Ha Long Bay in Vietnam: what to see. Ha Long Bay in Vietnam: what to see Distance from Hanoi to Ha Long

Ha Long Bay (Vietnam) is considered one of the “must see” places and is a must see! However, it is located in the north of the country, and getting there from the southern resorts is problematic. But if you are still offered an excursion to Halong Bay or you want to visit it yourself, be sure to hit the road! You won't regret the trip!

How to get to Ha Long Bay?

The city of Halong on the map of Vietnam is located in the north, and you need to make your way to it in order to then go on a tour of the bay of the same name. The easiest way to do this is from Hanoi. You can choose one of these options:

• Travel by public transport. The journey by shuttle bus or minivan will take about 5 hours because there will be many stops. But this is the cheapest option, a ticket costs about $5.
• Hire a taxi. The trip will be quite expensive and will cost about $50.
• Buy an excursion tour. Prices start at $50, the cost depends on the duration of the tour and its program.

Although traveling by public transport may seem cheaper, it is best to choose an organized tour from Hanoi. The fact is that in Halong itself you will still have to buy excursions around the bay, and the shortest (3 hours) will cost tourists $30. Moreover, during this time they will not be able to see everything. Experienced travelers advise buying two or even three-day tours from Hanoi, because during this time you can see many more attractions.

One-day excursions to Ha Long Bay (Vietnam) from Hanoi follow the same scenario: a bus brings tourists to the pier, where they board a boat or boat and go for a walk around the bay. This will be a short excursion, because you need to have time to return back on the same day. Multi-day tours vary:

• Overnight at one of the hotels in Halong. Tourists are brought to the city, given sea excursions on a boat or speedboat, and sent to a hotel in the evening. The following days are also spent on excursions around the bay.
• Mini cruise. Then tourists sail on a comfortable ship and spend the night in cabins. The cost of such a tour depends on the type of cabin and class of ship.

Ha Long Bay (Vietnam): how to get there from Nha Trang?

Many tourists choose the popular Vietnamese resort of Nha Trang for their holidays. Halong Bay (you can see it on the map) is located very far from it. And although you can get there by public bus (of course, there is no direct route), only those who have a lot of free time and energy can do this. The best way to travel from Nha Trang to Hanoi is by plane. With this option, you can plan to explore Hanoi. And from there you can go to Ha Long Bay on your own.


Organized tours (for 2-3 days) are also better to choose with a flight rather than a bus transfer. True, they will cost from $300. But you won’t have to buy transport tickets, book a hotel, or arrange excursions around the bay on your own. Tours from Nha Trang to Ha Long are often offered with a stop in Hanoi. And this is a convenient option to see the capital of Vietnam at the same time.

What to see in the bay?

Halong Bay is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and that already says a lot. The nature there is magnificent: a bay with more than 3,000 islands, most of them rocky. It is because of the beautiful views that tourists visit this bay. The name Halong means "dragon's teeth". The rocky islets really do look a bit like dragon teeth sticking out of the water. The Vietnamese are trying to preserve the purity and pristine nature of this bay.
The most popular excursions and attractions in the bay:

• • Boat trips around many islands. Since there are thousands of islands in the bay, just getting around them takes a long time. Therefore, sea excursions with landing on some islands and ascent to observation platforms are popular.

• Swimming in grottoes and visiting caves. These excursions are very impressive! Tourists are transported on small boats (kayaks) under the rocky arches, and then dropped off near one of the caves and taken inside. The multi-colored illumination of the “insides” of the cave creates an amazing picture and allows you to take great pictures, despite the lack of sunlight.

• Excursion to a farm where pearls are grown. Vietnam is one of the world leaders in pearl production. And tourists will be able to see where pearls are cultivated and find out exactly how they do it.
• Visit. This is the largest island in the bay and has a lot to offer. You can visit a national natural park with lakes and caves, as well as a museum dedicated to the war in Vietnam.

• Boat trips with immersion. Snorkeling in the bay will give you quite a vivid impression: you can see the underwater vegetation and inhabitants of the bay, including sea urchins.
• Mini cruises. This is an excellent opportunity not only to see exotic nature and various interesting places, but also to go on a real sea cruise. On a comfortable ship, tourists will be offered a place in a cabin, entertainment, delicious food and drinks. In addition, it is more pleasant to survey the surroundings if you are lying in a sun lounger on the deck of a cruise ship!

Halong Bay is a place worthy of visiting by tourists from anywhere in the world. A tour of the islands will give you an unforgettable experience. Be sure to bring your camera to capture the beautiful views and your emotions as a souvenir!

Ha Long Bay is an extremely picturesque place in northern Vietnam in the South China Sea. Consisting of more than 3,000 tiny and not so tiny islands, rocks, cliffs and caves, the bay is deservedly very popular among tourists from all over the world. According to ancient legend, all this beauty was created by a huge dragon who lived in the mountains. One day he descended onto land and broke it into many thousands of pieces with his mighty tail. Local residents still believe in its existence.

Ha Long Bay on the map:

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Ha Long Bay.

Basically, tourists take advantage of short one-day excursions around the colorful islands on small fishing boats, exciting descents into numerous caves with stalactites and stalagmites, and contemplation of local beauty while sailing from the island to the island. Recently, diving has also become popular here, since the underwater world of Ha Long is also unusually diverse and vibrant. The main souvenirs that travelers bring after visiting Ha Long are all kinds of shells and reminders from caves - pieces of stalactites and stalagmites.

Video “Ha Long Bay. The amazing world of islands (Vietnam)":

Halong in Vietnam.

- a real treasure of Vietnam. The fantastically beautiful views amaze thousands of tourists who visit this place every year.

Halong Bay, in other words, is a bay where nature has collected thousands of mysterious caves and grottoes, rocks, bizarre cliffs, large and very tiny islands. Its size is impressive - more than one and a half thousand km. sq.!

It is worth saying that Halong itself is the capital city of the Vietnamese province of Quang Ninh, which is by no means of independent interest.

Description of Ha Long Bay

Halong is famous not only for its breathtaking scenery of cliffs and islands. Mysterious caves are hidden in the rocks, inside which there is a whole world full of stalactites ominously hanging down and stalagmites growing from the bottom of cones and pillars, as well as small waterfalls.

Having equipped the caves with multi-colored lamps, the Vietnamese created bright underground kingdoms shimmering with all colors for tourists.

The islands of the bay - completely different in size - are chaotically scattered across the water and stick out from it like rocks.

Almost a thousand islands have their own original name, including such interesting names as Elephant, Antelope, Fighting Rooster, Lizard. It is clear that they are named so either due to their outlandish shape, or in honor of the animals living on the island.

Some of the islands are completely occupied by caves.

• Among the famous cave islands is the “Cave of Wooden Spears,” which is famous for the fact that spears driven into the bottom of the bay during the war with the Mongols were kept inside it.
• In the “Drum Cave”, strong winds at times create a hum similar to the beating of drums.
• Inside some caves, for example, in the “Cave of Pillars,” there are clean lakes with fresh drinking water.
• The longest cave is Quang Hanh, its length is over one kilometer.

The largest island in the Bay occupies 285 square meters. km. and has the name Catba, which translates as “island of women.” There is a unique natural park that occupies half the territory, a tourist complex and excellent sandy areas for swimming.

Another famous island is Tuan Chau, where the former residence of Ho Chi Minh, the famous leader and independence fighter, is located.

Another interesting place that shows the full flavor of local Vietnamese life is the floating fishing villages. Incredibly, they are built on rafts!

The local flora and fauna is extremely rich, and fishermen manage to catch more than 200 species of fish and about 450 different shellfish.

The people of Vietnam are quite superstitious, so the history of Ha Long is riddled with mythical legends and stories. The most popular of them are associated with dragons, which now decorate all kinds of souvenirs in the bay, because the name “Ha Long” itself translates roughly as “the place where the dragon dives.”

According to one legend, the land where Ha Long is now located was once inhabited by a huge fire-breathing dragon. Walking along it, with his powerful tail, touching the mountains, he hollowed out rocks, and left deep holes with his paws.

Having descended to the coast, the dragon plunged into the sea, which, having overflowed its banks, flooded the entire valley, and all that remained of it were rocks, cliffs and thousands of islands created by a powerful creature.

Another legend is no less fantastic.

In distant ancient times, Heaven helped the Vietnamese fight Chinese warriors who tried to plunder and seize their land. To prevent defeat, it sent a flock of magical dragons to help, and instead of fire, precious stones - pearls - fell into the sea from their mouths. As soon as they touched the sea waves, they turned into islands right in front of their opponents and thus smashed the enemy ships.

Having dealt with their hated enemies, the dragons decided to settle on this land. The mother of all dragons chose the most picturesque bay for herself, which has since been called Ha Long in honor of the Dragon, descending into the sea.

Historians say that in the 13th century military operations did take place in the bay, but between the Mongols and the Vietnamese.

By driving long wooden spears into the bottom, the Vietnamese lured their enemies there and easily won, as the Mongol ships fell into a trap, flying into the pointed spears, which were invisible due to the tide.

By the way, the scientific, more realistic theory of the formation of the bay is as follows. The coast, created from limestone rocks, was eroded over time by rains and carried away by the wind - this is where caves, grottoes and rocks originated.

The shore of the bay began to sink about 10-15 thousand years ago, which led to the appearance of islands rising among the waters.

Currently, Ha Long Bay is a unique creation of nature, a World Heritage Site protected by UNESCO. In addition, in 2011, Halong began to be considered one of the wonders of the world.

Where is Ha Long Bay on the map

The map below shows the exact location of the bay.

How to get to Ha Long Bay

Distance from Hanoi to Ha Long

The bay is located 170 kilometers from the capital of Vietnam, Hanoi, in the Gulf of Tonkin in the South China Sea.

The most convenient way to get there is as part of an excursion, but it is also possible to travel independently, which may be even more expensive than an organized tour. Some tourists come to the bay from Nanying, China by bus. From Ho Chi Minh City you can fly to Haiphong.

How to get from Hanoi to Halong

The most basic route is from the capital Hanoi.

Minibuses and regular buses

Tourist minibuses take about 3 hours to get to Halong, longer due to many stops (about 5 hours), but a cheap option is a regular intercity bus. Usually buses take you directly to the pier.

Transfer from the airport

Some Ha Long hotels offer their future guests their own transfer from Hanoi Airport to Ha Long. In addition, you can rent a car with a driver for several days.

Train

Trains run through the city of Hai Phong (two hours from the capital) to Halong. From here you can get there by ferry, boat or speedboat.

Time and cost of visit

Ha Long Bay is visited all year round, but the winter months can significantly spoil the impression of this place due to strong winds, and summer is usually famous for prolonged downpours. The optimal time to visit is autumn and spring.

To enjoy and admire the bay, you cannot do without a boat trip between the rocks and islands or a cruise for several days. The cost of such excursions depends on the number of days, the class of the boat and the place where the excursion was purchased. Prices are lower at official ticket offices and travel agencies.

• A standard boat trip with a visit to the island costs from $5.
• A 2-3 day cruise with meals and an overnight stay at a hotel (or on a boat) will cost $35 or more.
• If you book a tour from Hanoi, one day, including travel, will cost from $25, two days from $50, and three days from $85.
• Some companies offer helicopter rides over Halong starting at $175.

In any case, it’s worth it, because Halong is a real masterpiece created by nature.

Amazing, mysterious, majestic and simply inspiring: all the words are simply not enough to convey the beauty of the nature of Ha Long Bay. A map of Ha Long Bay will help you not only get your bearings, but also help you imagine the more than 3 thousand islands that rise above the emerald Gulf of Tonkin. Even your imagination will not be able to draw the views of this bay. Halong is a real work of art, a large and priceless collection of sculptures that were created by nature itself!

Tourist trip to Halong
Halong Bay is the number one attraction in northeast Vietnam, so it does not suffer from “loneliness”. This place is not deprived of the attention of tourists all year round. Still, there is a certain period of the year when the winds blow and very often a fine but piercing rain falls. So from February to April you should not visit this “paradise”. Most tourists who go on a trip to the bay begin their trip by visiting the caves and walking through the national park on Cat Ba Island. There are also a very large number of coasts with pleasant warm sand and azure water.
Caves
You can also visit many different caves and grottoes, which are very easy to find using a map of Halong Bay. Many caves have lakes and one of them is the “Cave of Surprise”. Here nature created pink, yellow and purple lighting! “Cave of Wooden Stakes,” where the Vietnamese hid their weapons during the war. Another “Drum Cave” got its name because in a strong wind you can hear a sound reminiscent of drums.
Canoe trip
When you're on the tour, be sure to try the canoe ride. You will be able to sail near wonderful grottoes and see some of the islands up close! You can see local fishermen and entire floating fishing villages.
Cat Ba Island
This is the largest island in the bay, which is why life is in full swing here. Most often people are brought here if they take a tour for several days. This island has three beaches and a sufficiently developed infrastructure for a good holiday. It should be noted the local market, where everything is much cheaper than in Nha Trang. So buy some souvenirs, and in the evening go for a walk along the embankment and visit the national park.
Should you get there yourself or buy a tour?
If you decide to go on your own, a trip to Halong Bay will cost more than a group excursion tour. Despite this, many still prefer to go on a trip “alone”. What will it take?
First of all, buy or print a map of Ha Long Bay. From Hanoi you should get to the city of Halong (40 thousand dong - 3.5 hours of travel). Book a place and take a boat to Cat Ba Island (130 thousand dong - the cost includes entrance to the national park and 6 hours of travel). The boat will definitely pass through all the sights and you will reach Ben Beo Bay.
So on this large island you can organize trips to the caves, as well as have plenty of time on the beach.
If you go on a group tour, the cost of such a trip will be from $100, depending on the duration. One of the companies also organizes helicopter rides over the bay on Saturdays - the cost is $175 per person.