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. HalongBay borders Cat Ba Island in the southwest, the EastSea
in the east, and the mainland, creating a 120 km coastline.
HalongBay 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 HalongBay). This densely
concentrated zone of stone islands, world famous for its spectacular scenery
of grottoes and caves, forms the central zone of HalongBay,
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 (ThreeShelterLake)
to the south, and the island
of Cong Tay to the
east.
Viewed from
above, HalongBay resembles a geographic work of
art. While exploring the bay, you feel lost in a legendary world of stone
islands. There is Man's HeadIsland, which resembles
a man standing and looking towards the mainland. DragonIsland
looks like a dragon hovering above the turquoise water. La VongIsland
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).
HalongBay 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), PoemMountain (with engravings of many poems about
emperors and other famous historical figures), and BachDangRiver (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 HalongBay as a natural
heritage site of worldwide importance.
Dau Go Grotto is
found on DriftwoodIsland, formerly known as CanhDocIsland. 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 BachDangRiver. 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 HalongBay 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.
The Virgin
Grotto is situated in the island range of Bo Hon, in the system comprised of
the Surprise Grotto, DongTienLake,
and Luon Grotto. The grotto is 15 km south of BaiChayBeach. 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.
This recently
discovered grotto is one of the most beautiful in HalongBay.
Thien Cung is situated on the southwest side of the bay, 4 km from the wharf
outside of HalongCity. 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.
Located 9 km west
of Cam Pha, Quang Hanh Grotto is the longest grotto in HalongBay.
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.
II.Islands
Bai ThoMountain (PoemMountain)
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.
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 HalongBay. The house is now
carefully preserved by the locals.
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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