Last week, I took a 4-hour bus ride out of Hanoi to visit one of Vietnam’s most famous tourist sites, Ha Long Bay—a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A part of the Gulf of Tonkin, the bay is full of thousands of limestone karsts rising out of the water, as well as islands where you can enjoy a walk on the beach, hike to a hilltop pagoda, or explore a cave.
Ha Long Bay means Descending Dragon Bay. According to legend, the gods sent a family of dragons down to help the Vietnamese in their fight against the Chinese. The dragons came to present-day Ha Long Bay and began spitting out jewels and jade. Upon hitting the water, these jewels turned into the various islands and islets dotting the seascape and formed a fortress against the invaders. The dragons fell so much in love with the area that they decided to remain on earth. The mother dragon lies on what is now Ha Long and her children lie is Bai Tu Long.
Despite the lack of sun during my visit, the area was still beautiful and majestic. I hope you enjoy some of the pictures below from my trip.
 |
| Typical junk (aka, boat) touring around the Bay. |
 |
| Limestone formations at Ha Long Bay. |
 |
| View of Ha Long Bay from the front of our junk. |
 |
| Exploring the largest cave in Ha Long Bay. |
 |
| Another view of Ha Long Bay from our boat. |
Neat pictures; beautiful scenery; interesting history. Glad you all had a fun day! Love you!
ReplyDelete