
Halong Bay (Vịnh Hạ Long) is a UNESCO World Heritage site located in the South China Sea in Northern Vietnam. The bay has thousands of dramatic karst (limestone) islands. Among the islands there are four floating fishing / marine aquaculture (cultivating marine biota) villages that are interesting to visit and get a feeling for a very different lifestyle to most people in "modern" world.
Several of the islands have enormous caves. The Wooden Stakes Cave or Hang Đầu Gỗ is the largest of them and certainly worth a visit.

Karst islands rising from South China Sea
It is possible to visit Halong Bay in one (very long) day on an organized trip from Hanoi. However, if the weather is clear and there is at least partial moon light, you might want to consider a two day trip. It wasn't feasible for us, but spending a night in a wooden ship surrounded by dramatic karst islands sure sounds romantic to us...

Tour boat

Vietnamese tour group

Fishermen's houses on floats

Traditional rowing boat

Get all your daily household needs from this shop in a boat!

Sea food sure is fresh around here

Entrance to the Wooden Stakes Cave, a major point of interest on Halong Bay

The caves are interestingly illuminated


This looks like a monster's head to us
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