Vung Vieng Fishing Village: Ha Long Bay

Happy Monday Y'all! 

As most of you know- a couple months ago- Matt and I took a trip to Vietnam and we absolutely loved it. However, I've only shared one post from our trip because that's just how our summer has been going. I am so far behind on posts, but I am looking forward to getting all caught up. 

Anyway, today I thought I would share a stop we made while on our two day cruise of Bai Long and Ha Long Bay- Vung Vieng Fishing Village. 

Ha Long Bay was made an UNSECO site in the 1990s. When this happened, the government decided to gather the different fishing groups that were living on the water. In the past, the families would live on their boats or in caves and they were pretty spread out. In the 90s, the government founded the Vung Vieng fishing village. This helps the government get news to all the fishermen when there is bad weather and it provides a school for the children in the village. We also got the feeling that it helped cut down on the pollution so the tourists wouldn't be put off on their 'luxury' cruises.... or maybe that was us being cynical. 

From what our guide said- the IndoChina tour group (which we took) helps the fishing village by taking their trash into town and bringing in supplies. The guests are asked to bring small school supplies and treats for the children in the village. We brought notebooks, pencils, stickers, and hard candy to give to the village. 

The small room off to the side is the bathroom. 

To tour the fishing village, we got off our junk and then took a little wooden boat around the village. Our guide was nice enough to lend us a couple Non Las (leaf hat) to protect us from the sun. Plus- I got this awesome picture. 

 The residents of this village make their livings on fish and other seafood farming. Each household owns at least one fish cage to hold Garrupa and Sea Bass. When it is time to harvest the fish- each household brings their fish to the chief's house and he brings it to the mainland for sale. 

The fishing village was different than I expected. I'm glad we had the chance to tour around. There is a museum to look at and learn more about the culture and way of life- which was really informative. I  also loved looking at the school they had set up there. Many of the houses have t.v.s and other modern appliances. 

I loved the way the houses looked on the water with the limestone islands behind them. It was a beautiful village to look around. 

All in all- it was a nice addition to our tour. Plus, our tours give a little extra income into the fishing village. There is an oyster farm and pearl shop and a gift store for you to look around and buy trinkets. It is also encouraged that you tip your tour guide, so that also helps a bit. 

I hope you enjoyed this look at the Vung Vieng fishing village. 

Have a wonderful week!