The Dragon (Vietnam)

Wednesday, December 25, 2013

Halong Bay, Vietnam

The great, fierce dragon from the mountains charged into the sea, gouging out valleys with it flailing tail. The area filled with water, leaving only the tops visible, once the dragon plunged into the sea. So goes the legend of Ha Long Bay, Vietnam.

Tien and I left on the minibus early this morning for a half-day ride to Ha Long Bay

VIDEO-Ha Lang Bay, Vietnam [video]

. Ha Long means "descending dragon". We will spend two days exploring the bay with thousands of islands rising above the beautiful, emerald waters in The Gulf of Tonkin.

Tien had never seen Ha Long Bay. Just about all the people I talk to in Vietnam and Cambodia have never traveled outside their own cities. Always, it's a money issue.

So, a couple of days before I left for Ha Long Bay, I asked Tien if he would like to come along. He could not because he didn't have the money. I told him I meant as my guest. It would be my way of paying him back for guiding me around Hanoi for the week. He was so excited. All the foreigners he gives tours around Hanoi to for (free), go to Ha Long Bay. But, he has never been, even though he has lived here all his life.

We will stay two days in Ha Long Bay and sleep overnight on the boat. The bay is made up of over 2000 islands. The islands are topped with thick jungles

Bus to Ha Long Bay, Vietnam

. They look amazing as they rise up from the clear, green water.

We are served dinner on the boat, then given our room where we will sleep. Tien is the only Vietnamese on the tour. All the rest of us are foreigners. During the two days he talks with as many of the group as he can. They all speak English, regardless of which country they are from, and Tien gets to practice his English speaking with them. He is very likable and makes a lot of friends and facebook connecions during the trip.

There are two other islands besides Ha Long Bay that have permanent inhabitants. They have hotels and beaches for tourists. But, we will not visit them on this trip. There are about 1600 residents that live on Ha Long Bay in 4 fishing villages. They live on floating houses and make their living from fishing.

Several of the islands are hollow, with gigantic caves. We toured one of the caves, Hang Dau Go (wooden stakes cave)

Tour Guide in Santa Outfit

. It's the largest cave in the area and was an amazing visit.

As it happened, our trip was on December 24, 25. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. I had not planned it that way. When I invited Tien to come along, he could not come for a couple of days but told me he could go on Tuesday of the following week. It just happened to be the 24th.

The Vietnamese tour guide dressed in his Santa hat and clothes while he took us around. The boat had a tree and some holiday decorations put up in the sitting area.

Christmas Eve night, another boat docked next to ours and we all had a party together, getting to know each other. The tour guide dressed up as Micheal Jackson and entertained us with his dancing. He was really very good.

Kayaks were included in the tour for those of us that wanted to take them around the bay. Tien and I had a lot of fun paddling through the different areas around the bay.

This turned out to be a great trip for me. And, seeing how thrilled Tien was, made it extra fun. I don't think he had ever done anything like this before and he went home with a pocket full of names of foreigners to stay in touch with.

Other Entries

Photos & Videos

Comments

2025-05-22

Comment code: Ask author if the code is blank