Description

Ha Long Bay, located in the Gulf of Tonkin, includes 1969 islands and islets forming a spectacular seascape of limestone pillars. Because of their precipitous nature, most of the islands are uninhabited and unaffected by man. The exceptional aesthetic value of this site is complimented by its great biological interest.

The sheerness of cliffs and the size of the islands (surface and height) are easily inferred by taking boats as reference. Although navigation is possible, it is clear that it is precarious and reserved for small size boats.

The moulding of calcareous rocks in cliffs and pillars is characteristic of inter-tropical regions, the other geomorphological phenomenon evident at the bottom of the cliffs is the sea erosion (marine notch).

The Ha Long Bay area was inscribed on the list of the UNESCO World Heritage Preservation in 1994 and 2000.

The legend

The name Ha Long Bay is literally translated as Bay of Descending Dragons.

A legend from the 19th century says :
“Long ago, in the first founding days, the Viet people were attacked by foreign aggressors. The Jade Emperor sent the Mother Dragon and a herd of Child Dragons to help the Viet fight the invaders. While the enemy vessels were lauching massive attacks against the mainland, the dragons descended in flocks from the sky. They spat out innumerable pearls which, in a moment, were changed into innumerable jade stone islands linked together into firm citadels that checked the enemy’s advance and smashed their vessels into pieces. The Viet won at last. After the invaders were driven out, Mother Dragon and her Child Dragons did not return to Heaven but stayed on earth, right at the place where the battle occurred. The spot where the Mother Dragon landed was Ha Long, and where the Child Dragons came down was Bai Tu Long. The place where their tails violently wagged was called Long Vi, the present-day Tra Co Peninsula with its soft sandy beach stretching dozens of kilometers.”