Halong City, formerly the
Hon Gai Town, is the
cultural, economic and political centre of Quang Ninh Province. It borders
Cam Pha town to the east, the Yen Hung District to the west,
the Hoanh Bo District to the north and Halong Bay to the south with the
coastline of 20km.
The city is divided into two parts: East Halong and West Halong. The eastern
part is an industrial zone where most of the province’s official buildings
are also concentrated. The western part, also called Bai Chay, is the
animated tourism zone.
Halong (or Ha Long) Bay is one of the most beautiful destinations in the
whole of
Vietnam. Located in
the Quang Ninh province just off the South China Sea, Ha Long Bay derives
its name from the thousands of limestone karsts and islands which rise from
the waters, jutting upwards like the gnarled fingers of some great aquatic
beast clutching at the sky. The legends say that years ago the gods sent a
family of dragons to help the people defend against invaders, and the
dragons spat out jade jewels which sunk into the bay to create the series of
islands and karst formations, blocking the invaders from sailing in. And
while the legends may be nothing more than just that, there is no doubt that
the views seen in Ha Long Bay are such that they have inspired millions of
visitors in their time, and it has been listed as a World Heritage site
since 1994.
Ha Long Bay has a
medium size of 1,553 square kilometers. It is accomodation of many fishing
communities, including the 4 communes of
Cua Van, Cong Tau,
Vong Vieng and Ba Hang with a population of more than 1,600 people. The
residents live on floating houses and boats, making their own lives by
fishing and aquaculture.
The bay is a sea islands in tropical wet with 2 seasons: hot and moist
summer, dry and cold winter. Average temperature is from 15°C- 25°C. Annual
rainfall is between 2,000mm and 2,200mm. Halong Bay has the typical diurnal
tide system (tide amplitude ranges from 3.5-4m). The salinity is from 31 to
34.5MT in dry season and lower in rainy season.
Today, Ha Long Bay is considered one of the most
popular
destinations in Vietnam so far as tourists are concerned. Unfortunately,
it reeks of just that: tourism. While the area is stunning in terms of
natural beauty, some of that is spoilt by the never-ending throngs of people
and the fleet of diesel-powered junks (cheap imitations of the traditional
Asian boats) that ferry people to and fro among the islands without any care
for the environment, interested only in profiting as much as possible from
the tourists. It is almost impossible to experience Ha Long Bay in an
idyllic setting, but if you can handle the crowds and the very obvious
tourist trap nature of the place, then it is well worth the trip. The best
way to experience the bay if you are an adventurous sort is to rent your own
kayak and find a secluded spot to relax, but other than that you can always
rent a junk for a day cruise or even an
overnight trip
in the bay.
