed into the sea, and the 2,000 or so islands adorning Halong Bay are the result of his fierce descent. A very romantic story in deed for a very romantic place. This 1,500-square-km-wide area on the western side of Tonkin Gulf of the South China Sea attracts around 90% of the visitors to Vietnam.

The two- to three-hour boat journey from Halong City to Cat Ba island (which is the usual tourist destination) is full of images that will stay with you forever. You can’t miss the “houses on the water” (read rest of journal below), which are small or large formations of houses, erected on wooden platforms on the calm emerald waters of Halong. Do not miss the Hang Dau Go or the Cave of the Wooden States, with three chambers of stalactites and rock formations and an interesting crystal formation that emits a kaleidoscope of light when shone with a torch. The cave is famous for being used by the legendary General Tran Hung Dao as a trap for the attacking Mongolian army. Wooden stakes were set up within to trap the Mongols against the retreating tide, hence the name of the cave.

Another must is the Hospital Cave, an incredible man-made hospital curved inside the rocky surface of Cat Ba, which was used during the Vietnam War years by the Communist forces. The natural park of Cat Ba is another must, and you may read a bit more on the “jungle trek” below.

Quick Tips:

Take back with you memories or photographs, not pieces of corals or stalactites, some of which are sold as souvenirs in a converted “key holder” or other artifact form. If you decide to go for the jungle trek, make sure you have a reasonably good level of fitness, a good pair of non-slippery shoes (either climbing or trainers) with a VERY good grip on slippery soil, and a first aid box.

Make sure you have no exposed parts of your body, as any fall on the ground will automatically result in abrasions and lacerations from the razor-sharp rocks on the ground, and I would suggest a first-aid box as well. Sample the sea food in the local restaurants in Cat Ba and don’t stick on the “all inclusive” cheap hotel meal arranged by your agent. Spend the few extra and try the superb local cuisine.

Best Way To Get Around:

The whole excursion to Halong Bay and Cat Ba island can be organised by a number of travel shops in Hanoi. Your Rough Guide will advise you on some of the best and more helpful of these outlets. You will struggle to make it cheaper and more comfortable yourself, and I am not sure whether it is worth it, taking in account that if you go with “the herd”, you will always have an English-speaking Vietnamese guide with you.

The language barrier can be a problem in this remote corner of Vietnam. At the same time, you can always keep your independence and “do your own thing” if you don’t fancy joining the rest. The packet you buy includes comfortable coach transport from Hanoi to Halong City, meals, the boat from Halong City to Cat Ba, a lot of basic excursions, accommodation with half board, and the presence of the guide at all times with you. My suggestion is to sacrifice the pre-arranged tourist meals and go for the best of the local restaurants (following once again the advise from your Rough Guide pages). Food is cheap anyway and on occasions SUPERB.

One of the popular and cool things to do is a guided jungle trek in the national park of Cat Ba island. It sounds quite an innocent and safe activity, but it is NOT and in fact can be quite dangerous. The guides usually offer two treks, an easier one lasting a few hours and a second more difficult one lasting at least 6 hours and far more demanding than the former. If you are not experienced, go for the first. If you do not have a reasonable level of fitness, don’t go at all. Make sure you wear comfortable shoes with a good grip on the ground and clothing that does not leave any skin exposed. If possible, have a first aid box with you.

When we started the trek, our group consisted of two Vietnamese guides; three fit girls from Australia, UK, and New Zealand; another Kiwi couple; two tall German guys (one of them said he was a Lufthansa pilot); and myself. The first kilometre was easy and flat. Once we reached the hilly, rocky terrain, I was using my hands to grip horizontal tree branches. The soil was slippery as hell from rain that fell the night before. On the ground, stones and rocks had a flat shape, razor sharp at the end. It wasn’t long before the Lufthansa pilot had a near fall following a slippery step and abandoned the trek. I kept going, not willing to accept my older age and poor shape with grace, going uphill through the thick foliage, the drizzle, and the slippery soil, and I couldn’t stop trying to imagine the poor American soldiers who some 30 years before would try to negotiate similar terrain, with rifles, ammunition, and supplies on their back. Nightmarish!! Similarly, I could not help but admiring our Vietnamese guide, who was climbing as if he was walking on a flat surface, wearing plastic flip-flops  and holding two plastic carrier bags in his hands. What were the precious items that were worth carrying in those stupid bags through thick jungle and on the summit of this hill?

Eventually we reached the peak, and despite my efforts, I was the last one to reach the summit. I was coughing like mad and was almost physically sick from the sheer exhaustion. It took me a good 10 minutes to regain my composure and start admiring the view. I was feeling as thirsty as a nomad in the middle of the desert but had no water with me!! And then, VOILA, the Vietnamese guide, with a charming smile, opens the carrier bags and reveals water bottles and Coca-Colas, which he started selling at prices three times above those at ground level!! At the end of the trek, the ever-surprising and helpful Vietnamese guide helped us wash, as most of us were covered in mud from head to toe.

My personal opinion is that the Hospital Cave in Cat Ba Island is one of the most fascinating sights (and lesser known) of the Vietnam war era--even more than the Ku Chi tunnels further south. The hospital was constructed initially by the Chinese. Access to the hospital is not through some road that ambulances or cars could use, but through a mountain donkey path surrounded by thick vegetation, which I would imagine would be quite a task for two soldiers carrying a stretcher to walk on. Injured North Vietnamese officers would be arriving by boat via Halong Bay and eventually carried in the “hospital”. The hospital “entrance,” barely visible even today, is less than 5 feet high (1.52m) and about 4 feet wide (1.21m). On the left, immediately after entering, was the x-ray department, to x-ray the incoming casualties. The operating theatres, recovery rooms, and other spaces were primitive by today’s standards, but the sheer size of the place--where and how it was actually constructed--is incredible and made the place secure and impenetrable by enemy fire.

The old man seen on the first picture below next to me was a young Army soldier who served in that hospital and now narrates the story (via a translator) to the tourists. He has a broad, generous smile, a contagious laughter and a kind nature and appears to have no hostile feelings against American tourists. He described vividly the futile efforts of American bombers trying to destroy the hospital and the anti-aircraft fire from anti-aircraft guns placed on the top of the hill above the hospital. Those days, without the laser-guided bunker buster bombs, such an attempt was doomed to fail. Today it may have been possible, I suppose. (I hope no American readers will jump to protest; that it is unthinkable that freedom-fighting American bombers were trying to destruct a hospital, for god’s sake).

One feature in that hospital of which I could not fathom the purpose was a flight of stairs ,about 40 or steps, leading nowhere (just on the surface of a rock). The old soldier explained that as this hospital was treating the cream of the North Vietnamese Army middle-ranking officers, they were all keen to return to the front line, but they were only allowed to do so only if they were able to go quickly up and down these steps at least half a dozen times. No wonder the Vietnamese is the only nation on earth, so far, that has not succumbed to the superior American military might.

Cat Ba is one of the largest islands, with an area of 356 square kilometers, forested zones, coastal mangroves and freshwater swamps, beaches, caves, and waterfalls. In 1986, the northeast side of the island was designated a national park, including a protected marine zone. Cat Ba Island supports a population of over 20,000, most of whom live off fishing or farming in the south, in and around Cat Ba Town.

The town is small and ancient, with clusters of fishing boats and inspiring sunsets across the harbour. You can check out the catch of the day in the early morning, see cuttlefish dried over hot charcoals, or stroll around the old town. As seen in a couple of the photos below, these hundreds of wooden boats are often not simply fishing tools but also a homes for a whole family, who live and sleep there. These very same people coined the term “Boat People” and left Vietnam in their thousands in the '80s in pursuit of a better fate in Hong Kong. Following the introduction of “Doi Moi,” the reformed entrepreneurial communism, some of these brave people who made it in the new lands came back and poured money in the local economy in the form of hotels, restaurants, houses, and other infrastructures. Try to see as much as you can from Cat Ba, including the life and the beautiful and friendly people of Cat Ba Town.