Template:POTD/2004-08-03
Halong Bay (Vịnh Hạ) is a body of water in north Vietnam in the Gulf of Tonkin near the border with China. Its name means "Bay of the Descending Dragon" in Vietnamese. The bay consists of a dense cluster of 1969 limestone monolithic islands, each topped with thick jungle vegetation, which rise spectacularly from the ocean.Photo credit: David Stewart