Halong Bay

With thousands of exquisite limestone islands rising from the emerald waters, this bay has not been filmed many times – eg it featured prominently in the French film Indochine – it was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in the early 1990s. According to legend, the bay’s beautiful scenery was carved out by a dragon as he made his flight towards the sea. Halong Bay is best enjoyed by a leisurely excursion on a junk, stopping occasionally for passengers to explore the area’s cliffs and caves.

It’s not unusual on a cruise of Halong Bay to be greeted by small vessels rowed by fishermen selling all kinds of fresh seafood. For historians, the bay also holds much interest for its archaeological sites, including Mê Cung and Thiên Long. Remains from mounds of mountain shellfish, spring shellfish, fresh water mollusk and some primitive labour tools have been unearthed over the years. The way of life of the locals - Soi Nhụ's inhabitants - included catching fish and shellfish, collecting fruits and digging for bulbs and roots. Their living environment was a coastal area unlike other Vietnamese cultures, for example, like those found in Hoà Bình and Bắc Sõn.