Halong Bay - in the Gulf of Tonkin - approximately 100 km south of the border with China.
A Unesco World Nature Site.
Chinese style houseboats in the early morning mist create an ethereal mood. We spent 3 days on one of the boats.
Boats negotiate between the over 2000 limestone islands that rise from the emerald waters.
Hang Sung Sot -
surprising cave - a narrow entrance expands into three vast chambers. People at the lower left of the photograph provide a reference of scale.
The houseboats gather amid the rock formations at dusk.
The dining room and bar inside our houseboat - 12 passengers with a crew of 10. Excellent meals; early morning Tai Chi on the top deck; a cooking lesson before dinner.
Phan Hoan, Thoan Nguyen, Co Dai - fellow passengers from Vietnam.
Local man and wife fish the waters and sell their fresh catch to the houseboats.
Fresh grilled shrimp served with lime juice/fish oil dipping sauce and jasmine rice.
Kayaking and swimming in Lan Ha Bay.
A rare sand beach accessible only by kayaking through a narrow cave into a hidden bay.
Monkeys watched from the cliffs overhead.
On the upper deck heading back towards Halong City - then 4 hours by bus to Hanoi.
