Fodor's Expert Review Fishing Villages

Many overnight boat tours will take you to see one or more of the four floating villages on Halong Bay, where 300 local families make a living by fishing the mystical waters. If they're not fishing or fixing their nets for the next big catch, they may be passing the time swinging on hammocks—or even rowing toward your cruise boat to sell you groceries and souvenirs in a floating "store." These impressive fishing villages have their own wooden shacks and grocery stores that stay afloat by Styrofoam platforms wrapped in waterproof tarps.