Ha Long Bay - Descending Dragon bay

Ha Long Bay is one of the most visited areas in Vietnam  and a UNESCO World Heritage site. That should not surprise you, it is really beautiful. The name Ha Long Bay means: Descending Dragon bay.

The name Descending Dragon bay has a legend. Is says that long ago, when the Vietnamese were fighting Chinese invaders, the gods sent a family of dragons to help defend the land. This family of dragons began spitting out jewels and jade. These jewels turned into the islands and islets dotting the bay. There are over 1900 islands and rocks. Only two of the islands, Cat Ba and Tuan Chau have inhabitants. Both have tourist facilities, including hotels and beaches. There are a number of wonderful beaches on the smaller islands. Around some islands you will find floating fish farms.

Ha Long Bay is a made of limestone which also means there are plenty of caves. Many islands have imaginary names (Elephant, Fighting Cock and Roof ) because of their shapes.

Cat Ba is the main entry island in Ha Long Bay. It's partly a fishing village and partly a hotel area. Tuan Chau is nicer, it was also the island where president Ho Chi Minh stayed for holiday. Cat Ba can be very busy during national holidays and weekends. However, if you get a boat out in the mountains, the scenery is still spectacular.

Tuan Chai is since some years changed into a tourist attraction with the dolphin, sea lion, and performing-seal club, animal circus club, golf course, cultural-sports center, beach, rural market, ornamental fish lake and several midrange and top end hotels.

Getting there and away.

Haiphong is the entrance to Ha Long Bay. It is a large industrial port city. There is little of interest in Haiphong so many travelers just go to Haiphong to get on a boat to either Cat Ba or Tuan Chau. There are two ways to go into Ha Long Bay. The easiest is to organize a tour in Hanoi for a couple of days. It is just as easy simply take a bus or train to Haiphong and get a boat to Cat Ba. You can visit Tuan Chau by road, it's about 2km from the mainland.

One of the many beaches in the Ha Long Bay Bay	Fish farms in Ha Long Bay
Photo from one of the many caves to be visited

Getting Around

If you don't book a tour in Hanoi, you can easily organize your boat in Cat Ba or Tuan Chau. The best is to do this through the hotel where you want to stay in Cat Ba. A boat tour of 2 or more days is possible and you will enjoy Ha Long Bay even more.

Hotels and guesthouses in Ha Long Bay

There is a wide variety of hotels and guesthouses in Ha Long Bay. The cheaper ones you will find at Cat Ba while some more up market hotels can be found at Tuan Chau. Here is more about the hotels in Ha long Bay

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