Vital Vietnam: If the landscapes of C4’s new challenge series float your boat, a stay in Ha Long Bay is essential…
The Bridge: Race to a Fortune Wednesday 10.00pm C4
Alicia Miller - 21 May 2022
What would you do for £100,000? If you saw the first series of The Bridge, you’ll know that’s not an easy question to answer. Twelve strangers united in the Welsh wilderness to build an 850ft bridge to a remote island in pursuit of the jackpot, using nothing but brute strength, resolve and social nous. They had to work together to get the job done – then vote for one winner to walk away with the money. Now series two is here and it’s bigger in every way.
Presented by Strictly alumnus AJ Odudu and featuring extreme locations expert Aldo Kane, there are 16 contestants, doublethe money at stake and a longer bridge to build – traversing more than 1,000ft of water. There’s a more pressing deadline, too, with just 12 days to make it to the island, rather than the original 20. But the biggest thrill of all? The exotic new location, swapping out the verdant wilds of rural Wales for tropical Unesco World Heritage Site Ha Long Bay in Vietnam. Should you be inspired by the pin-up landscapes in the series, you’re in luck. Vietnam is back open for business, and its glittering, world famous bay is again welcoming visitors. Get ready to star in your own island-hopping adventure – no gruelling bridge-building required.
A WORLD-CLASS WATERWAY
Little wonder that when the creators of The Bridge were looking for a tantalising new backdrop for series two they plumped for Ha Long Bay, where the landscape is best described as otherworldly. Thousands of soaring limestone islets, iced with lush greenery; vast, echoey caves festooned in stalactites; glowing emerald waters – it all feels a bit like a real-life Avatar. Throw in wild sandy beaches, superb diving and lush hiking trails, and you’ve got one of the most scenic corners in all of Asia.
The smart way to take in Ha Long Bay is on a two-to-three day cruise. If you’re in a hurry, slinking along the sparkling green waters past the limestone masses can be done on a speedy day trip. But visiting floating markets brimming with tropical fruit, snorkelling off empty sands or hiking the peaks of Cat Ba – the region’s largest island – are joys that only come with a longer stay. Local boat operators are plentiful, and depending on your budget and wider itinerary you can depart from capital Hanoi (transfers take around two and a half hours) or gateway city Ha Long, boarding anything from a traditional Vietnamese junk to a slick contemporary ship with luxurious private bedrooms. You’ll spend days coasting past islands, then evenings feasting on freshly landed seafood, washed down with cooling bia hoi draught beers. It’s safe to say that whichever way you do it, you’ll be living in glamour compared with the roughing-it cast of The Bridge.
THE ADVENTURE CONTINUES
Ha Long Bay is one of Vietnam’s essential stops, but by no means its only one. Book a two-week break in the country and you’ll also get buzzing cities, ornate temples, languid rice fields and unique wildlife. Start with an assault on the senses in Hanoi, a whirlwind of motorbikes and thronging markets, where many flights land from the UK. The capital might be frenetic, but it’s also punctuated by serene spaces where you can catch your breath, such as in the ornate Thang Long Imperial Citadel, imposing Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and glassy West Lake. Don’t leave without sampling pho, the cleansing beef and noodle broth that locals sip morning and night. After you’ve ticked off nearby Ha Long Bay, head south by sleeper train towards the Imperial City of Hue, where the Nguyen dynasty styled their royal quarters and temples after Beijing’s Forbidden City. The train journey, part of the country’s 1,000-mile long Reunification Express railway line – passing jungle, rice paddies and rural villages – is a bucket-list Vietnamese experience in itself.
Next, take in Hoi An, further south, a picturesque trading port that also has Unesco status. Pootle through old town streets hung with paper lanterns; order a bespoke shirt at a tailor; join an evening river cruise. Then, if you have some extra time, strike out to the neighbouring Cham Islands, a Biosphere Reserve with superb snorkelling and white-sand beaches. Finally, by train or brief flight, dip down to Vietnam’s second metropolis, Ho Chi Minh City. Amid the opulent but faded French-era architecture, there are botanical gardens, museums and pagodas to discover. Outside the city centre, the Cu Chi tunnels are an elaborate honeycomb of subterranean passages used by Viet Cong forces during the Vietnam War. Meanwhile, in the heart of the urban action, the War Remnants Museum is a popular stop-off, showcasing aircraft, weaponry and haunting civilian stories. Before you fly back to the UK from here or Hanoi, don’t miss a tour of the city’s street-food scene. Munching crispy stuffed banh xeo pancakes or charcoal-grilled pork, you’ll realise that Ha Long Bay is in fact Vietnam’s second greatest asset – right after its irresistible cuisine.
What would you do for £100,000? If you saw the first series of The Bridge, you’ll know that’s not an easy question to answer. Twelve strangers united in the Welsh wilderness to build an 850ft bridge to a remote island in pursuit of the jackpot, using nothing but brute strength, resolve and social nous. They had to work together to get the job done – then vote for one winner to walk away with the money. Now series two is here and it’s bigger in every way.
Presented by Strictly alumnus AJ Odudu and featuring extreme locations expert Aldo Kane, there are 16 contestants, double the money at stake and a longer bridge to build – traversing more than 1,000ft of water. There’s a more pressing deadline, too, with just 12 days to make it to the island, rather than the original 20. But the biggest thrill of all? The exotic new location, swapping out the verdant wilds of rural Wales for tropical Unesco World Heritage Site Ha Long Bay in Vietnam. Should you be inspired by the pin-up landscapes in the series, you’re in luck. Vietnam is back open for business, and its glittering, world famous bay is again welcoming visitors. Get ready to star in your own island-hopping adventure – no gruelling bridge-building required.
A WORLD-CLASS WATERWAY
Little wonder that when the creators of The Bridge were looking for a tantalising new backdrop for series two they plumped for Ha Long Bay, where the landscape is best described as otherworldly. Thousands of soaring limestone islets, iced with lush greenery; vast, echoey caves festooned in stalactites; glowing emerald waters – it all feels a bit like a real-life Avatar. Throw in wild sandy beaches, superb diving and lush hiking trails, and you’ve got one of the most scenic corners in all of Asia.
The smart way to take in Ha Long Bay is on a two-to-three day cruise. If you’re in a hurry, slinking along the sparkling green waters past the limestone masses can be done on a speedy day trip. But visiting floating markets brimming with tropical fruit, snorkelling off empty sands or hiking the peaks of Cat Ba – the region’s largest island – are joys that only come with a longer stay. Local boat operators are plentiful, and depending on your budget and wider itinerary you can depart from capital Hanoi (transfers take around two and a half hours) or gateway city Ha Long, boarding anything from a traditional Vietnamese junk to a slick contemporary ship with luxurious private bedrooms. You’ll spend days coasting past islands, then evenings feasting on freshly landed seafood, washed down with cooling bia hoi draught beers. It’s safe to say that whichever way you do it, you’ll be living in glamour compared with the roughing-it cast of The Bridge.
THE ADVENTURE CONTINUES
Ha Long Bay is one of Vietnam’s essential stops, but by no means its only one. Book a two-week break in the country and you’ll also get buzzing cities, ornate temples, languid rice fields and unique wildlife. Start with an assault on the senses in Hanoi, a whirlwind of motorbikes and thronging markets, where many flights land from the UK. The capital might be frenetic, but it’s also punctuated by serene spaces where you can catch your breath, such as in the ornate Thang Long Imperial Citadel, imposing Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and glassy West Lake. Don’t leave without sampling pho, the cleansing beef and noodle broth that locals sip morning and night. After you’ve ticked off nearby Ha Long Bay, head south by sleeper train towards the Imperial City of Hue, where the Nguyen dynasty styled their royal quarters and temples after Beijing’s Forbidden City. The train journey, part of the country’s 1,000-mile long Reunification Express railway line – passing jungle, rice paddies and rural villages – is a bucket-list Vietnamese experience in itself.
Next, take in Hoi An, further south, a picturesque trading port that also has Unesco status. Pootle through old town streets hung with paper lanterns; order a bespoke shirt at a tailor; join an evening river cruise. Then, if you have some extra time, strike out to the neighbouring Cham Islands, a Biosphere Reserve with superb snorkelling and white-sand beaches. Finally, by train or brief flight, dip down to Vietnam’s second metropolis, Ho Chi Minh City. Amid the opulent but faded French-era architecture, there are botanical gardens, museums and pagodas to discover. Outside the city centre, the Cu Chi tunnels are an elaborate honeycomb of subterranean passages used by Viet Cong forces during the Vietnam War. Meanwhile, in the heart of the urban action, the War Remnants Museum is a popular stop-off, showcasing aircraft, weaponry and haunting civilian stories. Before you fly back to the UK from here or Hanoi, don’t miss a tour of the city’s street-food scene. Munching crispy stuffed banh xeo pancakes or charcoal-grilled pork, you’ll realise that Ha Long Bay is in fact Vietnam’s second greatest asset – right after its irresistible cuisine.
ALICIA MILLER