Halong Bay, Vietnam

Halong Bay, Vietnam
There no on earth like Ha Long Bay mythical landscape, waking up in early day on mists disappear hundreds of lime karsts rising up in front view, overwhelming the cruise is imaginative geographical land and emerald water. It’s a must go of life journey.

Located in the Gulf of Tonkin, Quang Ninh Pro, about 3.5 hour driving east of Hanoi, this magical bay dotted by more than 1600 islets lime karsts in an area of 1553 square kilometers (600 square miles) rising above the emerald  water, create a numerous of caves, grottoes, hidden lagoons, and beaches make it a stunning place for exploration.

Admired the natural scenic beauty, archeological and geological significance mixed with local cultural and historic evident make UNESCO recognized this bay as a natural World Heritage in 1994 and the area need to be protected.

Islands and karsts
The most outstanding feature of Ha Long Bay and undoubtedly its greatest attraction are the 1,696 islands, islets and rocky karst outcrops. 989 of these islets and rocky outcrops have been given imaginative names by the locals over the years. These have been derived from their perceived shapes and include names such as Man’s Head, Fighting Cocks, Wading Ox and Wallowing Buffalo.

With heights ranging from 50-100 meters (160-330 feet) and a height-to-width ratio of about 6:1, the majority of these karsts pinnacles and islets have sheer, vertical cliffs. They are uninhabited and unaffected by human activities. The pure size and numbers of these outcrops provide a stunning contrast and backdrop to the turquoise waters of the bay when viewed from sea level.

Grottos & caves
Another exceptional geological feature of Ha Long Bay is the number of limestone islands which have caves and grottoes within them. The total number of caves has never been determined and there are almost certainly more which are yet to be discovered. In order to preserve the natural state and integrity of the large number of caves and grottos in the World Heritage Area, only some are open to visitors. The most commonly visited are Thien Cung (Heavenly Palace) cave, Dau Go (Wood Tip) grotto, Sung Sot (Surprise) cave and Trinh Nu (Virgin) grotto.

The shapes and formations on the sides and roofs of the caves, many now being part of local folklore and legends, bear witness to the different stages of formation over the ages. Some cave features, such as calcified shell-beds, are the direct result of ancient human activity.

Sea and lagoons
The lower chambers of some caves and grottos are below sea level. Due to the porous nature of limestone, these chambers are often partially filled to form tidal lakes and pools. Although most of these are shallow, the depths of some have never been determined. The geomorphology of Ha Long bay indicates that it is almost certain that there are undiscovered and fully entombed lakes within many of the islands. Dau Be (Goat’s Head island) alone has 6 different tidal lakes.

The sea in Halong is generally less than 10 meters (33 feet) deep and boasts a rich biodiversity of about 1,000 species of marine animals. Over 160 species of coral have been identified. Coral reefs make up 30% of the seabed and in some areas as much as 80% of the seabed is covered in coral reefs. Most coral reefs are at a depth of 4-6 meters.

Wild life
The majority smaller islets and karsts are capped with a low shrubby ’crown’ The larger islands are home to dense tropical forests featuring abundant bird life. The island of Cat Ba on the Southern flank of Ha Long bay is a rich treasure trove for nature lovers. The National Park which occupies much of the island, and some of the surrounding waters, ranges in diversity from double-tiered primeval tropical rainforest on the slopes of the hills, down to tidal mangrove forests and inshore coral reefs The island is home to several plant and tree species highly prized for their medicinal properties, and one of the rarest primate species on earth, the Cat Ba (white headed Langur. There may be as few as 50 of these animals between here and extinction.

Historic evidences
Ha Long bay area witnessed a couple of famed battles in Vietnamese history. In 938 general Ngo Quyen driven Chinese invader through Bach Dang River which today near the southern side of Cat Ba island on the mouth of Bach Dang river, Hai Phong city. Ngo Quyen using his brilliant idea tactic for his battle field based on the favorable of tides and winds.

About 300 year later during the Han dynasty Chinese invader many time attempted to regain their former serfdom for several hundred years more. In 1228 Han fleets appear at the coast to prepare invasion of Vietnam from the sea, general Tran Hung Dao and Tran Khanh Du follow the example of Ngo Quyen and ordered wooden stakes be cut and sharpen. It is said some of these were moved into a forward staging area in a cave on an island in Ha Long . We know this cave today as Hang Dau Go (wooden stake cave) on the island with the same name and open for visitors.

“During the night the Viet drove the stakes into the bed of the upper reaches of the Bach Dang river mouth (near present day Hai Phong) until the tips of the stakes were hidden just below the surface of the water at low tide.

The shallow draft Vietnamese vessels continued to move about, positioning themselves for battle, waiting attacks and creating diversions. When preparations were complete, Tran Hung Daowaited for favorable wind and tide conditions and the battle in the year 1288, the conditions was right.

Tran Hung Dao forces assembled in battle formation and set out to engage the Han fleets. After ensuring the Chinese fleets was fully engaged, the Vietnamese vessels turned against the ebbing tide and fled back into the Bach Dang river. The Han fleets followed in hot pursuit, turning on ever more certain of victory.

When the tide reached its full ebb, the deeper draught Chinese fleets became impaled on the stakes. The smaller number Vietnamese fleets then picked off each impaled ship one-by-one, until the final demise.

Legend
There're number of myths, legends and folklore surrounding Ha Long bay than any other place in Vietnam. The current name of the bay (Descending Dragon) is itself a mystery and it may come from a famous Vietnamese folk tales.

Once upon a time the inhabitants living peacefully in the area, suddenly on a day broke the settlement of local people, there often a monster attack them from the open see and take away many people by each time it appeared.  Knowing locals living under destroying situation Jade emperor sent mother dragon and her child to help protect the people here. when the monster approaching the Dragon descending and irrupting countless pearls into the sea . These turn into a Myriad of Jade islands and linked together to block the attack of the Monster, the crash between the fighting torn the Monster into pieces.

Driving the evils away the Dragon bring back peaceful life for local inhabitants, > Flying over the area they surprised by the tranquil beauty of the landscape and decided to settle here rather than return to heaven and where mother dragon landed is Ha Long and her child settle at Bai Tu Long, and the tails of them today called Bach Long Vi. The entire bay today look like a picturesque offfered by our nature

Ancient man history
Archeological researchers suggest humans may have inhabited the area in and around Ha Long for as long as 18,000 years. Some of these are distinctly different enough to have been given their own names, such as the Soi Nhu from the Mesolithic age and the Ha Long culture from the Neolithic age. Van Don Island in the southeast of the bay was once one of the most important trading ports in the ancient history of Vietnam.

We wish you a great exploration!