ultimatevietnamcambodia2015: Thursday 22nd October. Dry Halong Bay

A long day in the bus today with a stop before lunch at Niimh Binh or Dry Halong Bay. We ended up in a less commercialized "port" that was pleasant but not as picturesque as the main departure area. The photos however turned out well and this was probably helped by the mist in the background that projected the foreground. We lunched at a nearby restaurant which was quite pleasant and then headed for Vinh, arriving around 6.30pm.

Vinh is Vinh! It is a city of 1 million and other than being the homeland of Ho Chi Minh its claim to fame for tourists is purely a dormitory stopover. The Muong Thanh hotel however is rated as 5 star and while that might be a slight exaggeration, it was excellent and the service likewise. Rooms were quite spacious and the bathrooms lined with marble giving them a quality appearance. I have noticed over the last 5 years increasing attention being given to service and while hospitality is still naive in the remote north, it is steadily improving.

I should also mention that one of Tinh's opening comments on this trip was that "Vietnam is under construction" and this has been noticed along the whole route from Sapa south. I would imagine in another 10 to 15 years that some areas will bear little resemblance to today.

Leaving the dock