Bay of the Landing Dragon:  No trip to northern Vietnam could be considered complete without a trip to Quang Ninh Province.

This province shares a common border with China in the north, and harbors one of the wonders of the world with probably the most stunning scenery in Vietnam, Ha Long Bay (Vinh Ha Long). The bay’s tranquil beauty encompasses 4,000 square kiloneters ( 1,500 sq mi ), dotted with well over 1,000 limestone islands and islets, many of them without names. Bizarre rock sculptures jutting drammatically from the sea and numerous grottoes have created an enchanted, timeless world. The sails of junks and sampans gliding on the bay add further to the beauty of the scene. Ha Long Bay was made famous to Westerners in the French film Indochine. A boat trip from Hong Gai on the bay includes stops at some of the grottoes- the Bo Nau (Pelican) cave, the 2-km-long Hang Hanh tunnel and the Trinh Nu (Virgin) cave.