After leaving Ninh Binh on Thursday 7th February, we continued our drive to Halong Bay, a body of water approximately 1500 square kilometers in the north of Vietnam with a 120 kilometre coastline in the Gulf of Tonkin near the border with China. It is 170 kilometres east of Hanoi. Vinh Ha Long - Halong Bay - means "Bay of the Descending Dragon" in Vietnamese.
The bay was listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage site on 17th December 1994. The bay consists of a dense cluster of 1,969 limestone monolithic islands, each topped with thick jungle vegetation and which rise spectacularly from the ocean. Several of the islands are hollow with enormous caves. We visited Hang Dau Go (Wooden Stakes Cave), which is the largest grotto in the Halong area. It has three large chambers which seem to go on for miles and which contain large stalactites and stalagmites (see photos). Whilst the caves are imposing, it is sometimes difficult to appreciate the beauty of the caves as they are swarming with people being herded about like sheep. Two bigger islands (Tuan Chau and Cat Ba) have permanent inhabitants.
Some of the islands support floating villages of fisherman, who ply the waters for 200 species of fish and 450 diffrent kinds of molluscs. Many of the islands have acquired their names as a result of interpretation of their unusual shapes, such as Voi islet (elephant), Ga Choi (fighting cock) and Mai Nha Islet (roof). 989 of the islands have been given bird names and there is an abundance of wildlife on the islands (including antelopes, monkeys and iguanas).
Local legend says 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 descended upon what is now Ha Long Bay (hence the name Bay of Descending Dragons) and began spitting out jewels and jade. These jewels turned into the islands and islets dotting the bay, linking together to form barriers against the invaders. The people kept their land safe and formed what later became the country of Vietnam.
In the summer when there are blue skies, the islands provide a stunning backdrop which you see on all the postcards. Unfortunately in the winter, it gets quite misty and cold and only the brave dare venture into the water for a swim. Halong Bay is teeming with tourists and boats all year around (being quieter in the winter) - either day or overnight trips. We overnighted in the boat and luckily had heating in our cabins. All our meals were provided and the food was delicious - lots of seafood and we also sampled a traditional savoury rice cake which is normally eaten over new year. On the Friday morning we headed back to Halong Bay port and already at 8.30am there must have been over 100 boats waiting to dock at the port. The driver had to jostle his way in to let us as near to the jetty as possible to get off the boat and all the boat hands were shouting at each other to get out of the way. It was quite entertaining.
We then boarded the bus again for a 4 hour bus journey to the capital city, Hanoi. Driving in Vietnam is certainly an interesting experience. Buses, cars and lorries will always overtake and drive into the middle of the oncoming traffic. The rule of the road is that the smallest vehicle always gives way to the biggest, so that often motorcyclists will slow down, squashed up to the side of the road. It can get really hairy indeed.
Vietnam covers a surface area of 128,000 square miles, making it roughly the size of Italy or New Mexico in the US. Vietnam's topography consists of huge mountains, fertile deltas, forests inhabited by exotic fauna, windy rivers, mysterious caves, waterfalls and beaches. Apart from Halong Bay, most of the scenery we saw was towns and villages with some rural parts in between. The country comprises three unique areas - the north, central and the south. The north is known for its alpine peaks and the Red River Delta, the plains of Cao Bang and Vinh Yen, Halong Bay and Hanoi, as well as for the diversity of its ethnic minorities.
Central Vietnam, also home to many ethnic minorities, is characterized by high temperate plateaus rich in volcanic soil and by spectacular beaches, dunes and lagoons. It is where the ancient imperial city of Hue can be found. In the South, there is Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) and the fertile delta of the Mekong River. Although the country lies entirely within the tropics, its diverse range of latitude, altitude and weather patterns produces enormous climatic variation. In the North there are two basic seasons - a cold, humid winter from November to April and a warm wet summer for the remainder of the year. Apparently the North has had the coldest winter for eleven years, which explains the cold temperatures we have been experiencing since we crossed over the border into Vietnam. The average temperature has so far been about 12/13 degrees and most of the group have had to layer up with clothes, as we did not come prepared for Arctic conditions. I have worn the same (and only pair) of socks for the past three days. Thank god for New Zealand merino wool which keeps the smells away!
The Central part of the country experiences similar weather to the North, however, we found out that the temperature in Hue (where we will be on Monday) is 20 degrees - absolute bliss! Down in the South where we head on Tuesday is generally warm but it has recently been in the mid 30s in Ho Chi Minh City - so hot, hot hot. The South here we come!
The bay was listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage site on 17th December 1994. The bay consists of a dense cluster of 1,969 limestone monolithic islands, each topped with thick jungle vegetation and which rise spectacularly from the ocean. Several of the islands are hollow with enormous caves. We visited Hang Dau Go (Wooden Stakes Cave), which is the largest grotto in the Halong area. It has three large chambers which seem to go on for miles and which contain large stalactites and stalagmites (see photos). Whilst the caves are imposing, it is sometimes difficult to appreciate the beauty of the caves as they are swarming with people being herded about like sheep. Two bigger islands (Tuan Chau and Cat Ba) have permanent inhabitants.
Some of the islands support floating villages of fisherman, who ply the waters for 200 species of fish and 450 diffrent kinds of molluscs. Many of the islands have acquired their names as a result of interpretation of their unusual shapes, such as Voi islet (elephant), Ga Choi (fighting cock) and Mai Nha Islet (roof). 989 of the islands have been given bird names and there is an abundance of wildlife on the islands (including antelopes, monkeys and iguanas).
Local legend says 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 descended upon what is now Ha Long Bay (hence the name Bay of Descending Dragons) and began spitting out jewels and jade. These jewels turned into the islands and islets dotting the bay, linking together to form barriers against the invaders. The people kept their land safe and formed what later became the country of Vietnam.
In the summer when there are blue skies, the islands provide a stunning backdrop which you see on all the postcards. Unfortunately in the winter, it gets quite misty and cold and only the brave dare venture into the water for a swim. Halong Bay is teeming with tourists and boats all year around (being quieter in the winter) - either day or overnight trips. We overnighted in the boat and luckily had heating in our cabins. All our meals were provided and the food was delicious - lots of seafood and we also sampled a traditional savoury rice cake which is normally eaten over new year. On the Friday morning we headed back to Halong Bay port and already at 8.30am there must have been over 100 boats waiting to dock at the port. The driver had to jostle his way in to let us as near to the jetty as possible to get off the boat and all the boat hands were shouting at each other to get out of the way. It was quite entertaining.
We then boarded the bus again for a 4 hour bus journey to the capital city, Hanoi. Driving in Vietnam is certainly an interesting experience. Buses, cars and lorries will always overtake and drive into the middle of the oncoming traffic. The rule of the road is that the smallest vehicle always gives way to the biggest, so that often motorcyclists will slow down, squashed up to the side of the road. It can get really hairy indeed.
Vietnam covers a surface area of 128,000 square miles, making it roughly the size of Italy or New Mexico in the US. Vietnam's topography consists of huge mountains, fertile deltas, forests inhabited by exotic fauna, windy rivers, mysterious caves, waterfalls and beaches. Apart from Halong Bay, most of the scenery we saw was towns and villages with some rural parts in between. The country comprises three unique areas - the north, central and the south. The north is known for its alpine peaks and the Red River Delta, the plains of Cao Bang and Vinh Yen, Halong Bay and Hanoi, as well as for the diversity of its ethnic minorities.
Central Vietnam, also home to many ethnic minorities, is characterized by high temperate plateaus rich in volcanic soil and by spectacular beaches, dunes and lagoons. It is where the ancient imperial city of Hue can be found. In the South, there is Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) and the fertile delta of the Mekong River. Although the country lies entirely within the tropics, its diverse range of latitude, altitude and weather patterns produces enormous climatic variation. In the North there are two basic seasons - a cold, humid winter from November to April and a warm wet summer for the remainder of the year. Apparently the North has had the coldest winter for eleven years, which explains the cold temperatures we have been experiencing since we crossed over the border into Vietnam. The average temperature has so far been about 12/13 degrees and most of the group have had to layer up with clothes, as we did not come prepared for Arctic conditions. I have worn the same (and only pair) of socks for the past three days. Thank god for New Zealand merino wool which keeps the smells away!
The Central part of the country experiences similar weather to the North, however, we found out that the temperature in Hue (where we will be on Monday) is 20 degrees - absolute bliss! Down in the South where we head on Tuesday is generally warm but it has recently been in the mid 30s in Ho Chi Minh City - so hot, hot hot. The South here we come!
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