Another vintage post, circa Vietnam 2009:

Halong bay is breathtaking. Gliding through the sheer granite stone columns on a Viet junk is surreally beautiful, even with the early summer haze which can curse South East Asia. The bay would have been perfect if it weren’t for the cattle mentality that caused all tour boats to follow the same cookie cutter schedule and hit the same tourist traps.

But the spectacular views balanced off the North Vietnamese craziness for the most part. One of the stone islands had steps to the top with a lookout area; that’s where I got this shot.

Tags: indochina, indochinese, Vietnam