On the Road is a weekday feature spotlighting reader photo submissions.
From the exotic to the familiar, whether you’re traveling or in your own backyard, we would love to see the world through your eyes.
Auntie Anne
Hạ Long Bay or Halong Bay is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The name Hạ Long means “descending dragon”. The bay features thousands of limestone karsts and islets in various shapes and sizes.
And it looks like nothing and nowhere I’ve ever seen before. The day we arrived was cloudy, and the bay looked almost otherworldly in the light. It is indescribably beautiful and mysterious.
We actually participated on an overnight cruise on Halong Bay. The cruise, well, my travel buddy says she’s never been on a cruise that packed so much in 22 hours: three full meals, a trip to a beach on one of the islands, Happy Hour, a cooking demonstration in which we learned to make spring rolls, squid fishing after dinner, tai chi, and an outing to a cave. It was lovely, and busy!
Boat on Halong Bay
Beach on one of the islands. I did not swim, but you could
Hang Dau Go (Wooden Stakes cave) is the largest grotto in the Hạ Long area. French tourists visited in the late 19th century, and named the cave Grotte des Merveilles. Its three large chambers contain large numerous stalactites and stalagmites.
Lt. Condition
Hey, right in my backyard! (I’ve been living in Hanoi (mostly) for the past ten years)
It’s always weird to see people post vacation photos of places around where I live.
Deputinize America
I think Halong Bay was one of the most beautiful, haunting places I’ve ever visited
Baud
Someplace I’ve been!
Winter Wren
Beautiful!
eclare
Amazing.
J.
Stunning!
Sandia Blanca
@Lt. Condition: Lurkers really are everywhere! Would love to see more comments about “the view” from Hanoi.
pieceofpeace
Wow. What a beautiful place! The pictures show the calming nature of this landscape.
Gin & Tonic
About 15 years ago my son and I did four days of kayaking there. Lived on a boat for the duration, went out on kayaks every day.
terraformer
Beautiful pictures! I’d love to visit there one day
Dmkingto
Nice! I’ve always been fascinated by Halong Bay, but haven’t been yet.
BigJimSlade
Very nice! Maybe one day I’ll get there…
I was curious how deep it is, so I googled it: Halong Bay has an area of 1553 km² and coastline spanning 120 km. The bay is relatively shallow with its deepest depth measuring at 33 feet (10 metres).
Torrey
Thank you for these amazing pictures!