Calmness Is Gold

Bình tĩnh là vàng: Calmness is gold — Vietnamese Expression

The Vietnamese expression “Calmness is gold”, is a reminder that maintaining composure and staying calm in difficult situations is a highly valuable attribute. For, in the face of a crisis, the ability to stay calm and re-channel negative energy, so that you can think clearly, will triumph over anger every single time…

Stark examples of “calmness” in sometimes choppy waters, are the ancient limestone pillars in Lan Ha and Ha Long Bay off the coast of Vietnam, bare contrast to “chaotic” Hanoi, but within only 2hours of each other. Amidst these dramatic bays are karst formations and limestone cliffs, that come to be at one with the clouds and sea. Deep in this spectacular seascape the coastline seems to follow the rhythm of nature untouched by man. The precipitous nature of these cliffs means that most of the islands & islets are uninhabited and unaffected by human presence, almost as if they have evolved to “protect” themselves from the wrath of mankind’s industrialisation.

Protected further by @unesco , this World Heritage Site, that sits in the Gulf of Tonkin is a place where it feels like heaven & earth have neither a beginning or an end, they just subsit eternally among water, stone and air. The calmness that this spectacular seascape of limestone pillars bestows upon you when you visit is hard to articulate but it’s outstanding scenic beauty makes it a place like no other on earth, guaranteed to impress even the most seasoned of travellers: a feast for your eyes on some of the best views in the world, a landscape that took over 500million years to form! Hence, aside from rock erosion over millions of years, being amongst these limestone pillars makes one think that you get to witness a part of this beautiful planet in a manner that humans would have upon first discovery…..

📍Lan Ha & Ha Long Bay, Gulf of Tonkin, Vietnam
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