Submitted by Deniz Hatiboglu on the 2019 winter session program in Vietnam and Cambodia sponsored by the Department of Finance…
The beauty of Ha Long Bay cannot be contained in words or even photographs. This part of my study abroad will be truly unforgettable. We spent three days and two nights on a boat coasting along the bay covered in karst. Junk boat tours are common in this area and we were lucky enough to get to tour the floating villages in the area of Ha Long Bay. A small row boat took five of us to see the villages along the way. These villages were so interesting. Small boats and floating docks with people cooking, doing laundry and dogs running around barking at boats passing by. Kayakers rowing around in their life jackets, smiling and waving at each other. The people of these floating villages looked on at us and would smile or wave and immediately go back to whatever work they were doing. This made me wonder what these people are thinking as they see tourists riding around their homes, taking their pictures and returning to their luxury boats and eventually back to their normal lives on land. I am considering as to whether or not this type of tourism is beneficial to the people in these floating villages. It really put into perspective the value we put on tourism and the detriment it may serve to the communities we are touring.
