Ha Long Bay is one of 7 Nature Wonders of the World and features thousands of limestone islands in various sizes and shapes.

Do: Book a two-day-one-night-cruise and don’t choose the cheapest offer (we got a good deal with Lemon Cruise). The cruise company will pick you up in Hanoi and bring you back the following day.

See: Caves, the beautiful island scenery and pearls growing in oysters.

Don’t: Expect to be the only tourist in Ha Long Bay, although this was the best mass-tourism solution we experienced so far.

Random fact: The scene from the James Bond movie “Tomorrow Never Dies” where Bond and Wai Lin search for Carver’s Stealth boat in Ha Long Bay is actually filmed in Phuket Bay, Thailand. The Vietnamese authorities didn’t allow the crew to film in their country.