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 Our itinerary is straightforward. From Hanoi we will hire a van to carry us
the 225 miles to Mong Cai, a rough-and-tumble town on the border shared with
China. (The border was opened to travelers between the two countries just in
1990.) We'll launch from the 17-mile-long sand Tra Co Beach, one of the
longest in Vietnam. From there we'll paddle south, to places lesser known if
similarly beautiful to Ha Long, through Bai Tu Long Bay to Van Don, Quan Lan
and Thanh Lan islands.
Though it would be possible to spend weeks exploring Ha Long Bay, we'll spend
far less, due to the necessity of our covering 15 to 20 miles a day in order
to reach Danang before the heart of summer and its wilting, tropical heat.
That said, we'll explore some lesser-known grottos, hidden lagoons, and
floating fishing villages scattered through the 3,000 islands in the bay,
staying far off the main track, exploring the small islands home to nomads
not tourists. High tides pose a problem, meaning good camp sites will take
work to find. Many of the islands are craggy, sharp limestone, impossible to
climb or even make camp.
South of Ha Long Bay, we'll pick up the pace, paddling past some of North
Vietnam's most secluded beaches and villages, avoiding the bigger towns and
targeting camps near smaller villages. Mountain highland rain forests rise
steeply from the central section of the north, making for a far different
landscape from the broader jungles further north. We'll cross the DMZ before
reaching Hue, Hoi An and then Danang. We expect to spend time with locals
exploring the remnant villages left over from the 2,000-year-old Champa
kingdom, brick sanctuaries filled with centuries-old art, many of them still
buried deep in jungle settings.
From the beaches south of Danang, particularly China Beach, known for its
reputation as an R&R haven during the war, we'll make our way back to Hanoi
by van or train.
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