*Post Disclaimer: Thailand was my home away from home for six months, so I’m very biased and think it is better than everywhere else.*
Throughout my month in Vietnam, I constantly heard other backpackers at hostels either raving about the beauty of the famed Ha Long Bay, or discussing how it was the most important thing to do on a trip through Vietnam. I spent a month in Thailand’s southern islands, so I was skeptical that it would be as magical as people claimed from the start, but I did think it warranted at least a day trip so that I wouldn’t go back home and have to explain to people why I skipped such a famous destination. Since I wasn’t interested in the popular 2-day Ha Long Bay booze cruises that are popular among backpackers, I decided to stay on the nearby island of Cat Ba. Before arriving, I noticed that there weren’t a lot of budget accommodations available on the island, which I excitedly assumed meant it wasn’t very developed and I would be on a beach surrounded by nature. I assumed wrong. Driving from the pier into town, the road through Cat Ba was beautiful and largely untouched, but there are the beginnings of large resorts being constructed, and the main area itself is the epitome of a tourist town, complete with resorts, litter, obnoxious neon signs, and way too many expensive western restaurants.
Cat Ba Island.
Although I wasn’t a fan of the town, I still had high hopes for Ha Long Bay when I set out for a full-day tour the next day. I was pleasantly surprised by the floating villages (they have cable and WiFi and guard dogs!!) and the fish farms (where the fish get to like 40 kg and look terrifying). My tour spent most of the day in Lan Ha Bay, which is right next to Ha Long Bay and also has the limestone karsts and beaches that Ha Long Bay is known for. I admit that the bay was beautiful, but for me, it just didn’t compare to Southern Thailand. It felt like a slightly less beautiful substitute. Still, kayaking through the cliffs and caves was fun, and the boat tour served a really tasty traditional lunch. We also stopped at Monkey Island and hiked (actually climbed, which was really inconvenient since I only had flip flops) to a pretty view point. Monkey Island would’ve been cooler if I wasn’t terrified of the super aggressive monkeys that all had a bunch of injuries from fighting. One of the monkeys looked like a terrifying zombie monkey because it’s mouth was bloody and RIPPED OPEN so his teeth were always showing.
Floating village in Lan Ha Bay 
Floating village and fish farms. 
It was still pretty. 
Eerie, shadowy outlines are cool. 
This was a cool rock. 
The view from the Monkey Island viewpoint. 
Boats waiting for tourists on Monkey Island. 
Me being a tourist on Monkey Island. 
A cool close-up of a crab. 
More floating villages and fish farms because I like them.