Hey guys, today is a longer post than normal, but I hope you enjoy it. As you'll probably be able to tell, I really like Ha Long Bay.
Today we headed off to Ha Long Bay. After a long night of dancing and the exhilaration of meeting our representatives all of us were pretty exhausted, but at least we had a four hour bus ride to recover.
Today we headed off to Ha Long Bay. After a long night of dancing and the exhilaration of meeting our representatives all of us were pretty exhausted, but at least we had a four hour bus ride to recover.
Our party bus
After a long ride in which many naps were taken and Batman was discussed extensively, we finally reached the port and boarded our boat.
This was the room I shared with Trevor on the boat. So yeah, pretty sweet
Finally we set off into Ha Long Bay. According to legend, in the early years of Vietnam's existence the gods sent dragons to protect the Vietnamese against their enemies. The dragons spit jewels and gems into the ocean to the northeast of Hanoi, and these gems grew into islands, forming a rocky barrier to screen Vietnam's coast from invaders. Their task complete, the dragons came to rest in the Bay, giving Ha Long Bay (literally "descending dragon bay") its name.
Enough talk, have some pictures:
As you can see, this place is absolutely gorgeous
Historically the bay has played an important role, as the Bach Dang River flows north from the bay into China. Any Chinese naval force sent to subjugate Vietnam would be forced to sail on the Bach Dang River into Ha Long Bay. After the Mongols had subjugated China, three Mongol invasions of Vietnam were thwarted in the vicinity of Ha Long Bay.
Most notably for me, the Battle of Bach Dang River was fought near Ha Long Bay in 1288. Kublai Khan had sent a naval force of 500 ships under the command of his son Prince Toghan to subdue the Vietnamese, while general Tran Hung Dao led the Vietnamese resistance. Tran Hung Dao's tiny fleet attacked the Mongol ships, which easily beat back the assault. As the Vietnamese boats feigned retreat, the Mongol fleet raced forward in hot pursuit right into a devastating Vietnamese trap.
Tran Hung Dao had stored hundreds of sharp bamboo stakes in a cave in Ha Long Bay which he had then planted in the mud of the Bach Dang River. While the tide was high the large Mongol junks sailed over easily, but when the tide shifted the boats were impaled on the stakes. Vietnamese fire ships crashed into the helpless Mongol junks while smaller Vietnamese boats maneuvered between the stakes, picking off survivors. Archers rained down arrows on the trapped ships from the nearby cliffs.
The Mongol fleet suffered 80,000 casualties with thousands more captured and 400 ships destroyed, the Mongol general was captured and executed and Kublai Khan's son barely escaped with his life. The Vietnamese suffered only 4,000 casualties. With the victory, Vietnam became the only country to fight off three Mongol invasions and the Mongols never invaded Vietnam again.
I grew up hearing the story of the Battle of Bach Dang River--that story is honestly one of the first reasons I became interested in history--so the history of Tran Hung Dao at Ha Long Bay is particularly relevant to me. In addition, Tran Hung Dao is a bit of a personal hero for me so I really appreciated being in Ha Long Bay.
(There are more formal biographies of Tran Hung Dao than this one but I laughed so hard when I was reading it that I had to link to it. It's all historically accurate but the language is not family-friendly)
We all had a blast in Ha Long Bay doing all sorts of activities:
Climbing the rigging
Playing some ultimate
The boys looking cool
The girls looking pretty
Kayaking
Trevor and I got tired of kayaking, so we paddled up next to our boat and hitched a ride back to the ship.
Dancing all night
Sleeping after dancing too much
We saw monkeys!
Jumping off the boat
What this photo doesn't capture is that the roof of the boat is about thirty-five feet high, so this was a hell of a drop. It was so much fun. There also isn't documentation of this happening, but I also jumped off the side of the boat (~20 feet up) to catch a disc that Trevor threw. So. Much. Fun.
Of all the amazing things in Ha Long Bay, though, nothing quite compares to the caves.
You enter from the cool light of the bay, the sound of the waves still receding in your ears as you make the long climb from the beach to the cave mouth. The transition from soft sand and waves to hard rock is so gradual that you only slowly realize that you are surrounded by unforgiving stone. The light gradually recedes as you enter the cave, soft man-made lighting accentuating rather than diminishing the darkness. The stone walls, so carefully carved by eons of water, seem to flex and stir in a constant serpentine motion. The moisture that flecks from the gaping stalactites falls like saliva or sweat from the mouth of a drooling behemoth. The cave yawns ever deeper, no matter how far into its reaches you travel.
The sound of your footsteps echoes thunderously with every step, and yet despite the echoing noise and the chatter from all the other tourists, the cave seems strangely quiet. You try not to gape as you stare at the beauty that surrounds you, and a strange compulsion seizes you to lower your head and pass respectfully.
No matter your faith, code or creed, everyone walks quietly in the home of the dragon.
- Jefferson
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