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Water only flows downwards.
No matter what it encounters,
it bends and changes itself,
creating something new by mixing with it.

Located amidst fog and mountains,
Sa Pa in Vietnam is famous for its terraced rice fields.
In order to collect the water falling from the sky,
the people created layered horizontal paths and
began cultivating rice in the terraced fields.
The water, which used to flow downwards without interruption,
meets the heavy sweat droplets of human beings and nurtures life.

Water passes through valleys and fields, flowing down to the sea.
The reason all water gathers in the sea is because
the sea is located at a lower elevation.*

“Hạ Long Bay,” which means “Descending Dragon Bay” in English,
is composed of over three thousand large and small rocks and
islands formed by the sea carving through vast limestone formations,
resembling sculptures from the sky.

Vietnamese folk artist Dao Duc,
drawing from his experience in the film industry,
expresses the majestic nature of Hạ Long Bay and the lives of its people
as if it were a film in itself.
As you follow this painting, which spreads wide horizontally along the sea,
like a wide screen, you will encounter
a vibrant landscape of layered and intertwined colorful lives.

• 
  ①The famous Hon Gai Coal Mine near the harbor. A crane at the open-air storage yard is transporting coal.
• 
  ②Cars and people are moving together on the street.
• 
  ③Fishing grounds and a palm beach that prevent fishermen from catching fish.
  Small boats peacefully gather together on the water, forming a harmonious scene.
• 
  ④A village where boats, fishermen, and workers lived. Limestone mountains rise up from the sea, acting as a protective wall for the houses.
• 
  ⑤The houses, tightly clustered and reaching up to the foothills,
  were inhabited by sailors.
  Behind them stands a sacred tower.

Hạ Long Bay has been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Everything in the world is bound to change over time,
but the way of life in Hạ Long Bay and the Hon Gai Harbor
remains an eternal tale cherished in the hearts of Hạ Long city's residents,
forever living as beautiful memories.

The sea descends to its lowest point,
tranquilly lowering itself, and from beneath the world,
it embraces the world.*

* Reference: <Tao Te Ching>,
Laozi's original text and Oh Kang-nam's commentary, Hyunamsa