By Claudia Tello - @ hubpages.com
Halong Bay -Halong meaning “Descending Dragon”- is named after the thousands of island with bizarre rock formations and limestone cliffs that are within the Gulf of Tonkin, in the north shores of Vietnam. It is composed of more than 3000 islands of all shapes and forms, covered in green vegetation and protruding from the ocean’s surface. If you are a nature lover, this place will enchant you with its many awe striking sites, and majestic natural composition.
Halong Bay has plenty of grottos created by the wind and the emerald water of the gulf; it is a beautiful example of the effect wind and water erosion have on the landscape.
Among the sculptured islands and rock formations, Halong Bay also hides many deserted tinny white sand beaches that you can visit by boat, stop and enjoy for a while. In these locations you’ll be surrounded by nothing but nature.
A wonderful aspect of Halong Bay is that it has so many islands and rock pillars that every turn comes up with a surprise: another astounding sculpture, a perfect archway through the mountains, a peaceful lagoon where you can Kayak and enjoy the scenery…
Ha Long Bay, or as translated, “Descending Dragon Bay” is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located approximately 3.5 hours east of Hanoi. During our visit to northern Vietnam, we had the opportunity to take an excursion on one of the many junk boats that make its home among the 3000+ islets (though many locals claim there to be only 1969 due to it matching the year of Ho Chi Minh’s death). The bay is world famous for its striking limestone karsts of varying shape and size that are spread throughout the area. According to geologists, the limestone in Ha Long Bay has gone through over 500 million years of formation through varying conditions and environments. The karsts themselves have endured through a more rapid process of accelerated formations as a result of the past 20 million years in a home that hosts a very tropical and often wet climate.
