Halong Bay, with its magical landscape of more than 3000 limestone islets which rise from the emerald waters of the Gulf of Tonkin, is hailed as the natural wonder of Vietnam. It was designated as Vietnam's second World Heritage site in 1994, and opened to foreign tourists in 1998. Besides the breathtaking vistas, visitors also come to Halong Bay to explore the limestone caves, most of which are beautifully illuminated for the benefit of the tourists. This picture shows the tourist boats approaching the landing jetty to one of the caves - 'Dong Thien Cung' or Heavenly Cave.

Incidentally, Halong Bay has its very own Loch Ness monster legend, with reported sightings of a mysterious marine creature of gargantuan proportions known as the tarasque. Indeed, the name Halong means 'where the dragon descends into the sea'.