Halong Bay, Part 2, Vietnam

Vietnam has 5 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, with Halong Bay being one of them (Malaysia has 3, Thailand 5, Indonesia 7 and Sri Lanka 7, just to give a few examples). But can Halong Bay qualify as one of the 7 natural wonders of the world? Let the reader vote.

On a cruise in Halong Bay, our boatman moored his junk near this cave for a little exploration.

Halong Bay, Vietnam

This is even better than the cruise ship I took some time back.

Halong Bay, the spectacularly scenic bay in North Vietnam, consists of thousands of limestone karst islands of varying sizes rising from the placid waters like so many sentinels standing guard is a must-see attraction.

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, it's best seen from the privacy of a junk like the one in the picture. Large tourist boats are available but be prepared to be elbowed in the chest and other body parts.

With me were a European couple. I sat on an arm chair as we cruised silently through the bay. At mid-day we anchored off an island, and had a refreshing dip in the cool water. The European couple swam to the island about 100 metres away to frolic on the beach there. But since I couldn't even pass my swimming tests I decided not to pretend I was the next Michael Phelps in the making.

Halong Bay, Vietnam

Halong Bay: Undoubtedly one of the must-see attractions in north Vietnam, Halong Bay is a UNESCO World Heritage site. One way to cruise the bay is on a tourist boat like the one shown in the photo but I preferred the old-fashioned way of cruising on a junk (to be described in my next blog post)

Halong Bay: Fishermen in action.

Halong Bay: The calm waters is perfect for a leisurely cruise.

Who can resist a cruise in such placid surroundings?