Ha Long Bay is situated in Quang Ninh province approximately 170 km east of Hanoi, and covers an area of 1,500 km2. Ha Long Bay is definitely one of the most scenic areas in the world. For that reason the entire area is on UNESCO‘s list of World Cultural and natural heritage areas.
The total number of islands is unknown but there are said to be several thousands of islands in the bay, only approx. 1000 are named most often by their unusual shape or an old legend.
The name Ha Long means “where the dragon descends into the sea”, and legend says that the islands in the bay was created when a giant dragon ran through the area and did great damage with his gigantic tail. Consequently, the area was flooded and only small islands were sticking out of the sea. In this fantastic landscape which the dragon created , limestone cliffs rise dramatically out of the emerald sea.
It is possible to access the bay by boat from different towns e.g. Halong and Hai Phong. Within the bay, families live in small villages build on the water, from where they are able to fish and make some mussel-pearl production.
You can discover beautiful steep cliffs, see amazing colorful caves with stalactites and stalagmites and visit the local civilization. The caves forms systems and tunnels and there are big holes in the limestone rocks which it is possible to sail into. A popular activity is to kayaking in the bay - then you can get really close to nature. Due to the protection from strong winds and currents operating in the Tonkin Bay the water in Ha Long Bay is very quiet and ideal for kayaking.
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The largest island in the bay is the scenic and wooded island of Cat Ba. Half of the island was in 1986 declared as a National Park, and has a very rich flora and fauna. If you are lucky you can see elks, various species of macaque monkeys as well as the world’s last population of the white-headed langur monkey. On the other side of the island , not far from the harbor jetty, are two beautiful beaches that are accessible via a tunnel. You can also take a day trip to Mount Yen Tu (1,068 m), where, on clear days there is an excellent views of Ha Long Bay.
Beach in Ha Long Bay, Vietnam
View over Ha Long Bay, Vietnam