HALONG BAY

Hạ Long is a capital city of Quang Ninh Province, Vietnam. The city mainly lies on Bai Tu Long Bay, which is part of the Ha Long Bay. It is located at about 160 km northeast of Hanoi. Area: 208.7 sq. km. Population (2001): 185,228 inhabitants.

The name Hạ Long is derived from the Sino-Vietnamese, meaning “descending dragon”. Local legend has it 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, linking together to form a great wall against the invaders. The people kept their land safe and formed what later became the country of Vietnam. After that, dragons were interested in peaceful sightseeing of the Earth and decided to live here then. The place where Mother Dragon flew down was named Hạ Long, the place where the dragon children attended upon their mother was called Bái Tử Long island (Bái: attend upon, Tử: children, Long: dragon), and the place where the dragon children wriggled their tails violently was called Bạch Long Vỹ island (Bạch: white- colour of the foam made when Children Dragon wriggle, Long: dragon, Vỹ: tail).

In 1994 it was designated a World Heri­tage site. Visitors can’t help but compare the magical, mystical landscape of limestone islets to Guilin in China and Krabi in southern Thailand, but in reality Halong Bay is more spectacular. These tiny islands are dotted with beaches and grottoes created by wind and waves, and have sparsely forested slopes ringing with birdsong.

Halong city is divided into two parts: East Ha Long and West Ha Long. The eastern part, Hon Gai, where most of the official buildings and industry are concentrated, is connected by a bridge with the western part  “Bai Chay”,  considered to be the place of tourism animation.

From February to April the weather in this region is often cool and drizzly. The ensuing fog can make visibility low, but this adds an ethereal air to the place and the temperature rarely falls below 10°C. During the summer months tropical storms are frequent, and tourist boats may have to alter their itineraries, depending on the weather.