Hạ Long Bay has picked up another international plug, this time from Routard.com — the online arm of Guide du Routard, one of France's most established travel guidebook publishers. In a piece published on October 5, the site called the Vietnamese bay "one of the most beautiful wonders in the world" and the kind of place everyone should see at least once.
The appeal is easy to explain. More than 2,000 vegetation-covered limestone islands rise out of emerald water, scattered across a bay UNESCO listed as a World Natural Heritage Site back in 1994. Routard.com reckons the combination of karsts, caves and floating fishing villages adds up to one of the most spectacular landscapes in Asia — arguably the world. Even with mass tourism, it says the bay has kept its otherworldly quality, provided you're willing to stray off the standard route.
Top of the site's recommendations is simple: sleep on the water. Overnight cruises leave from Tuần Châu Port and push deeper into the bay, where islands slide past your cabin window one after another. Waking at dawn to birdsong and silence, before the day-trip boats arrive, is a completely different experience from the midday crowds.
On the water, kayaking gets you up close to the cliffs, through natural arches and onto small beaches for a swim. The bay's caves are another highlight, with Đầu Gỗ, Thiên Cung and Sửng Sốt all flagged as worth your time. Ti Tốp Island offers the classic panoramic shot — roughly 400 steps and 15 minutes of climbing for a full view of the karst seascape — though be warned, it's one of the busiest stops in the bay.
The most interesting suggestion, though, is to go further. Adjacent Bái Tử Long Bay has the same limestone scenery with a fraction of the boat traffic, and Routard.com describes it as a calmer version of its famous neighbour. At the Vung Viêng floating fishing village you can drift between stilted houses in a traditional small boat, and a visit to a local pearl farm offers a glimpse of the aquaculture that has long sustained coastal communities here.
For travellers, the takeaway is practical: Hạ Long rewards more time, not less. A one-night (or better, two-night) cruise beats a rushed day trip, and adding Bái Tử Long to the itinerary gets you the postcard scenery without the queues. If you've written the bay off as overrun, this is a case for giving it a second look — and for building in the quieter corners where the pace of life hasn't sped up to match the tour buses.
Story reported by Vietnam News Life.
