Ha Long Bay - The Bay of the Descending Dragons

Ha Long Bay is one of Vietnam's most famous attractions. With over 1900 limestone karsts, it forms a vast, rugged landscape in the Gulf of Tolkien on the country's north coast. The name of the bay, which translates to 'descending dragons', comes from an ancient legend that a god summoned a family of dragons to protect the Vietnamese people from foreign enemies. When a hostile fleet tried to attack Vietnam by sea, the dragons spat out emeralds that killed the attackers. Wherever an emerald fell, one of the many karsts of Ha Long Bay grew.