And now for the Maritime portion of the trip. We spent two nights aboard the Dragon Legend I, not to be confused with the Dragon Legend II, an identical ship with the same passenger capacity of 46. Mostly Australians and Europeans on our boat. Halong Bay is popular with the Vietnamese because of the numerous limestone rocks that dot the bay. They are a bit otherworldly.
It is also popular as the home of the Viet Vuong fishing village, a Unesco World Heritage Site, unique because the homes float. In the 19th century fishermen decided it would be easier to just live in the spot because it made reaching the fishing grounds easier so they built shelter on platforms floating on barrels which are now blue plastic, I believe. No one was home when we paddled through although their dogs were around on the platforms. The guide said the dogs provide good company because it is lonely to live there.
