In the Gulf of Tonkin near the Chinese border is Halong Bay, the "Bay of the Descending Dragons”. The 1,500 square kilometer bay is scattered with almost 2,000 limestone monolithic islands, each rising steeply from the sea and topped with thick jungle vegetation.
Many of the islands are hollow, with enormous caves containing impressive stalactites and stalagmites, others have internal beaches that you reach through cave entrances at low tide. Although many are uninhabited, some support floating-villages of fisherman who make their lively hood by fishing in the shallow waters of the bay.
Local legend has it that long ago when the Vietnamese were fighting Chinese invaders, the gods sent a family of dragons to help defend the land. The dragons descended upon what is now Ha Long Bay (hence the name "Bay of Descending Dragons") and began spitting out jewels and jade. These jewels turned into the islands and islets, linking together to form barriers against the invaders.
History tells us that Halong Bay has been the setting for many real life naval battles against Vietnam's coastal neighbours. On three separate occasions, in the maze of channels between the islands, the Vietnamese army stopped the Chinese fleet from landing. In 1288 General Tran Hung Dao stopped Mongol ships from sailing up the nearby Bach Dang River by placing steel-tipped wooden stakes at high tide, sinking the Mongol Dubhai Khan's fleet.
In 1994, Ha Long Bay was named a World heritage Site by UNESCO and today it is considered to be one of Vietnam’s most important tourist attractions.
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