Ha Long Bay – 2,000 islands
in 1,500 square km, the
World Heritage
Halong attracts around 90%
of visitors coming to Vietam
It's a Bay that 1,500 square
km wide belonging to the
Tonkin Gulf of the South
China Sea.
Though it belongs to the
ocean, its wave is calm and
unusually emerald.
And it has nearly 2,000
islands and islets, all are
limestone and dolomite, with
numerous grottoes, stretches
on that 1,500 square km. The tourist who have
visited Guilin (China) and
Phuket (Thailand) often make
a comparison for their
similar shape and
geographical structure, just
to note afterward that
Halong is much huger and
more diversified.
So after a very short time
to consider, UNESCO had
acknowledged it as the World
Heritage in December 1994.
This is the 2nd of the four
listed World Heritages of
Vietnam
In 1991 a scene of the
French movie INDOCHINE was
taken on the Bay. The film
was about the life of a
French woman who lived in
Vietnam during the French
domination in Indochina from
mid-19th to mid-20th
century, the leading role
was by Catherine Deneuve,
and all the French-speaking
tourist were amazed
discovering a spectacular
seascape they've never known
before
Despite the distance of
170km East of Hanoi that by
1995 took not less than
6-hour driving with 2 river
ferries to cross, with
inconvenient in and out from
the bus, the tourists mark
Halong in their itineraries
always. Now, it takes not
more than 3 hours if you go
straight to the Bay. But the
tourists love to stop, as
they cannot skip the paddy
fields, the daily life of
farmers and clay workmen,
the greenbean town and the
ceramic town on the new way.
Halong may not be a good
example for comforts and
modern facilities, but from
the other (better) side, the
area is preserved well from
the development of industry
and massive tourism.
Cat Ba island
A trip to Cat Ba island can
be separated or combined
with a visit to Halong Bay.
This is the largest island
in the Cat Ba Archipelago
that consists of 350
limestone outcrops adjacent
to Halong. This is an oasis
where you can be apart for
one or a few days during a
long voyage. If starting
from Halong Wharf it will
take you 4 hours by a
tourist boat, with stopovers
for swimming, visiting
spectacular karst and having
fresh seafoods. In a single
word, you can contemplate
the beautiful scenery of
Halong before reaching the
island. You can also buy a
ticket of the hydrofoil
departing from Hai Phong
Seaport to reach Cat Ba if
your itinerary saves Halong
for another visit.
With an area of 356 square
km wide, Cat Ba encompasses
forested zones, coastal
mangrove and freshwater
swamps, beaches, caves, and
waterfalls. In 1986, the
Northeast side of the island
was designated a National
Park, including a protected
marine zone. Cat Ba Island
supports a population of
over 20,000, most of whom
live off fishing or farming
in the South, in and around
Cat Ba Town. The town is
small and ancient, with
clusters of fishing boats
and inspiring sunsets across
the harbor. You can check
out the catch of the day in
the early morning , see
cuttlefish dried over hot
charcoals, or stroll around
the old town. It's a short
hike from Cat Ba town
through a tunnel to Cat Co
Beach, whose mountains look
like a throne holding a
marvelous sandy coast, or if
you hike further along, you
will reach the rockier Cat
Vang Beach.. As transportation on
the town is not so
well-developed, motorbikes
is the most helpful means
to get you to the larger
Trung Trang Cave with many
chambers, or to the National
Park, or to discover other
beaches around the island. A
tourguide is necessary to
help you communicate with
the local drivers and
introduce these viewpoints.
The national park contains
stringy trees, thick
undergrowth and slippery
vines. There is a great view
that includes a French, now
Vietnamese, farming village
from the top of the mountain
and a lake in the middle of
the park that takes a half
day to reach.
Hai Phong – the old charm
within an exciting seaport
Unlike the two neighbours
Halong and Cat Ba, Hai Phong
attracts less tourists
unless they arrive in
Northern Vietnam by
cruiserships. Yet, the city
maintains many charming
architectures with evident
influence of early 20th
century colonial style the
French invested to build up
the old town as an important
seaport. Passing Hai Phong
is an exciting experience as
soon as you go by the way
crossing Cam River Ferry,
from where you can go to
Halong by the landway or
take a boat (usually
reserved) and run upstream
12km till you reach the sea,
from where you go on either
to Halong or Cat Ba island.
Both ways offer wonderful
views and seascape with
plenty of islands belonging
to Halong and Cat Ba
archipelago, and few
tourists choose this way to
avoid repeated itineraries
There are still remarkable
ancient Vietnamese
architectures in Hai Phong.
Du Hang Pagoda, the
centre of Buddhism in Hai
Phong, is a very pure and
graceful temple that was
built in 17th
century with some
renovations afterward. The
pagoda contains a lot of
brilliant woodworks, bronze
statues, and a bonsai
collection right in the
front ground. An array of
Buddha and Bodhisattva
statues highlight a circular
pond of water lilies in a
flowery garden and a
tranquil towered-grave yard,
where buried the monks who
had resided in the pagoda,
make the place a wonderful
sanctuary to reduce any
pressure. If you luckily
arrive in the new moon and
full moon days' morning, you
will have a chance to catch
fascinating pictures of Hai
Phong religious women in
black velvet scarves and
brown long dress, with
respectful
faces and manners, sitting
in and around the main
shrine of the pagoda while
the monks pray or give
lectures of Buddhism
Not far from the pagoda, at
the end of a very narrow
market street is Hang
Kenh Pavillion, which is
dedicated to the Vietnamese
hero Ngo Quyen who lived in
10th century.
Being a Communal House of
the Kenh village in the old
time, the Pavillion is
famous for its wooden
bas-relieves, sculptures and
special boat-shaped
interior. If you prefer to
stroll our the city, your
visit should be started from
the colonial quarter around
Dien Bien Phu street and
Tran Hung Dao street, from
where you can direct to the
old Opera House, and go for
a walk surrounding Tam
Bac Lake. There are 5
roofed kiosks in the Eastern
side of the lake with very
fresh flowers sold by
smiling girls, and in the
Southern side is the
exciting Hang Kenh
Tapestry producing
woolen carpets for export.
