SCENES FROM VIETNAM   Halong Bay


On my first full day in Vietnam I was driven from Hanoi to a wharf at Halong city, a journey of some some 165 kilometres (102 miles).

It is a busy and crowded road which is in very poor condition. Thus the journey took 4+ hours.  Those who read my Facebook entries will remember that it was on this journey that my non English speaking driver uttered two words as he pulled off the road.  They were music to my ears:  (1) Cafe. (2) Toilet.

At the Hon Gai Wharf in Halong city I boarded a modified “junk” for a twenty four hour cruise in Halong Bay.

Halong Bay is part of the Gulf of Tonkin.  Folks of my era will remember the disastrous 1964 U.S. Congress “Gulf of Tonkin Resolution” by means of which the L.B.J (President Johnson) administration lied to Congress.

Congress swallowed that lie hook, line and sinker – leading to a disastrous expansion of the war.

That was then.

But now Halong Bay is both peaceful and beautiful.  It is a place with 1600+ plus islands.

The omni-present mist enhanced its beauty.  These shots are of the fishing village which we visited.

Women from the Fishing Village

Fishing Village School room

Fishing Village family

Sign at school house

Grotto

Our Junk with sails up "for show"

The Fishing Village is built on platforms.   Here the villagers are oyster farming

Being ferried to a beach

My nice cabin

And very modern private bathroom
More Halong Bay tomorrow
Location: Ha Long Natural heritage, Vietnam

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