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Halong night market: For a bustling night market atmosphere and the chance to purchase lovely Vietnamese handicraft for a bargain, visit the Halong night market in the town of Bai Chay.
This is an array of outdoor stalls that ply an assortment of traditional souvenirs.
Here you can buy the famous Vietnamese lacquerware, including sets of chopsticks, pretty dolls dressed in the 'ao dai' national costume, the iconic conical hats to protect from the sun, and ceramic tea pots and cups.
Enterprising stallholders are eager to make a sale, which is why they accept all kinds of common currency including US dollars, Euros, and most Asian currencies.
Bargaining is a must here as with all parts of Vietnam.
Typically, wares are priced up to 40% more than what they should cost, so you will have to start with a low offer of about half the price, and then negotiate upwards until you're satisfied with what you have to pay.
And with so many stalls selling virtually the same items, there's no need to accept a bad bargain since you can just move on.
Do note that items made with sea shells, coral and stalagmites often involve breaking off these items illegally so that they could be sold to tourists.
As a visitor, you can do your part to discourage this trade by choosing other souvenirs that do not rely on damaging the environment.
Floating shops: But there's no need to go out of your way to buy a snack when shops can paddle right up to you.
In Halong Bay, there are floating shops, essentially boats laden with convenience items that will row right up to your cruise ship or your junk in the evening to offer their wares.
These are usually snacks like chips and biscuits, fresh fruit, cigarettes and bottles of alcoholic drinks like vodka and beer.
In the day time, you can find these floating shops located in busy tourist spots like the Hang Sung Sot.
They will sell similar items, but include other items like bottles of water.
Expect to pay much more than you would on the mainland though, since you're far away from any shops and have much less bargain power.
Restaurants: There are restaurants on the large island of Catba, but certainly many cafes and restaurants also on the mainland in Halong City.
The cuisine of choice here is of course seafood, and there will be countless seafood restaurants to choose from, including floating restaurants that are essentially eateries in a boat.
For the freshest seafood though, you'll see fishermen on boats or at the fishing villages with their fresh catches that have just come in.
Point at what you want, and have it packed up to take back to your cook on your boat or lodging.
Seafood Specials: Aside from the usual prawns, fish and shellfish, Halong Bay offers some delicacies enjoyed by the North Vietnamese.
Adventurous eaters can try the Arca shellfish or the special arca wine, the sea ginseng which resembles the sea cucumber, the local variety of cuttlefish which are large and delicious, and the teredo, another shellfish that lives in the mangroves.
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