Ha Long Bay

In Ha Long Bay, 1,969 islands rise from the water, most of them limestone laid down on a shallow seabed 340 million years ago. The bay's stories step into Sửng Sốt Cave, whose name means astonished, and reach Vân Đồn, a trading port founded in 1149. Just northeast, Bái Tử Long Bay keeps closed sea lakes inside its islands and wild deer on Ba Mùn island. Legend says a Mother Dragon and her children spat out jewels that became these islands, and both bays are named for them.