How long to Halong ….

Transfer to Halong … stopped along the way at Bach Ninh and saw traditional Vietnamese folk dancing on the middle of a lake which was amazing, it was a local village and the tour had it arranged just for me due to Tet ..  I could not fault it, the folk were so warm and friendly and passionate I was genuinely touched…  (little youtube vid here) …

No cars allowed so a traditional travel by horse drawn cart through country lanes and visit the Dinh Bang communal house and do temple … (vid here)

Continued on the way to Halong stopped to see the pearl farmers, marble statue carvings shop and pearl jewellery store…. Pair of silver drop pearls £20 .. outstanding value …

Checked into the Novotel  Halong, gotta say, much much better than a normal Novotel and probably the best hotel in Halong … with an infinity pool and outlooks over the bay, also next to a great strip of markets and restaurants, I spent the night just wandering the town of Halong … sampling the local delicacies of the street vendors … and a bit like Hanoi … I don’t want to know what they were !!