For those visiting Vietnam, never forget to see the wonders of Ha Long Bay. Ha Long Bay is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since1994, included in the 7 new wonders of nature and a popular travel destination in Vietnam. The bay features thousands of limestone karsts and isles in various sizes and shapes.
Ha Long Bay has an area of around 1,553 km2, including 1,960–2,000 islets, most of which are limestone. The limestone in this bay has gone through 500 million years of formation in different conditions and environments. The evolution of the karst in this bay has taken 20 million years under the impact of the tropical wet climate. The name “Ha Long” is derived from the Sino-Vietnamese, meaning "descending dragon".
According to local legend, when Vietnamese had just started to develop into a country, they had to fight against invaders. To assist Vietnamese in defending their country, the gods sent a family of dragons as protectors. This family of dragons began spitting out jewels and jade. These jewels turned into the islands and islets dotting the bay, linking together to form a great wall against the invaders. Under magic, numerous rock mountains abruptly appeared on the sea, ahead of invaders' ships; the forward ships struck the rocks and each other. After winning the battle, the dragons were interested in peaceful sightseeing of the Earth, and then decided to live in this bay.
On our tour to Ha Long Bay, we go on board these Vietnamese boats.
Inside the boat (seats with tables) - 4 to 6 tourists share the same table.
Most of the islands are hollow and with enormous caves. (just like this one)
A community of people lives on Ha Long Bay in fishing villages. They live on floating houses and are sustained through fishing and marine aquaculture.
One famous rock formation: The Kissing Rocks
Included in our Tour package is a Vietnamese Cuisine Lunch. Yummy!!! But did you know that with each table the tourists sitting together will share the food?
Yes, these are shared. But with no serving spoons or chopstick this is a little unhygienic, don’t you think?
The trip to Ha Long Bay is fun, educational and exciting.
How to get there?
Most of the people in Vietnam, does not speak English. So I suggest inquire from the Hotel for any guided tour to Ha Long Bay. Ha Long Bay is 1 hour bus ride from Hanoi, Vietnam.
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