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Halong Bay, Vietnam
Destination Guide
Introduction |
Attractions |
Caves |
Tourist Information Offices |
Entertainment & Eating Out |
Shopping |
Cyber Halong Bay |
Getting from A to B |
Tours |
Events
Introduction
Halong Bay is located on the northern coast of Vietnam around 170km from the capital, Hanoi. The spectacular bay features thousands of limestone islands and rocks rising from tranquil turquoise waters and offers some of the most beautiful scenery in Asia.
Visitors can serenely sail through the exotic bay, swim in the clear waters or explore the caves and grottoes on the larger islands. Theres not much to do here other than admire the views. Halong Bay has inspired poets for centuries and is an essential part of a visit to Northern Vietnam and makes a delightful and romantic little trip.
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Attractions
Halong City itself offers pretty little to see. There are 2 fair beaches and a large national park on the island with enjoyable forests and lakes.
Ao Tien or the Pond of the Nymphs is a natural pond. It is a lagoon on an island within limestone walls within the bay, accessible by boats at low tide. The water is chest deep and warm, very pleasant for wading and gentle swimming.
3km west of Dau Go is Tuan Chau Island which is fertile and inhabited. There is a small bamboo hut that has become revered and maintained as a historical monument since it is rumoured that this is where Ho Chi Minh favoured when he visited.
Overlooking Hon Gai is Poem Mountain. A poem written by 15th century King Le Thanh Tong celebrating the beauty of the mountain is carved on the mountain.
Cua Ong Temple is on a hill overlooking Bai Tu Long Bay, built as a shrine to mandarin Tran Quoc Tang, the son of the brilliant 14th century general Tran Hung Dao.
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Caves
Arguably the most beautiful, impressive and famous cave is Hang Dau Go, or the Wooden Stakes Cave. There are 3 chambers, the outer one having the most spectacular stalactites and rock formations. An interesting feature is a round crystal that emits a kaleidoscope of light when shone with a torch. The cave is famous for being used by the legendary General Tran Hung Dao as a trap for the attacking Mongolian army. Wooden stakes were set up within to trap the Mongols against the retreating tide.
Hang Bo Nau or the Pelican Cave is not as large or deep and has a great view from inside the grotto looking out. Picturesque crystal blue waters and rocky formations are some of the best views of the bay.
Hang Trinh Nu or The Virgin is named after the young maiden who committed suicide after escaping the clutches of an elderly perverted mandarin. Fleeing she arrived here, killed herself and became a statue that can be seen today. The cave tunnels 2km through an island with many chambers on the way.
Sung Sot Cave is found after a steep tree-lined climb. It has an outer chamber with perfect smooth walls and an inner one with more rock formations taking the shape of sentries, animals etc. The side entrance features light reflections dancing off the figures. Sung Sot means cave of awe and refers to the reaction visitors.
Dong Hang Hanh is a 2km long tunnel through Mt Quang Hanh. Visitors take a small rowing boat to the narrow entrance. Within are some huge monoliths resembling old buildings and a crystal studded one said to resemble a temple. Theres also a natural amphitheatre in the middle of the water with small formations resembling an audience.
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Tourist Information Offices
Theres none yet as most people arriving are already on tours. Independent local tour operators offer the best albeit biased advice.
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Entertainment and Eating Out
Eating is not a problem but its pretty quiet out here and theres not much to do. Most of the entertainment is provided by the hotels, almost exclusively in the form of karaoke bars. The bars in the front are pretty empty.
Dining is still fairly simple but authentic. There are many small local restaurants and cafes close to the beach in Bai Chay, but not a huge variety of cuisine. Some great cheap dishes are available here.
There are some simple budget eateries along low-key Cat Bas promenade. One popular spot serving great local fare is the family run Huu Dung Restaurant.
The food in the hotels is pretty average, but theres some fantastic seafood served on the boat tours.
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Shopping
Zero. Shopping barely exists anywhere around Halong Bay, although there are a few trinkets available for tourists. Halong City is good for stocking up on bare essentials.
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Cyber Halong Bay
The cyber scene is barely established. Theres an internet caf on the east end of the main road. Good hotels have internet facilities.
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Getting from A to B
Halong City is the base for visitors heading out around the bay. The city is split in two by the bay. The eastern half, Hon Gai is functional and less attractive, most visitors will prefer the west Bai Chay side.
Taxis are available for nipping around town and are very cheap.
Not surprisingly, the main way to get around the bay is via the water. Boats of varying size and speeds can be chartered including the romantic junks. Also available for a reasonable sum are noisy speedboats - good for getting out to the remote outlying islands. Hotels can arrange this, but its possible to either send your driver to the jetty or go down and haggle yourself.
A brief passenger and car ferry services connect Hon Gai to Bai Chay. Theres also the 3hr ferry to Cat Ba Island.
There are also ferry and hydrofoil links between Hon Gai and the port city of Haiphong. The hydrofoil takes less than 2 hrs, half that of the ferry.
There is no airport for Halong Bay, the closest domestic one is Haiphong. The nearest international airport is in Hanoi.
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Tour
Halong Bay can be taken as a tour from Hanoi and seen in one horribly long day. Much better is an overnight trip to include one or two boat trips in the bay with its spectacular limestone crags. Seafood is sold at sea by approaching sampans and cooked on board.
Many tours of Halong Bay are available from Hanoi, 4 hrs away. Plenty stop off on the way at the Humanities Centre - local crafts such as embroideries are available. Tours are widely available at Halong Bay.
Apart from daytrips there are numerous 2, 3 and 4 day tours available taking in various sights. Many offer stopovers in Cat Ba or Halong City. Generally speaking, the 2 day tour with a stopover will only allow you to see the bay and not sample Cat Ba National Park or
the markets of the area.
Many tours to the bay include a spot of swimming - bring beachwear and a towel.
There are also now some rip-off merchants offering canoe tours. Prices are outrageous - several hundred dollars for a few days. Hopefully competition will drive these down.
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Events
Vietnam has plenty of festivals, many revolving around Chinese lunar calendar. Major Buddhist, Taoist and Christian festivals also feature. For a list of popular Vietnamese events see Hanoi Events.
Note: During holidays and festivals everybody descends on Halong Bay and transportation and hotels are almost impossible to find. Book everything well in advance.
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