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Ha Long Bay Vietnam

 Amazing seascapes, caves, kayaking, bio-diversity and Vietnam's best seafood 

Vietnam’s most obvious attraction is Ha Long Bay, adjacent to the Gulf of Tonkin, and

currently attracting nearly two million visitors each year. Despite its status as one of Vietnam’s busiest tourist centres, its enormous scale, unique geomorphology and

indisputable splendour makes a visit almost essential.

With Worldmatetravel.com, you escape the worst of the crowds. We use only high

quality boats, and recommend a night on the bay to allow time for the less visited islandsand grottoes, leaving those that have been equipped with lights, walkways, refreshment

stalls and souvenir shops to the tourists. The exceptions are Dao Go, a large cavern worth

visiting for its grandeur, and Sung Sot, for its remarkable stalactites and stalagmites.

Although the name Ha Long Bay is often used to describe the entire area, it refers only toa section of a vast archipelago of thousands of limestone pinnacles stretching nearly a

hundred kilometres from Haiphong to the east.

This remarkable seascape owes its existence to a complex process of erosion referred toas ‘karst’. A massive layer of high quality limestone was slowly dissolved by a warm wet

climate that prevailed over South East Asia through untold millions of years. Water 

trickled through crevices enlarged cracks in the limestone creating caves and caverns, and

caused weaker strata to collapse leaving the distinctive towers seen today. Comparativelyrecently, seismic activity inundated the low-lying land, creating Ha Long Bay.

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The almost perpendicular peaks conceal the remains of many caves and grottos, their 

entrances exposed when part of the tower wall collapsed, but now concealed by

subsequent rock falls and dense vegetation.

Some caves were already known, and others have been discovered recently, but expert

opinion is that they represent only a fraction of those still hidden from view. Three largecaves in the heart of the area protected as World Heritage have been made accessible to

visitors. Many smaller caves can be visited, but often require a scramble across rocks andthrough unlit passages.

In the southwest corner of Ha Long Bay is Cat Ba, a large ‘karst’ limestone island full of 

small mountains covered in verdant forest. Part of the island is a National Park, rich inflora and fauna including one of the most endangered species of monkey in the world.

Cat Ba also boasts two small, but pleasant, sandy beaches.

To the east is Bai Tu Long Bay. Although not quite matching the range of geological

attributes of its illustrious neighbour, it is equally attractive and benefits from being less

visited. Bai Tu Long, and particularly Quan Lan island, has by far the best beaches innorthern Vietnam. Most are more or less empty, but tourism facilities are limited.

The Bay is also a treasure house of endemic, and often endangered, species of flora,molluscs and small invertebrates.

At present, a long term project is steadily transforming the entire archipelago and its

hinterland into South East Asia’s first Ecomuseum linking all aspects of its natural,

environmental and cultural elements to provide a holistic view for visitors, and to focusattention upon the critical importance of its conservation.

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