Halong Bay

Towering limestone pillars and tiny islets topped by forest rise from the emerald waters of the Gulf of Tonkin. Designated a World Heritage Site in 1994, Halong Bay's scatter of islands, dotted with wind- and wave-eroded grottoes, is a vision of ethereal beauty and, unsurprisingly, northern Vietnam's number one-tourism hub.

Young Caucasian blonde woman in a straw hat enjoying the boat ride at Lan Ha Bay, Cat Ba island, Vietnam; Shutterstock ID 1466647397; your: ClaireN; gl: 65050; netsuite: Online ed; full: Vietnam with Elsewhere 1466647397

© leonov.o / Shutterstock

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