Halong Bay, Vietnam

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Halong Bay (How long Bay) is located in the infamous (of Vietnam War resolution fame) Gulf of Tonkin in far northern Vietnam. The gulf is a near lake created by the curve of Vietnam and the island of Hainan off the China coast, and the bay lies in the western corner, near the Chinese border. As with most of our journey, we had nice weather with mysteriously hazy skies. We were finally to learn that this is winter in this part of the world. The air is dry, but the mixing of cold air from the continent and warm air from the South China Sea creates a perpetual haze which seemed to lessen as we travelled south.

The bay is famous for the 1,969 islands that dot the harbor. We remember how many islands because "Uncle Ho", their revered leader, Ho Chi Minh, died in 1969. The islands are limestone pillars that rise steeply from the sea. Nearly all are uninhabited and they make for a beautiful sight. Tourism is alive and well here and the many tourists from nearby China are a great source of income for the Vietnamese economy. By the way, the U.S. ranks number 3 in tourists who visit Vietnam.

With all the limestone in the area, there are many caves to be explored. We visited the famous Thien Cung Cave. It involved a hike up to the entrance where we were to experience a beautifully lit and high ceilinged cave.

Our guide shows us around

Great lighting inside

There is a world of exploring to be done in Halong Bay. Many tourists stay on overnight cruises visiting the many islands and there is a town to explore. We took a tender trip into town, but found things to be rather quiet, though we visited a nice park beneath their huge bridge and we found a hotel to sit outside of and swipe some wifi!

Families bring their boats alongside to sell produce, mostly little bananas. Very tasty.

This is a huge coal producing region. These wooden vessels are loaded with coal that is destined for China

Off to our next adventure!