Halong Bay

Ha Long Bay Brief Introduction

Ha Long Bay With its 1969 limestone island and 23 grottoes, this natural marvel has twice been proclaimed a national heritage site, thus remaining under the watchful eyes of UNESCO. In 1994, the committee first considered the bay a natural wonder, confirming its appointment because its overwhelming beauty. In1998, a British geologist ventured to explore the Bay, finding what the Vietnamese government had proclaimed since 1962 - that the bay has rare and precious geological features. Following his report, UNESCO once more placed Ha Long under consideration and in July 1999 recognized the site for its geological and geomorphic value.

The legends of the origins of the Bay's name as numerous as the guides and locals who tell them. Literally, Ha Long means "Dragon Descending." As one story goes, the inhabitants of Ha Long once lived in peace with a family of dragons. The mother and her children would descend over the bay to play over the waters. When a drought came, the dragons would spit rainwater to fill the bay. One day, according to the legend, a group of pirates pillaged the village and attacked its inhabitants. Hearing the cries of the villagers, the dragons rushed to their rescue, spitting fire into the bay to ward off the invaders. When the fire hit the water, it turned into the gray limestone rocks that now fill the bay. Another story claims that the bay was formed when a dragon spat out divine pearls, forming a barrier against an invading Chinese fleet. Once the enemy had been turned back, the dragon settled in the bay and its scales turned into rocky islets. A third version of the story portrays the island formation with less heroism and more clumsiness on the dragon's part: the dragon mother is fabled to have simply fallen into the sea, her body and tail carving out holes in the land during her descent. These later filled with water, surrounding the untouched land and transforming it into a network of separate islands.

From Hanoi: Agencies sell packages with pre-arranged hotels, meals, and set sched -ules. Options available run from one to three days in the bay. One-day tours include transportation, food, and boat tour of Ha Long that spots at two caves. Two-day trips allow visitors an overnight stay on the Cat Ba Island or a night on the boat. Those who stay three days can enjoy a trek into the national park.

The bay is most effectively and inexpensively reached by tour from Hanoi. It's also possible to skip Ha Long City altogether and explore the bay from Cat Ba Island via Hai Phong. However, Ha Long City lies north of the bay and Cat Ba is couched on its southern tip, the destinations accessible from both towns vary and are mainly decided by the proximity of each to specific bay attractions.

There are three ways to explore the bay. The cheap- est way is to explore via a tour from Hanoi. However, travelers can undertake a more thorough adventure and at their own place from either Ha Long City or Cat Ba. No matter what option is taken, though, renting a boat is necessary. Tourists can arrange their own plans (though such ventures are often costly) or buy a packaged, preplanned option.

Are you planning to travel to Halong? Indochina Odyssey Tours provide all kinds of tours in Halong. We provide both pre-designed Halong city tour packages, Halong extended tours and flexible customized tours including Halong. Here are some of sample itineraries.

2VNCL5 - 2 Days / 1 Night Halong bay traditional junk cruise : Hanoi - Halong - Hanoi
3VNCL6 - 3 Days / 2 Nights Halong bay cruise : Hanoi - Halong - Hanoi
6VNCL1 - 6 Days / 5 Nights Vietnam smiling : Hanoi - Halong Bay - Hochiminh City - Cuchi - Mekong Delta - Hochiminh city
8VNCL3 - 8 Days/ 7 Nights Amazing Vietnam : Hanoi - Halong - Hue - Hoian - Danang - Hochiminh city - Cu Chi -Tay Ninh - Hochiminh city
12VNCL1 - 12 Days / 11 Nights Vietnam Summer : Hanoi - Halong - Hanoi - Hue - Hoian - My Son - Hoian - Da Nang - Saigon - Cu Chi - Saigon - Caibe - Can Tho - Saigon

The custom-design service of IOT is absolutely free! Fill in our form to tell us what your reuqire, we will help you to make up a wonderful itinerary. You can always change, modify your package details to suit your budget and means before actually making the final purchase.

Cat Ba Island Home of Cat Ba Island national park, 50km east of Hai Phong and 60km west of Ha Long City, the island is the site of a recent tourism boom, as backpackers and Vietnamese vacationers alike have descended in increasing numbers on its 350km square of natural splendor. Guides and locals are quick to point out that Cat Ba is not just a large vers -ion of Ha Long Bay. The island is an impressi -ve array of Limestone Mountains, overgrown with jungle and ringed by fine sand beaches. Its fertile, rolling hills and rich soil make it ideal for the cultivation of rice, maize and lychee. De -spite the hordes of Vietnamese and foreign to -urists wandering through the streets, especially in July and August, Cat Ba is the ideal place to go on rigorous hikes or boat excursions into Ha Long Bay, or simply to relax on the beach.

Sung Sot Cave (Cave of Surprises)
Sung Sot was discovered in 1901 by the French and given its present name - the Cave of Surprises. Lying 25m above sea- level, the cave entrance is accessible only by a network of stairs. Inside, the cave is composed of three distinct chambers, all connected by narrow passages. The 800m walkway takes visitors past a grotto filled with stalagmites and a large chamber where echoless voices thunder. The innermost chamber reveals large rocks that created the crevices in the cave when they collapsed. (Open daily: summer, 8am-5pm, winter, 8:30-4:30pm.)

Monkey Island A popular destination for Ha Long Bay tours heading from Cat Ba, this island is located east of the town and only 45min boat ride away. The island can be visited either as a daytrip or as a stop on a tour. A soft yellow beach greets tourists to the mountainous island. Once they are l anded, visitors can promenade along the shore swim in the warm bay waters. The major attraction of the island, however, lies on the top of one of its smaller peaks. To the left of the guardhouse (or to the right when facing it), a 60m trail runs up the mountain. At the top, visitors can spot monkeys who come to greet their spectators. Though locals might urge tourists to bring some snakes for the friendly animals, feeding animals is strictly prohibited. Viewers should keep their distance anyway; some monkeys have been known to bite, mistaking people for food or perhaps just angry about the possible illegal consumption of their brains. You can't really blame them.

Halong Bay Attractions Halong Bay Hotels and Accommodations Halong Bay Food and Drink Halong Bay Things to do Halong Bay Local Festivals Halong Bay Transportation Halong Bay Practical Information Halong Bay Maps Halong Bay Photos

Want a tour to/including Halong Bay?
Fill out the form below to tell us your interests, your schedule and people in your group to Vietnam and/or countries around. Your private travel consultant in Indochina Odyssey Tours will contact you within 0.5 - 23.5 hours to give you a proposal including a tentative itinerary tailor-made for you and the most competitive price IOT can offer. Not all information is necessary in this form, but the more you tell us, the better we can serve you.