COUNTRIES

Ha Long Bay (meaning "Descending Dragon Bay") is a UNESCO World Heritage site located in northeastern Vietnam

The bay features thousands of limestone karsts and isles in various sizes and shapes. This island even has a beach

Modern junks in Ha Long Bay

A community of around 1600 people live on Ha Long Bay in four fishing villages

Small boat, big rocks

We took a 2 day trip including kayaking and sleeping on the junk

Inside Sung Sot Cave. If it was left in natural state, it would be the most beautiful cave I have seen

Unfortunately, it was full of tourists and illuminated by tacky, colorful lights

Weather wasn't good all day, but at sunset the sky begun changing color

This was the most magical moment of our Ha Long Bay trip

There are over 3,000 limestone islands (although locals claim there are only 1,969 as this is the year of Ho Chi Minh's death)

The second day was cold and rainy, but Ha Long Bay is beautiful in any weather

After Ha Long we went by train to Sapa, a French hill station built in 1922

Hill tribe people from surrounding villages come to Sapa on Saturday (market day)

It was very cold and foggy all day

They wear traditional clothes, but use latest technology - mobile phones

Women in Sapa are very aggressive sellers and we didn't like that

Buy, buy, buy!

Seriously scared child!

Traditional hats for sale in the market

Market in Sapa. Scenery is supposed to be great around Sapa, but we didn't see anything because of fog

Market in Sapa

Mobile butcher in Sapa

Restaurant in Sapa's market. The owner sold good food but she was eating plain rice herself