Ha Long Bay the northeastern province of Quang Ninh province
includes some 1,600 islands and islets, forming a spectacular seascape of
limestone pillars. Exploring the islands of Ha Long Bay with Newyouth Tourism
Legend says Ha Long Bay was formed by a Mother
Dragon and her children, sent by the Jade Emperor to protect the Viet from
foreign invaders. The dragons flocked from Heaven, spitting out pearls which
formed small islands and stopped the invaders and destroyed their ships. Mother
Dragon and her children didn’t return to Heaven after the battle, but settled
in the bay; the Mother Dragon forming Ha Long Bay and the children, Bai Tu
Long.
Exploring
the islands of Ha Long Bay almost makes this incredible story seem true.
Weaving through the almost 2000 islands while sitting atop jade-green water is
surreal to say the least, spiritual at most.
Islands
Ha Long Bay is dominated by Cat Ba island. Local inhabitants are concentrated
toward the southern end at Cat Ba village. These people generally make their
living from the sea but tourism has seen a boom in the last 10 years and hotels
have sprung up to meet this demand. Nearly half of the island was designated a
national park in 1986 and protects the island’s incredibly diverse ecosystem.
Subtropical evergreen forests, freshwater swamps, and coastal mangrove forests,
along with small freshwater lakes and offshore coral reefs, are all included
under national park protection. With very few roads built on the island,
visitors have an excellent opportunity to hike along trails weaving through
these ecosystems to explore either the numerous waterfalls and grottoes carved
in the limestone hills or the rocky coastline searching for elusive beaches.
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| Cat Ba island |
Tuan Chau island is a 2.2-square-mile schist
island located north of Cat Ba island with a thick forest and warm white
beaches. A road connects this island with the mainland, making it easy to get
here without taking a boat ride. Tuan Chau island has been slowly turning into
a tourist resort with villas by the sea and attractions including dolphin and
seal performances, golf courses, and a market among others. As a contrast to
these modern tourist attractions, Tuan Chau has a variety of archaeological
sites dating back 3,000-5,000 years as well as a shrine to President Ho Chi
Minh.
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| Tuan Chau island |
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| Tuan Chau island |
Ngoc Vung “Gem” island lies south of the city of Cam Pha on the mainland and
southeast of Ha Long City near Phuong Hoang (Phoenix) Island. This island is
rich in mother-of-pearl and has long been famed for its white sand used in
making high quality glass. Rising from the centre of the island is Van Xuan
mountain which recently revealed an ancient village letting archaeologists dig
into Ha Long’s past civilisations.
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| Ngoc Vung “Gem” island |
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| Ngoc Vung “Gem” island |
On the southeast side of Ha Long Bay lies Cong Do island, an island that displays
numerous lagoons and a coral reef on its southwest side. This reef is more than
700m long and 300m wide and is nearly undamaged after preservation in the World
Heritage programme. Plans are underway to make a part of this reef a zone for
scuba-diving. Vestiges of a city were found as well on the southwest side of
the island. These confirmed the existence of Van Dong, an ancient commercial port
important in foreign trade.
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| Cong Do island |
Titov island, named after an astronaut from the
former Soviet Union, welcomes travelers to its large, crescent-shaped beach and
white sands. Various tourist services are available on this island including
hotels, kayaking, and scuba-diving opportunities.
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| Titov island |
Dau Be Island, off the southeastern tip of Cat Ba island, is home to the famous
Ba Ham lake. This lake is made of three pits joined by narrow caves at the
water’s level. Travelers can journey from outside the island through all three
lakes by these caves. Schools of fish and shrimp can be seen swimming through
under the water while stalactites and other rock formations hang from the
ceilings above.
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| Ba Ham lake |
Grottoes
Dau Go “Wooden Stakes Cave” lies just southeast of Tuan Chau island, ideal for
a day trip from Tuan Chau. Dau Go is made of three connected caves; the largest
is able to hold 3,000-4,000 people and sports the most stalactites and
stalagmites of the three. The middle chamber has a large crystal that refracts
light into rainbows against the cave walls. The last chamber is famous for its
multicolored stalactites and freshwater springs. This grotto is one of the most
famous in Ha Long Bay and has long been visited by dignitaries from Vietnam and
other countries. Inscribed next to the cave’s entrance are words of
appreciation from King Khai Dinh of the Nguyen dynasty.
Kim Quy “Golden Tortoise Grotto” is named after the story of a golden tortoise
that helped Emperor Le Loi defeat his enemies. After Le Loi was done the golden
tortoise left back across the sea, but encountered numerous evil spirits. The
tortoise fought these spirits and won, but was exhausted from the battle. He
found this grotto to rest in and turned to stone once inside. A large rock
inside this grotto is said to be the golden tortoise. There is also a spring
that flows from this grotto year-round under the delicate snow-white
stalactites. This grotto can be found just off the north side of Cat Ba Island.
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| Thien Cung Grotto |
Con Coc (Toad) islet rightly gains its name because it looks like an 8 meter
tall toad waiting for rain. It is located east of Cat Ba island.
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| Con Coc Islet |
One of the more famous islets, But (Pen) islet is a large pillar of rock
balanced on a narrow neck barely extending out of the water. Half an hour away
from Con Coc islet, there is a small beach available for visitors to
rest.
These are just a few of the many sights available in a trip through Ha Long
Bay. Scattered throughout the thousands of islets are natural wonders, hidden
beaches, and fantastic shapes needing only and imagination to recognise them.
And HaLong Bay Travel Video:
