After our first day of canoeing and exploring we’ve got a relaxed evening on board our Vega Travel boat to chillax and enjoy the scenery.
Designated a World Heritage Site in 1994, Halong Bay’s scatter of islands is a beautiful sight and, unsurprisingly, northern Vietnam’s number one-tourism hub.
Hạ Long Bay has an area of around 1,553 km2 (600 square miles), including between 1,960 and 2,000 islets, most of which are limestone.
Again it might look a little grey but believe me it is flippin hot and humid!
The name Hạ Long means “descending dragon” and the bay features thousands of limestone karsts and isles in various shapes and sizes.
Ha Long Bay is the centre of a larger zone which includes Bai Tu Long Bay to the northeast, and Cát Bà Island to the southwest.
Of course, it can’t be too quiet – given the chance the hubby will hurl himself off anything!!
According to local legend, when Vietnam had just started to develop into a country, they had to fight against invaders.
To assist the Vietnamese in defending their country, the gods sent a family of dragons as protectors.
This family of dragons began spitting out jewels and jade. These jewels turned into the islands and islets dotting the bay, linking together to form a great wall against the invaders.
