Halong City, Vietnam - A fine mist hangs over the turquoise ocean and as the sun slowly descends, six canoeists feel the warmth from its golden rays on their faces. Paddling in unison, they glide across this tranquil seascape to the jagged rock formations which dot the scene. The early-evening silence in Halong Bay in northeast Vietnam, some 160 kilometres from Hanoi, is broken only by the steady, rhythmic splashing of the paddles.
"If you paddle through the grotto over there you'll reach a bay ringed by cliffs", local guide Thoc tells the six paddlers. He and a few other travellers are on a wooden boat nearby, a kind of junk equipped with eight double beds for the coming night.
The dragon sails, which lend the tourist boats in Halong Bay their distinctive appearance, have already been hauled in, but there is enough natural light for the half a dozen paddlers.
Thousands of limestone islands have turned this bay into a spectacular maritime landscape. The peaks soar above the water like knives or seem to float above the surface like stony monuments. Legend has it that the gods sent a dragon to help the Viet people as they were battling to defend their country. The fiery beast crushed the enemy with its tail, ploughing up a huge tract of land. The topography of Halong Bay is the result.
The canoeists ponder this legend as their craft draws closer to the rocky bay. The dark grey sandstone and green-clad slopes seem even more majestic the nearer they approach. The tunnel in the rock ahead is scarcely 10 metres wide and only about as long.
Enveloped by the stillness around them, the paddlers drift along. Hardly any of the 3,000 or so islands in Halong Bay are inhabited - the coast is simply too rugged and the earth unyielding.
To avoid lengthy trips from the mainland to the bay, the fishermen just stay out on the water, yet they managed to make a living with their homemade nets and wooden boats.
Meanwhile, the competition from Vietnam's northern neighbour China is growing. There are 10 times as many Chinese trawlers plying these waters than there used to be, yet Halong Bay manages to maintain the charm of bygone centuries.
The tourists on the deck of the boat agree that they have never seen such awesome scenery. Several of them have come a long way to be here. Among the backpackers and package tourists are some genuine globetrotters too.
"Vietnam is so relaxed and laid-back, things here are just like they used to be", said Tiffany from the United States. "It's simply fantastic here, just look at the sun going down between those rocks", enthuses Daniel from Denmark.
Internet: www.vietnamtourism.gov.vn.
