Ha Long Bay, Vietnam

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31^stMarch Ha Long Bay, Vietnam



At anchor in Ha Long Bay.



It was an early start for some people who had opted for an 11 hour tour off to Hanoi, approx 105 miles from the anchorage. We had decided after the previous few days to have a leisurely Junk cruise (another boat) around the bay. From a distance the limestone outcrops look quite mystical in the hazy sun.



As soon as we had anchored we had small sampans with children/babies on board begging for anything and this continued the whole day we were in the Bay.



Ha Long Bay is located in north-eastern Vietnam and has been designated by UNESCO as a World Natural Heritage Site and tourism is playing an ever-increasing value to the regions economy. Ha Long means ‘where the dragon descends into the sea’.



The bay consists of a dense cluster of some 1,600 limestone monolithic islands each topped with thick jungle vegetation, rising spectacularly from the ocean. Several of the islands are hollow, with enormous caves. Hang Dau Go (Wooden stakes cave) is the largest grotto in the Ha Long area. French tourists visited in the late 19th century, and named the cave Grotte des Merveilles. Its three large chambers contain large numerous stalactites and stalagmites (as well as 19th century French graffiti).



A community of around 1,600 people live on Ha Long Bay in four fishing villages: Cua Van, Ba Hang, Cong Tau and Vong Vieng in Hung Thang commune, Ha Long city. They live on floating houses and are sustained through fishing and marine aquaculture (cultivating marine biota), plying the shallow waters for 200 species of fish and 450 different kinds of molluscs. Many of the islands have acquired their names as a result of interpretation of their unusual shapes. Such names include Voi Islet (elephant), Ga Choi Islet (fighting cock), Khi Islet (monkey), and Mai Nha Islet (roof). 989 of the islands have been given names.



The pictures show how these people eke out an existence (certainly not a living) and go to sell their produce on the mainland. I’m not sure how some of the islands got their names, ‘fighting cocks’ for instance – we went round them twice and I couldn’t see the resemblance.



Our Junk cruise took us from the ship took us out to the caves (Dau Go) and then around the fishing villages, past some of the named rock formations and around Ha Long bay before returning to the ship.



Within the trip, which was very relaxing we were a captive audience to the crew which did their best to try to sell local trinkets etc. There were also local traders who literally climbed onto the Junk to try to sell us fruit/veg at any price and at any cost to their own safety.



All in all a pleasant few hours away from the ship and ready to brace ourselves for Chan May.



Next Stop Chan May, Vietnam

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