Thrillist, the New York-based travel site, has named Lan Hạ Bay near the northern coastal city of Hải Phòng as one of the best  places to visit in Southeast Asia.

Cái Bèo floating village, Lan Hạ Bay. — Photo thrillist.com

Lan Hạ Bay is located south of the Hạ Long Bay-UNESCO World Heritage site and belongs to the Cát Bà island area, Hải Phòng City.

Kastalia Medrano in the most recent report issued last weekend on Thrillist wrote about the bay: “The floating village of Cát Bà Island, which contains around 200 homes, dates back thousands of years. The bay itself is home to several hundred islands, of which Cát Bà is the largest – you can rent a boat to explore, or spend the day swimming. There are well over 100 hotels in the immediate vicinity, so you can take your time if you understandably want to stay in the area a while.”

Kastalia selected Lan Hạ Bay along with 10 other places including Indonesia’s Kelimutu volcano, Brunei’s Kampong Ayer, Laos’ Kuang Si Falls, Malaysia’s Tun Sakaran Marine Park, Philippines’ Banaue rice terraces Timor-Leste’s Atauro Island,  Singapore’s Gardens by the Bay and Cambodia’s Angkor Wat as “the most beautiful places to visit in every country” in the region.

She said that the two months spent in Southeast Asia while backpacking were a little overwhelming, because there was just so much to look at, all the time.

“When you’re there visiting, it’s impossible to escape the sensation that you’re missing a lot of stuff,” she wrote.

Lan Hạ Bay, in many ways is an extention of Hạ Long Bay which is included in most Việt Nam travel packages starting in Hà Nội, just about three hours to the west by road. There are around 300 tiny limestone islands in Lan Hạ Bay so it is a great place to cruise, like its bigger neighbour. — VNS