Halong Bay

Halong Bay

On Thursday we went by bus from Hanoi to Halong Bay, located in the Gulf of Tonkin. It covers an area of 1500 square km. With more than a thousand limestone peaks soaring to crystalline emerald water this area is one of the natural wonders of Vietnam and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The name Halong means "where the dragon descends into the sea". Legend has it that the islands of Halong Bay were created by a great dragon who lived in the mountains.

We board a replica junk a large boat and our cabin had a double bed, private bath, air conditioning and fan. The boat had plenty of deck space, cabins for everyone and a dinning room.  We sailed aroung rh bay for almost a whole day and night.. An onboard chef prepared delicious, local dishes for lunch, dinner, breakfast the next morning and lunch before we left for Hanoi.  We went cave exploring, did Tai Chi on the deck of the book while floating by the limestone peaks and watched a soccer game in the evening which Vietnam lost unfortunately.  We only saw a few dragons.

The boat

Our cabin

Fishing boat.

Back in Hanou we saw the famous Hanoi Hilton ruins, a prison built by the French to house Vietnames  and then Americn prisioners during the Vietnam war, or the American war as the Vietnamese call it.  We finished the day with a water puppet show. This is a fantastic art form unique to Vietnam from the Red River Delta area.

Water Puppets