|                          | Meaning “Bay of the Descending Dragon,” Ha long Bay’s water is calm and       undisturbed despite the jutting limestone mountains that soar out of the       water and toward the sky. As if a tail of a Dragon plunged into the earth,       the mountains are craggy, sharp, and barren, and are dotted with thousands       of small caves of various depths and heights. At dusk, they all take on       mysterious shades of gray, mauve and olive, lending credence to the local       legends. |        |