Halong Bay, Vietnam

Located east of Hanoi, northern Vietnam, Ha Long Bay is a world-famous destination thanks to its amazing ocean karst topography which has made the area to be listed as one of the world’s natural wonders. ‘Ha Long’ translates to ‘Bay of Descending Dragons’. The archipelago comprises of about 1969 islands which are both uninhabited and settled. You can access these from different ports but Cat Ba is only accessed by a bus, motorbike, or car or via a combination of boat/ bus travel through Halong City.

Being a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Ha Long Bay is one of the hottest tourist destinations in Vietnam. A large part of the bay has been officially shielded from any kind of development. Islands in this area depict great variation in structure, shape, and size. There are extremely many attractions that will take you several days to fully explore. Even though Ha Long Bay can be visited at any time of the year, you would better make careful planning about your cruise. Bad weather not only spoils your trip but can also affect your vision seriously. Visiting Ha Long Bay is best done between March and June and the area can be extremely overcrowded during public holidays.

For budget travelers, you can get great deals between June and September even though you will need to watch storm forecasts carefully. Cruising along Ha Long Bay will give you a better option to explore the area in style and experience some stunning moments. Various islands are easily reachable during your cruise starting with Ban Sen which is a thickly forested island and almost uninhabitable. The Cat Ba Island is home to Ba Languar, an endangered cat. The island also has a national park and numerous caves which are easily accessible.

 

Quan Lan Island has great historical significance and has some beautiful beaches and good tourism infrastructure. Van Don Island is large and well inhabited but receives only a handful of tourists. Most commercial cruises will visit Dau Be Island which is one of the most popular diving and swimming spots in Ha Long Bay. With 3 inland lakes, it also has deep grottoes and corals which can be accessed with a boat. The Virgin Cave in Bo Hon Island is perhaps the most famous here and also has a shrine as well.

Ha Long Bay cruises is undeniably the best way of enjoying and discovering the natural wonders of this area. You will visit the hidden lagoons, exotic grottoes, and unexploited beaches which are stunningly awesome sites. The Ha Long Bay casino is a good place to kill time and throw away your money during the vacation.

This international casino has two gambling halls and coffee lounges with slot machines. The main specialty of Ha Long Bay and the larger island of Van Don District is Tu Hai, also called snail spout. This shellfish is very valuable and rare in the region and one of the main reasons why visitors come here.