Finally, the rumored dress-up night arrived, and we met in a hotel dressing room filled with imperial-style clothing in all sizes, shapes, and colors.

After a brief nap (who can sleep after a couple of salt coffees), a few of us slipped across the street to have lunch at a magnificent hotel, the Azerai La Residence…

We got up for an early breakfast because we were going to the Imperial City, or Imperial Palace, also known as Đại Nội, in the walled city of Huế.

Time to pack our bags and leave the Old Quarter of Hanoi for an adventure on a boat in Ha Long Bay, a UNESCO site known for its thousands of towering limestone islands topped by rainforests.