Ha Long Bay

Judy. If you go to Vietnam, and you should, you must take three days to visit Ha Long Bay. True, there will be far too many little ships sailing around the myriad islands, but there’s a reason it’s a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is truly breathtaking. On the advice of our friend Sonya, we took a three-day, two-night voyage, with the second day a boat to Lan Ha Bay, a much less popular area, with kayaking, swimming, and cave exploration available. 

Sailing into Ha Long Bay

There are, of course, geological explanations for these karsts and islands, but the mythological story is much better. Ha Long means “Descending Dragon”. In the early history of Vietnam, the people were fighting off invaders, so a dragon fell into the bay to protect it. The dragon breathed out jade and gems, which became the islands and rocks in the bay, which confounded the invaders. Then, the dragon was so comfortable living in peace that he decided to stay. 

Dragon's "gems"

We were on a beautiful refurbished wooden ship, The Indochine Legend, reminiscent of every ‘30’s whodoneit you’ve ever read. The crew was outstanding. On the second day, for our trip to Lan Ha Bay, we were transferred for the day to a smaller ship, then returned to the Legend that evening.

I'll let the pictures speak:

Indochine Legend