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Situated
in the North-East region of Vietnam,
Halong Bay is a bay in the Gulf of
Tonkin comprised of regions of
Halong City, the township of Cam
Pha, and a part of the island
district of Van Don. Halong Bay
borders Cat Ba Island in the
southwest, the East Sea in the east,
and the mainland, creating a 120 km
coastline.
Halong Bay is made up of 1,969
islands of various sizes, 989 of
which have been given names. There
are two kinds of islands, limestone
and schist, which are concentrated
in two main zones: the southeast
(belonging to Bai Tu Long Bay), and
the southwest (belonging to Halong
Bay). This densely concentrated zone
of stone islands, world famous for
its spectacular scenery of grottoes
and caves, forms the central zone of
Halong Bay, which has been named a
UNESCO World Heritage Site.
 The
bay itself has an area of 43,400 ha,
consists of 775 islands, and forms a
triangle with the island of Dau Go
(Driftwood Grotto) to the west, the
lake of Ba Ham (Three Shelter Lake)
to the south, and the island of Cong
Tay to the east.
Viewed from above, Halong Bay
resembles a geographic work of art.
While exploring the bay, you feel
lost in a legendary world of stone
islands. There is Man's Head Island,
which resembles a man standing and
looking towards the mainland. Dragon
Island looks like a dragon hovering
above the turquoise water. La Vong
Island resembles an old man fishing.
 There
are also the islands of the Sail,
the Pair of Roosters, and the
Incense Burner, which all
astonishingly resemble their
namesakes. The forms of the islands
change depending on the angle of the
light and from where the islands are
viewed. At the core of the islands,
there are wonderful caves and
grottoes, such as Thien Cung
(Heavenly Residence Grotto), Dau Go
(Driftwood Grotto), Sung Sot
(Surprise Grotto), and Tam Cung
(Three Palace Grotto).
Halong Bay has many links to the
history of Vietnam. For example,
there are such famous geographical
sites as Van Don (site of an ancient
commercial port), Poem Mountain
(with engravings of many poems about
emperors and other famous historical
figures), and Bach Dang River (the
location of two fierce naval battles
fought against foreign aggressors).
It has been proven by scientists
that Halong was one of the first
cradles of human existence in the
area at such archeological sites as
Dong Mang, Xich Tho, Soi Nhu, and
Thoi Gieng. It is also a region of
highly-concentrated biological
diversity with many ecosystems of
salt water-flooded forests, coral
reefs, and tropical forests
featuring thousands of species of
animal and plant life.
With all this in mind, the 18th
meeting of the Committee of the
World Heritages of UNESCO (in
Thailand on December 17th, 1994),
officially recognized Halong Bay as
a natural heritage site of worldwide
importance.
 1.
Grottoes
Dau Go
(Driftwood) Grotto
Dau Go Grotto is found on Driftwood
Island, formerly known as Canh Doc
Island. The name Driftwood Grotto
comes from the popular story of the
resistance war against the Nguyen
Mong aggressors. In a decisive
battle, Tran Hung Dao was given an
order to prepare many ironwood
stakes to be planted on the riverbed
of the Bach Dang River. The
remaining wooden pieces were found
in the grotto and, as a result, the
grotto was given its present name.
The entrance is reached via 90 steps
up the island. The grotto is divided
into three main parts. In the first
chamber, many forms can be seen in
the rock, depending on the
imagination of the observer. In the
middle of the chamber, on the top of
the pillar, there appears to be a
monk draped in a long, dark cloak,
with his right hand clasping a cane.
Moving into the second chamber,
visitors pass through a narrow
"door", naturally formed through
erosion. The light here is
mysterious, and new images appear in
the stone. At the end of the grotto
is a well of clear water surrounded
by four ancient walls.
In this grotto, there remains an
engraved stone stele singing the
praises of Halong Bay ordered by
Emperor Khai Dinh when he came to
visit the grotto in 1917. Dau Go is
40 minutes from Bai Chay. Admission
is 15,000 VND per person, 5,000 VND
for children under 15, and children
under 6 are free.
Note: the admission here is for one
tour of Dau Go cave, Thien Cung
grotto and another. If visitors want
to go on an additional tour (tour
2), it costs 15,000 VND extra.
Trinh Nu
(Virgin) Grotto-Trong (Male) Grotto
The Virgin Grotto is situated in the
island range of Bo Hon, in the
system comprised of the Surprise
Grotto, Dong Tien Lake, and Luon
Grotto. The grotto is 15 km south of
Bai Chay Beach. For some fishermen,
the Virgin Grotto is home, while for
young lovers it is a popular
romantic rendezvous site.
 According
to legend, there once was a
beautiful fisherman's daughter,
whose family was so poor that they
were in service of the rich
administrator of the fishing zone,
who forced the family to give him
their daughter as a concubine.
However, the fisherman’s daughter
already had a lover and refused to
marry the administrator. The
administrator got angry and exiled
her to a wild island where she
suffered from hunger and exhaustion.
One frightful night she turned to
stone. On this same night, her
lover, knowing of her danger, rowed
his boat in search of her. However,
a tempest destroyed his boat, and he
floated to a nearby island. In a
flash of lightening, he saw his
lover in the distance, but his calls
were driven away by the wind. In his
final exhaustion, he also turned to
stone (today’s Male Grotto).
When visiting the Virgin Grotto, you
can still see the petrified girl
with her long hair hanging down and
eyes looking towards the mainland.
Opposite the Virgin Grotto, the Male
Grotto is still home to the lover
whose his face is turned towards his
mate. At times, his passionate calls
and blows against the walls of the
grotto can still be heard.
Thien Cung
(Heavenly Palace) Grotto
This recently discovered grotto is
one of the most beautiful in Halong
Bay. Thien Cung is situated on the
southwest side of the bay, 4 km from
the wharf outside of Halong City. It
is located in a small range of
islands that resemble a throne
embracing two superb grottoes at its
core. The way to Thien Cung is
perilous, covered on both sides by
thick forest. After entering a
narrow gate, the magnificent, 130 m
long grotto opens up.
According to legend, a beautiful
young lady named May (cloud) caught
the eye of the Dragon Prince and he
fell in love with her. They were
betrothed and got married in the
very center of the grotto. All of
the scenes of their wedding, which
lasted for seven days and seven
nights, have been seemingly
fossilized in the grotto.
In the center, there are four large
pillars supporting the "roof of
heaven". From the base to the top,
many strange images seem to exist in
the stone, including birds, fish,
flowers and even scenes of human
life. On the north wall of the
grotto, a group of fairies seems to
be singing and dancing in honor of
the wedding. Under the immeasurably
high roof, stalactites form a
natural stone curtain. There is also
the sound of a beating drum made by
the wind blowing through the stone.
In the last chamber of the grotto, a
natural gushing stream of water
babbles throughout the year. Here
there are three small ponds of clear
water. One path meanders out of the
grotto.
Quang Hanh
Grotto
Located 9 km west of Cam Pha, Quang
Hanh Grotto is the longest grotto in
Halong Bay. It is 1,300 m long, and
stretches throughout the stone
mountain of Quang Hanh. The French
named it "Le Tunnel," or Tunnel
Grotto.
Quang Hanh Grotto is accessible by
either boat or car, but the entrance
only appears when the tide is out.
Ba Co Shrine (shrine of three girls)
is in the grotto beside a smooth
stone block. Legend tells that three
girls, who were once journeying on
the sea, came to the grotto to take
shelter from the rain. They were so
engrossed with the beauty of the
grotto, that they did not notice the
rising tide. They drowned, only to
become water goddesses.
Quang Hanh Grotto is extremely
beautiful. A small boat will take
you through the stone passageway by
flashlight, casting magical colors
on the hanging stalactites.
2. Islands
Bai Tho
Mountain (Poem Mountain)
Bai Tho Mountain is 106 m high. It
runs along the coast, half on land
and half in the sea. Sailing in the
bay, one or two hundred meters from
the mountain, one can see a poem
carved on a flat stone cliff.
In 1468, Emperor Le Thanh Tong, who
was also a poet, made an inspection
tour of the North-East region. He
stopped at the foot of the mountain,
and inspired by the magnificent
beauty of his surroundings, he wrote
a poem. Later, he had the poem
engraved on the wall of the
mountain. It is very interesting to
climb the mountain and enjoy the
panoramic view of the bay.
Tuan Chau
Islet
Situated 3 km west of Dao Go Islet,
Tuan Chau Islet has an area of 300
ha. On the islet, there is a very
simple bamboo house built by the
inhabitants of Quang Ninh for Uncle
Ho to rest after visiting Halong
Bay. The house is now carefully
preserved by the locals.
3. Beaches
Bai Chay
Bai Chay is a resort located along
the coast of Halong Bay. This is a
windward ocean resort which has a
year round average temperature of 20oC
(68oF).
Bai Chay is a low gently sloping
range of hills that runs along the
sea for more than 2 km. Blended in
among the pine trees are large
hotels and small villas with
distinguished architectural styles.
Traveling down the asphalt road
along the coast, visitors see long
white stretches of sand and green
rows of Casuarina trees, tucked
under which are small family-run
restaurants. After swimming at the
beach, tourists can enjoy cold
drinks and cool off in the breeze
that sweeps in from the sea. |
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