Northern Vietnam Trip: Day 7 (20 December 2025)

Day 7 was a massive day of walking with over 24,000 steps by the end of it! It started with caves and hiking, and ended with wandering through local neighborhoods and what felt like an abandoned movie set.

At 7:23 AM I went down to the front desk and dropped off a kilo of laundry which would cost 50,000 VND ($1.95 USD). Afterward, I started waiting for breakfast, which I hadn’t had at the hotel yesterday. I think it’s included with the room, but honestly, I wasn’t entirely sure. It wasn’t especially attractive looking, but it was fine for simple morning fare.

Right on time at 8:04 AM I was picked up by the tour operator for my morning excursion. This was the one which I had booked through GetYourGuide for 2067 INR ($24.50 USD). Going by the logo on the old army jeep, this tour is operated by Full Moon Travel Asia, and true to the promotional pics, we were decked out with faux army helmets.

The Caves & The Hike

At 8:24 AM we made our first stop, but the Hospital Cave was closed today. No explanation was given, but there were a bunch of army people there, so feel free to make up something exciting. Not to be deterred from some our subterranean exploration, at 8:31 AM we pivoted to “Plan B” and stopped at Trung Trang Cave. There were of course the obligatory stairs, but the ones here were actually very well-maintained.

In case you weren’t aware of how to be a civilized tourist, there was a helpful information board.

Inside the cave (8:47 AM), I noticed that the greenery growing on the walls was actually a direct result of the artificial lights; is was this a minor environmental concern or just an interesting tidbit? It was certainly pleasant enough inside, but by this point I think I was starting to be a bit jaded by limestone caves . . . I wasn’t yet quite as dismissive as I can get after a few days of cathedrals in Europe, but I was getting there.

At 9:00 AM I was already out. Of particular note, I felt that this was a very “tourist-friendly” cave for the casual traveler, complete with a cafe and restaurant right at the exit. The stairs in good-repair, paved walkway, generally high ceilings and thoughtful lighting were all much appreciated.

Walking along the side of the road at 9:03 AM, my guide gave me a travel tip. He recommended Ha Giang for a future trip. He says it’s similar to Sapa but not nearly as developed, and there’s an old town nearby as well. I realize that’s not particularly relevant to this particular island, but hey, maybe keep it in mind if you had already been thinking of going to Sapa?

At 9:21 AM, after a short ride in the Jeep, we arrived at the entrance to the hiking trail of Cat Ba National Park. There were various signs with rather obvious advice/requests that made me pause and wonder: Do they really need a sign that says “Please don’t pee on the floor”? I mean the bathrooms weren’t particularly fancy looking, still . . . From the map, it looks like you might be able to walk to Viet Hai village from here, but it’s a 12 km trek. We started our hike/walk at 9:25 AM.

At 9:36 AM the guide pointed out an edible leaf called nanook, and then shortly thereafter at 9:49 AM I noticed the guide was walking barefoot. He explained that he does this to connect to the “chi” of the forest. That all sounded very spiritual, but remembering the leeches from a couple of days earlier, I decided that I didn’t want to be all that connected. Upon reaching our obligatory stairs, I noted that they weren’t quite as nice as the ones from earlier in the day, but they nevertheless seemed to be evenly constructed and initially at least weren’t too difficult to manage.

However, at 10:09 AM as we neared the top, I felt like they intentionally make the last bit much more difficult just to test you. But it was pretty, so that seemed like a reasonable trade off.

After some pictures, we started heading down at 10:25 AM, and I initially thought that the steps were much easier on the descent. However, at 10:31 AM I realized that it had all been a ruse. I had been fooled by a false summit! The bit of climbing was much more difficult, but just ten minutes later we had made it.

Being well-connected to the chi of the forest, this was an easy feat for our guide, but despite his entreaties to do the same, we both declined.

Once we had our victory pics, there wasn’t much of a reason to continue hanging out at the highest point, so at 10:43 AM actually began our descent. Looking over the edge at 10:48 AM, I could see the gate where we originally entered somewhere way down below, thus emphasizing just how far we had come.

At 11:14 AM we were back down at the restaurant/cafe area at the entrance, departing soon after. We then had a quick stop at a random roadside park at 11:39 AM. I wasn’t sure if we were there to see the goats or the view of the ocean, but it was another opportunity for me to get a picture with my fake army helmet, so you know, why not?

I was dropped off in the center of town at 12:12 PM. Since there had been only two of us on the tour, I gave the guide a 100,000 VND ($3.90 USD) tip.

Admittedly this adds nothing substantial to the post, but I liked this Christmas tree just outside where I was dropped off, so it’s getting included.

The Beaches and Free Food

At 12:18 PM I started randomly walking, and by 12:27 PM I had arrived at a beach, but I wasn’t interested as there was absolutely no shade. Otherwise, I might have gone down for a bit. Who am I kidding? It was way too cool to be on the beach, and I certainly wasn’t going to swim. However, I could see the appeal it might have for others.

Then at 12:30 PM I spotted a path off to the left and thought, Well, maybe if I take that way…

At 12:41 PM I had a realization: you don’t really have to go to difficult-to-access places to see beautiful things. Here on this well-maintained path (I think heading toward Cat Co 2 Beach), there were amazing ocean views, stunning limestone formations, and lush vegetation.

By 12:51 PM I was admiring the beaches. Although the water was a bit darker than some other places I’ve been, it was certainly beautiful. If I were with someone else, I think I would actually get in. Instead, at 1:00 PM, I just sat for a while on a rock overlooking the ocean.

I decided to walk again at 1:30 PM and was back up from the beaches by 1:35 PM, immediately heading back to town. Unexpectedly, At 1:45 PM I randomly ran into my travel companion from my morning tour and his friend. He asked if I’d be willing to finish his chicken spring roll, because he didn’t want to waste it. I said yes, and then ordered a Hanoi pork dish for myself. He even ordered me a passion fruit juice, which was a very nice gesture. Foolishly thinking that I would remember his name, I didn’t write it down. But I figured that his gesture merited a picture being included, even if not from that exact moment in the day.

They left at 2:16 PM, and I moved to a seat in the shade to finish my meal. At 2:52 PM I was pleased to realize that the soup broth was incredible tasting. I paid my 80,000 VND ($3.15 USD) portion of the bill via Moreta and continued to meander.

Coffee, Local Life, and The Movie Set

At 3:26 PM I wandered up a loop road from the main street that is full of different restaurants and cafes.

I decided to stop at “Startup Cafe & Restaurant” at 3:40 PM to try a salt coffee. It was fantastic. At 4:08 PM I went back for round two and got a chocolate with egg cream. I was tempted to get another coffee but decided that was probably a bad idea for my heart rate and even worse for my sleep. I really liked both drinks.

I paid 75,000 VND ($2.95 USD) at 4:31 PM and left. After a brief stop at my room at 4:55 PM, I was back out at 5:10 PM, walking around the lake.

At 5:17 PM I saw some local men playing volleyball beside the lake. They have nets set up to keep the ball from going into the water or the street. They seemed to be playing quite competitively, but in a friendly manner. While relatively unremarkable, this memory sticks with me as having somehow been momentous . . .

Near where they were playing, I liked the mini grapefruit tree planted in front of a small temple. With a billiards room nearby and simple eateries, this felt like where the people of Cat Ba village actually live. Of course, I was probably just overly romanticizing the moment.

I found a road in the back (5:25 PM) that goes behind the hotels. The wind was picking up and it was starting to get a little chilly, so I put on my long-sleeve shirt which I had packed into my shoulder bag. Walking down this road at 5:40 PM, I noticed several houses with simple glass front doors left wide open, looking directly into their living rooms or even what appeared to be bedrooms.

At 5:59 PM I sat down to try and book my transport back to Hanoi. I stared at my phone for five minutes, didn’t book anything, and just continued walking. I guess the view had been more interesting than my phone.

Shortly thereafter, at 6:21 PM I stumbled onto this odd, half-constructed, mostly empty yet well-let tourism/park area near the fountain. Almost everything was closed or appeared to have never been occupied. But despite the sounds of construction continuing even at this hour, it was unnervingly peaceful.

Despite, being extremely clean and well-constructed, it felt like there was something off. No, it wasn’t exactly scary, but something was wrong? Then it hit me at 6:31 PM. It was like a movie set, or perhaps like when I used to walk with my dog during lockdown. No that’s not right; it was like when the main character from Pluribus used to go around town, pretending that it was normal to still go to the grocery store which existed in the absurdly fully functional city which had been left behind just for her. All the lights were on, but nobody was home . . .

I finally found a place to sit down at 6:35 PM. Possibly because there are no actual humans present, this zone is not very friendly for people needing to rest. While sitting there, at 6:56 PM, I finally sent the request for my transport to Hanoi for Monday (12:30 PM pickup). At 7:14 PM the confirmation came through. I paid $11.33 USD with my Indian card. Logistics sorted.

Ice Cream to End the Day

I decided to leave the weird movie-set area at 7:17 PM, and at 7:22 PM the wind had really picked up; I was very glad I had that long-sleeve shirt on.

Look! I made it back to the land of people!

Despite the crisp breeze, I allowed myself to be seduced by some tempting pictures, and at 7:45 PM I stopped at what seemed to be some sort of ice cream place. I wasn’t sure if they were actually open or going to serve me, as it seemed like nobody worked there. I stood there for five minutes with nothing happening, but there was a family from Spain sitting and eating, so I figured I would just be patient. Finally, at 7:51 PM, a woman wearing a paper mask came out. I ordered coconut ice cream, a coconut salted egg cream, and a small bottle of water.