Day 4: Ha Long Bay to Hoi An via Da Nang

This morning we took a little boat to an island that had a little cave and a pretty cove. The scenery here is just stunning.

Afterward, we drove back to Hanoi for our flight to Danang. Along the way, we stopped at a cemetery, where our tour director explained the intricate rituals Vietnamese families perform for their dead. These traditions involve burying the bones for a set number of years, then exhuming, cleaning, and reburying them. Rather than celebrating birthdays, they observe death anniversaries, honoring their ancestors for four generations with elaborate dinners and family gatherings.

Vietnam seems like a small country, but to get From the north to the middle of the country where we are now would require 12 hours of driving. We took a flight but it still was a long day. We got to the beautiful hotel around 10 PM.