Ha Long, Vietnam- Tuk Tuking

Ha Long is a port city, our closest landing to Hanoi. Many of our fellow travelers ventured off on excursions to Hanoi and its sights. For personal reasons, we opted for a tour of Ha Long.

The city has only existed since 1993, when the government combined the old provincial capital, Hon Gai, with Bai Chay, the main tourist area. The resulting city lies primarily on the Ha Long Bay and is the capital city of the Quang Ninh province. In 2012, its economy shifted from coal mining to tourism, given the popularity of Ha Long Bay.

Our tour was “up close and personal” as the two of us wandered around in the back of a Tuk Tuk we hired at the port, the popular mode of travel throughout the city. Disclaimer: a number of the images were captured hanging out the back of our ride while we bounced and jiggled our way down the streets. Some of the images may contain “eccentricities” (personally, I like them because they give a feel for the urban environment).

Our ride. The name Tuk Tuk is somewhat obscure. One popular story is that the name comes from the sound of older vehicles’ two-cycle engines. The newest ones are electric. India is the largest manufacturer in the world (the one US manufacturer failed when the vehicles never caught on in the States).

The cruise port terminal. We were the only cruise ship, but it was very busy due to local ferries and rides.

A General Impression: despite writeups about the city’s growth and prosperity, we saw a lot of halted construction and empty ground floors in the high rises.