A Boat Ride Around Đầu Gỗ...

Our stop on the Ha Long Bay cruise was at the Đầu Gỗ island, which is home to local fishing communities. 

The name of the island literally translates to Wooden Head. Legends say that the name Đầu Gỗ came from the victory of a military commander from the 13th century - Tran Hung Dao who fought back a Mongol invasion on the Bach Dang River by deploying booby traps made out of giant steel-tipped wooden stakes beneath the water. Some of those wooden stakes were discovered by the local people in caves on this island, apparently they had flowed here with the current.

Approaching Đầu Gỗ...

Local boat floating the emerald waters of Ha Long Bay...

Our selfie-stick is out...

I love the Vietnamese conical hat, the nón lá...

A flotilla of local boats at Đầu Gỗ...

Kayakers getting ready to go...

We will ride one of these boats around here...

With life jackets on, here we go...

There are numerous underwater caves here, weathered by milions of years of erosion by the elements...

It is incredible how diverse and beautiful Nature can be...

Paddling into a dark cave...

And there we go...

Stalactities hanging from the ceiling of the cave...

Indeed there is an unimaginable beauty around here!