Read : Exploring Nanning which Bordering Vietnam
After cross Dongxing - Mongcai border the local guide pick us up by bus and we are on our way to Halong. Mongcai - Halong around 3 hours.
Halong is the northern Vietnam city which famous with Halong Bay. Basically visitor come to Halong for Halong Bay, the Unesco World Heritage.
My first impression in Vietnam, slow pace city. Northern Vietnam is still under developing country, first feeling is when I take the bus is not a fancy and clean bus, feels like Indonesia in 2000-ish. Vietnam currency is Vietnam Dong, exchange rate is low and in tourist area they prefer to get RMB (China Yuan) or Indonesia Rupiah. Maybe that's why the exchange rate of Dong is getting lower cause even Vietnam citizen don't choose it.
If you are travelling to Vietnam, I suggest you not to change Dong in high amount cause some place is cheaper if you pay with RMB.
But also you need Dong for pay in traditional local market as they don't received other foreign currency.
Halong Bay is one of my bucket list in recent months and so glad I'm going to visit this beautiful place. A place where Kingkong & James Bond movie shoot, a place that American says once in lifetime a must visit one.
From our hotel in Halong City we drive around 30 minutes to Tuan Chao International Marina, this is the station to take cruise to Halong Bay.
Inside there are toilet, supermarket, and local tenants of course with higher price. Anw weather in Vietnam so humid and hot above 35 degree Celsius when I'm there. So make sure to prepare your jacket, sunglasses, and hat to keep you from the sunburn.
You'll see many cruise in Tuan Chao Marina. My package is half day Halong Bay tour, there are also day tour which you can stay inside cruise. But after this trip I think half day is enough.
The legends say during the old times when Vietnam newly formed, come enemies from the North and they attack through the sea. So Vietnamese pray and ask blessings for Vietnam. Suddenly come the dragon to look after Vietnam, the dragon scattered the fire and giant emeralds to against enemies. Finally enemies goes away and the rest of giant emeralds left, after thousand years the left emeralds which scattered by dragon become different shape of island. It is what we see now, there are many small island with different shape in Halong Bay.
Halong it self in Chinese character is 下龍, Ha or 下 means down, Long or 龍 means dragon. The dragon which come down to this bay.
Its why now it called Halong Bay 下龍灣.
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| Wait, i'm not ready yet! |
This rock is called Fighting Cocks or Hon Ga Choi Island as it seems like a couple of chicken, local says.
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| focus on the rock |
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| Fighting cocks from another angle |
The cruise will goes to another speed boat marina and we change to speedboat for a while and change to small wooden boat to get to Luon Cave & Lake 月亮湖.
It was a private small island and feels like isolated from the world. Amazing peaceful trip. Love it.
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| Pink butt monkey on the island |
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| And this hole story as local information is long time ago lives a fisherman couple here, the husband is going outside to catch fish and the wife keep waiting but the husband not coming. Years by years the husband still not coming home and the wife become stone. |
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| Titop Island |
The man behind me is Titop, Russian astronaut. This is Titop Island, one of the island in Halong Bay. There are volleyball court and beach for swimming, its famous as romantic island in Halong Bay.
In French colonial period, Titop Island had its historical name as Cat Nang, meaning the beauty of a charming girl. According to a historical record in 1962, Cat Nang Island was changed to Ti Top Island to memorize event of Ho Chi Minh president & a Russian astronaut Gherman Titov visited to the island.
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| The beach with Halong Bay island iconic view |
After a hot sweating day we back to the cruise and have lunch. Seafood is ready on the table and the cruise was slowly drive to the middle of the island. I was to hungry and forget to take a picture for my lunch. But its good.
After lunch, chilling in the deck of cruise is a must. I love the peaceful feeling to be on the deck, seeing the endless of turquoise Halong Bay and feel the air. I sit down and think it's time to have quality time with my self then I think I want to pray. Thank God to bring me here, unlocked Vietnam especially Halong Bay.
I suddenly hear this : The God who made this beautiful amazing view that you adore so much, is the same God who made your life your future as beauty as it is. What you worry about?
So long Halong Bay, definitely an amazing view.
Head of to Hanoi 河內 around 3 hours from Halong. Hanoi is the capital city of Vietnam located in northern Halong.
If you come to Vietnam you will realize Vietnamese looks like Chinese. Yes, that's right.
In China dynasty era, Vietnam is one of China. Then they want to independent from China so they fight to get the independence. Uni Soviet support Vietnam as they still don't have any money or weapon, in the other side China still have weapon stock while China don't have any war. Mao Ze Dong 毛澤東 think if this weapon is about to expired use inside China will be pollution in his own country. So, they used it all to Vietnam, poor Vietnam.
After that Vietnam still want to be independence country, than Vietnam win the war with South Han army 南漢軍隊. In that time Vietnam still use Mandarin as their language. Vietnam declare independence in September 2nd, 1945. But after that France come to colonize Vietnam, war end at 1954. But in South Vietnam, America is still colonizing. Starting 1961 Vietnam against America and in 1975 North & South Vietnam merge as one and become Socialist Republic of Vietnam 越南社會主義共和國.
As I mention before, Vietnam still use Mandarin as their language but Ho Chi Minh think if they want to be independent they need to have their own language so they have Vietnam language but they don't know how to write down only by speaking, kinda dialect.
Due they have contact with France so they adopt French writing, as you can see now in Vietnam language writing have symbol in the word like French.
And 60% of their using vocabulary come from Mandarin. Mostly Vietnamese can speak Mandarin a little bit at least.
Ho Chi Minh 胡志明 is the father of Vietnam, they called him Uncle Hu. Sadly Uncle Hu passed away at 1969 right in Vietnam independence day and he haven't see North & South Vietnam come into one.
Why he called Uncle Hu? Cause he didn't get married in his lifetime. He focus on how to raise Vietnam into independence country, so in Vietnamese heart they all have Uncle Hu.
Uncle Hu preserved body is place in Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and embalmed 3 times every year in Russia. It is said that it was the good preserved body compare with others, but sadly we can't see it.
Please be noted if you come to this presidential area, wear polite outfit to enter, if no they will not allow you to enter this area. And do not step the yellow line.
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| Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum |
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| Ho Chi Minh office and resident behind me. 1F as lobby to receive guest, 2F as office area, 3F as resident area. |
Remain things from the war is show at Military Museum. In here also you can purchase a balm that no one know the ingredients except military people, as said the balm is magic balm for soldier in war era to kill pain and rheumatic.
Step a way from historical things, we head out to West Lake. Yes, it called West Lake in Hanoi. Then I ask locals is it the West Lake like in China one?
She said the story. Once upon a time Chang 'E 嫦娥 (the lady in mooncake symbol) looking in the mirror, unfortunately the mirror fall down to the earth and become 2 piece. The big piece is the West Lake in China and small piece is this Vietnam West Lake.
鎮國寺 Chua Tran Quoc is the oldest Buddhist pagoda in Vietnam, a memoriam place for Vietnam hero. I also met some monk here. Anyway there are local tenants selling some souvenir with affordable price in West Lake parking area.
Nearby you can visit 36 Old Street 36古街. It is an old town with 36 street total and there are 3 wheels bicycle to rent. Anyway, be careful when walking in Vietnam, the traffic is crazy and motorcycle is everywhere. I'm getting crazy to cross the road.
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| 1 of 36 street |
From Hanoi we are going back to Nanning. But this time we cross Friendship Border. This Border is quiet comfortable compare with Dongxing-Mongcai one, as this border is mainly cross for container not visitor.
So I enter Vietnam from west and leaving from east. See picture below if you don't know what I'm talking about HAHAHAHA
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| That iconic Friendship Border 友誼關 One of the biggest border in China |
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