First day on Halong bay

We took the overnight train from Sa Pa to Hanoi, and then travelled by bus to Ha Long Bay to start a two-night cruise. Our guide Nam was very friendly and informative, and tried to give us a sense of life in Vietnam in general and Hanoi in particular.

He said people in Hanoi might wake at 4 or 5 AM and begin the day with some exercise. On our taxi ride from the train station in Hanoi around 4:30 AM we saw this first hand, with runners and cyclists dominating the street traffic before the sun rises. After exercise, people might have a noodle soup called Pho for breakfast. At the hotel this morning, while we waited for the bus to pick us up, I watched the scene across the street, where two ladies had set up shop on the sidewalk for the breakfast crowd. A mother arrived with her young child and ordered something that looked like porridge, and sat down on one of the ubiquitous small plastic stools that are everywhere. She fed herself and her child while a school age girl ordered the same thing and also sat down for breakfast. Other people came and went, some ordering a coffee or drink to go. Everyone was chatting. I had the sense that the same regulars visit the same small spots here and elsewhere on the street.

Our guide indicated that many people in Hanoi are considered not very hard working, because they have benefited from rising property values and increases in rental income over the last few years. I don't know if this is true, but I find his comment interesting since he is the second Vietnamese person to show some resentment or disdain for those who can rely partially or wholly on their property for income. Makes me wonder how the people here make sense of both the country's communist tradition and an emerging market economy.

Nam noted that there are not many taboo subjects in Vietnam. People are quite open and get straight to the point when they meet. A typical introduction might include questions like how are you, how old are you, are you married, what do you do for a living, and how much do you earn. He said people still marry young, between the ages of 15 and 23, and have large families. About the only thing he said not to do is shake your fist in the air, which means you want to fight. I was thinking the obvious taboo subject is any criticism of the government, but kept that to myself.

Our first day on the cruise has been great with excellent service and food. Our cruise boat holds about 20 passengers, and the rooms are a good size, with nice large balconies and big windows to enjoy the view. The bay itself is really spectacular. We passed by island after island in the bay, most with sheer cliffs completely around the islands. Later in the afternoon we went kayaking, and were able to pass though caves under a couple of the islands. One of the caves had bats flying and screeching above us.

Here is Catheleen and Elizabeth at lunch on the cruise.