Ha Long City

Atop the calm waters of the Gulf of Tonkin in northeastern Vietnam sit an array of more or less 1600 limestone monolithic islands that could only be interpreted as a match of Go game gone wild. Such a strange, almost magical place is called Ha Long Bay, or the Bay of the Descending Dragon.

From humble islets that harbor picturesque grottos to larger ones that host full-on walkways, this UNESCO World Heritage Site will bring visitors to the highs, where hiking trails are aplenty down to the lows, where beaches are in abundance, and where cruises slash the emerald-laden sea, breezing by cliffs and pillars to reach the seeming infinity...