The Wonder of Ha Long Bay

As an American who grew up during the Vietnam War, I have often heard about Hanoi. I had never, however, heard of Ha Long Bay, the natural wonder located 178 kilometers east of Hanoi. I did not get to visit Hanoi on this trip, but will long remember Ha Long Bay.

The view from the ship coming into Ha Long Bay on May 24 (Day131) was breathtaking. From what I’ve seen so far, I would agree with the decision to designate it as one of the seven New World wonders of nature.

From UNESCO: Ha Long Bay, in the Gulf of Tonkin, includes some 1,600 islands and islets, forming a spectacular seascape of limestone pillars. Because of their precipitous nature, most of the islands are uninhabited and unaffected by a human presence. The site’s outstanding scenic beauty is complemented by its great biological interest.

From an Oceania description: Ha long is famous for nearly 2000 islands in the water and hundreds of small mountains with caves on land next to the sea. Ha Long means, “Where the dragon descends to the sea” which comes from a legend when the area used to be attacked by the northern invaders. Local settlers prayed and asked the Sky God for help, when he sent a dragon that stomped on the earth with such force that mountains crumbled, forming large valleys that soon filled with water, only the peaks of mountain–now the rocky islands of Ha Long Bay remained above the surface.

All of this beauty was seen from the decks of Insignia. It was a busy channel coming into port, with lots of shipping.

Some more traditional boats in the Bay, seen from a bus.