Ha Long Bay by Rupert Marlow

The Islands

The islands of Ha Long Bay are simply fascinating. They are all relatively small and mostly uninhabited islands but full of wildlife and collectively they make up some wonderful views. I particularly like the depth and haze that was present for much of our visit. Formed over 500 million years, and consisting of 1,960–2,000 islands, it is almost impossible not to be mesmerised by the views, wherever you choose to look. While in terms of land masses, they are small islands, the scale of the formations is also interesting, they'll dwarf some large ships and the local fishermen's boats look like specs on the water as part of the seascape.

The people

The people of Ha Long Bay live on the water. Most of the islands are uninhabited so they have built floating villages. Some are born and die on these floating villages without ever going to land! The simple life that they seem to live, looks hard and when we were up to see the sunrise, the fishermen were already heading out for the day and would return as dusk was settling in. However, we did see the occasional flat-screen TV in the floating houses! The children were amazing. They'd run from house to house without considering the possibility of a wet landing should they misplace a foot, and they'd sit or stand perilously close to the edge of their porches where a small wave could easily pitch them into the water. The rowing boats, which were a slightly unconventional design by western standards, were actually rowed forwards - presumably as speed was not necessarily the primary concern. My favourite was the supermarket boat. It was nice to see a convenience store without "Tesco" plastered down the side!

The Vessels

The boats on Ha Long Bay were hugely varied, from the tourist boats, some 3 stories high with cabins of varying size to the tiny rowing boats which often rowed by the feet (no. 4). The boats with booms sticking out (nos. 3 and 6) were squid fishing boats. The lights hanging around the cabin would be lit up and attract the squid to the surface, where they would be caught. The sailing boat (no.8) was the only sail we saw in 3 days.

The Feeling

Ha Long Bay, was for us, the 2nd-5th day of a long-planned 3 week holiday for my 30th birthday. It was intended to be the place to relax and wind down over the first few days of the holiday - we'd be on a boat with few distractions and simply take it in. It was, I think, the most amazing place I have ever been. Knowing it was a UNESCO World Heritage Site and having seen images of The Bay meant I had an idea of what to expect but that was nothing compared to being in among the other islands with comparatively few people and a sensational view round every corner. The plan to relax for me was impossible. I had smuggled an engagement ring out to Vietnam so until I had handed it over, I found doing nothing pretty tricky. However, on day 2 when we were taken to the day boat for a trip and told we'd meet the other passengers who'd booked the same tour, we found ourselves on a boat with 11 staff and a capacity of 30 ... by ourselves! Something was on my side. On the 4th November this year, after 7.5 years together, I decided to ask my girlfriend Sarah to become my wife and after much crying and a long pause, she said ‘yes’, making the place even more magical for us. That evening after a few glasses of Bubbly, I took the image below. I like the depth in the distant islands and the two birds flying freely - even if the closer one isn't sharp! The afternoon/evening light was an amazing colour and the freedom of the birds reminds me of how I felt that evening, watching the sun set with my Wife-To-Be.

Footnote: All these images were shot by Rupert Marlow on either a Fuji Xpro1 or X100s between 3.11.13 and 5.11.13, processed in Lightroom 5 with minimal changes

Halong Bay Vietnam, Hàng Bạc, Hanoi, Vietnam

Ha Long Bay

A truly memorable trip to a magical place

The Islands

The people

The Vessels

The Feeling