Image: Ha Long Bay in early morning

Ha Long Bay

By Silvana Preo 

On a recent visit to Vietnam, together with a group of other tourists from Western Australia, I visited many beautiful and fascinating places...temples, the Ho Chi Minh Memorial site and many more; but what impressed me as the most captivating and romantic site out of the two weeks' tour is the natural wonder of Ha Long Bay.

The myriads of tall, forested monoliths that jut out of water in their conical shape, as if shaped by mysterious hands, have no comparison to any place I’ve been.

On a fine, misty morning, aboard the five star wooden junk Jasmine, gently cruising the calm waters, I drank in this amazing region like a parched being longing for nature’s artistic creations and its incomparable beauty.

There are close to 2000 of these unusual islands. Up to now 800 have been explored. Fauna and flora, reportedly some never seen in other places around the globe, have made them their home.

Because of the monoliths’ precipitous formation, they are inhabitable, therefore preserving their pristine state. Caves and grottos have been discovered in some of the explored islands. On visiting one of the grottos, Sung Sot, I noticed its wavy, smooth ceiling. As the guide explained, it is believed that this peculiar pattern had been forged by the ocean back when, some millennia ago, the islands were still underwater.

Floating fishing villages dot the bay. Fish and mollusks abound in the shallow waters. The village we visited, travelling there on small boats sitting four adults and rowed by women, consisted of young families. A tiny church on a narrow bank stood in waiting for its flock.

Late in the evening, when dusk sets in, the region takes on a sense of mystery. In the night, the flickering lights of the moored boats, the (barely distinguishable) surrounding conical forms and the calm atmosphere, gave the whole concept a sense of peace and fulfillment.

On the first two days of cruising and discovering, a haze prevailed on the region; but on the morning of the third day, the day of our departure, the sun greeted us. Its rays played amidst the tall monoliths generating a bright atmosphere and cheerfulness on all present.

Ha Long Bay has been a wonderful adventure, an adventure that lingers in the mind and one to want to experience again.

Flourishnote: For further information visit www.vietnamtourism.com

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