Once Upon A Time in Vietnam

I got the chance to see Vietnam recently. Because of an official invitation to our office to participate in an international conference, I was sent to go and see what's in store for us there. So that's when I got to see another nature's wonder, another finalist in this year's Wonders of the World -- the Halong Bay of Vietnam.

The Halong Bay, with 1,969 islands and about 100 caves to boast with. The bay features thousands of limestone karsts and isles in various sizes and shapes and about 120 kilometer long coastline and approximately 1,553 square kilometers in size. Most of the islands are hollow, with enormous caves, other support floating villages of fishermen, who ply the shallow waters for 200 species of fish and 450 different kinds of mollusks. Another specific feature of Halong Bay is the abundance of lakes inside the limestone islands. All these island lakes occupy drowned dolines within fengcong karst.

Its legendary stories would even describe it as "when the Vietnamese were fighting Chinese invaders, the gods sent a family of dragons to help defend the land. This family of dragons began spitting out jewels and jade. These jewels turned into the islands and islets dotting the bay, linking together to form a great wall against the invaders. The people kept their land safe and formed what later became the country of Vietnam." (wikipedia). So Halong means the 'descending dragon'.

It's 165 kilometers away from Hanoi City, about three hours drive, but getting there eased all our backaches... pictures will explain it all... During the tour, I got to meet other tourists who went to Vietnam to see the Halong Bay and what Vietnam still has to offer.

We also passed by some souvenir shops showcasing Vietnam's handicrafts, arts and silk... all a pride of the country...

Location: Halong Bay, Quang Ning Province of Vietnam