Through our hostel in Hanoi, we arranged a multi-day trip to Halong Bay. A bus drove us to the coast where we boarded our boat where we would spend the night cruising around the bay.

The first day we spent jumping off the boat and swimming as well as hanging out and meeting our fellow travelers. Since we came as a couple, we were given one of the private rooms in the back of the boat that included a private deck with lounge chairs.

We also went on a group kayak excursion that took us to some caves and lagoons tucked away on an island.

At night after dinner, the bar was open and everyone had a good time hanging out on the top deck of the boat. The next day we had breakfast on boat surrounding by stunning scenery.

We arrived at the beach where we would spend the next night. Here on the island camp, travelers have the option to extend their stay and many did immediately upon arrival.

During the day, we swam, snorkeled and played some volleyball on the beautiful beach.

The drinks flowed all night and the games continued.

The sleeping arrangements were pretty basic – just basic cots on a raised wooden platform with a net on the beach. Vietnam has pretty steamy weather so it was not the most comfortable sleeping we’ve had. The next day the boat and bus took us back to Hanoi for our last night in Vietnam before we took a flight down to Saigon and then a bus into Cambodia the next day.

We had an amazing 4 weeks in Vietnam – here’s a recap of all of our stops.