Hanoi (Halong Bay), Vietnam

Scenic Halong Bay, with its emerald seas, rests beautifully over the Red River Delta. This region, “the Bay of the Descending Dragon,” is dotted with more than 3,000 mountainous islands, each with its own unique landscape. At the western end of Halong Bay is the limestone Cat Ba Island, where Chinese and Vietnamese pirates settled during the late 19th century. Today a large section of the island is devoted to a protected national park.

Language: Vietnamese, English     Currency: Vietnamese Dong (VND)