Ha Long to Hue

After our overnight cruise we have decided to stay in the Ha Long Bay area for a few days of relaxation. The majority of tourists head back to Hanoi or onwards to other destinations so we're not expecting to see too many westerners around. There are more Vietnamese as it's known as a domestic holiday destination for wealthier locals.

The Bai Chay area, right where the cruise tender leaves us, is a strange newly built holiday spot, partially on reclaimed land. There are long rows of identical colonial-style buildings which have only been built in the last year or so, most of which are still empty. The few hotels that are open are eerily quiet, including our own. We are again upgraded to a nicer room, and everything is new and comfortable. The whole area is pristine, with groundskeepers watering plants and trimming hedges each day. The nearby beach is spotlessly clean... until you walk to the edge of the water and see the oil, rubbish and plastic floating in on the tide!

After Mark goes for a swim in the small rooftop pool, we head out about 10 minutes walk to an area with several restaurants and bars. Again, a lot of the places are closed or empty, but we settle in for some western food at a German restaurant, including some German pilsner.

Next day we head to the nearby "Sun World" resort. There are a number of these in Vietnam, and the one in Ha Long has a water park and an amusement park, but we skip those and take the cable car across the bay to the hilltop park. The Queen cable car holds two Guinness World Records: the tallest cable car tower and the highest passenger capacity in a cable car cabin. There are just two cars crossing over and they can hold up to 230 people in the two-story cabin. Luckily there are only about 60 people in ours, so we get to enjoy the view over the city and out into the bay, although it's too hazy to see much of the karst islets.

The park at the other side is as touristy as you might expect, with a zen garden, a newly built pagoda, wax-work museum, giant Ferris wheel (20 mins for a complet circuit!) and two "bobsled" slides. It's pretty quiet except for a couple of bigger tour groups, and at less than €14 per person inclusive it's a good way to spend an afternoon. We take the cable car back in darkness with a lot of the big hotels lit up like Vegas, and settle into a sports bar for some drinks and dinner.

After a third day in Ha Long where we just chill out, it's time to head back to Hanoi for our first long train journey, overnight to Hue. The weather has turned cold and rainy, with the temperature only reaching about 11 degrees. After a car transfer back to Hanoi, and dinner and drinks in a craft beer bar, it's time to board the train. We very luckily have no-one else with us in the 4-berth cabin, so we are able to enjoy a couple of beers before settling down for the night. It's definitely not comfortable, the beds are hard and narrow, the train shakes and rattles all night long, and the air-con is turned so high that the thin blankets provided are not enough to stay warm. However we manage to get a few hours sleep, followed by a pleasant morning watching rice fields go by in the rain. Just after 11am we arrive in Hue, where we will spend the next three nights.