Ha Long Bay, Vietnam

November 11 – 13, 2025

Ha Long Bay, in northeast Vietnam, is known for its many limestone islands. We spent our first night on a boat in the bay with friends from the Ha Giang Loop. We then stayed on the beach island of Cat Ba. 🏝️

Our ‘floating hostel’ / short cruise was fantastic for the price – though our group of seven was crammed into one room.

The views of the limestone islands were fantastic:

After a day on the water, we spent two days on Cat Ba where I caught up on some work and we explored the island by motorbike:

This was the first time I have seen horseshoe crabs in a tank at a restaurant!

The town in Cat Ba is a developing tourist area – lots of shuttles running through, though still a very quiet town:

Our hostel was amazing – under $5 a night and had free breakfast, pool/jacuzzi, and loads of hostel dogs:

Explored local beaches:

Tried some local seafood:

On a floating restaurant:

Final check out of north Vietnam, heading to the airport to head south!