A boat tour through Halong Bay is one of the highlights of a Vietnam Trip. Craggy limestone peaks, rock towers and overgrown cones rise up into the air, and blue-green shimmering water in between.

The Victory Star, our floating hotel glides calmly past the countless differently shaped rock formations.

We are guided by dinghy to the pontoon harbour of the floating fishing village MUI NE. All around us, small rowing boats belonging to the villagers are ready and waiting for us, seemingly organised for the boom in tourism with invitations for small tours.

In days past the bizarrely shaped rocks fired the imagination of the local population and over the course of time many rock formations were given distinctive names.

During the Indochina War and the Vietnam War, some of the islands with their large caves were converted into reception camps for refugees and the sick, or as supply depots.

The approximately 1,500 square kilometre HA LONG Bay is one of the most impressive landscapes in the entire Southeast Asian region. A place of perfect beauty and one of the great wonders of nature