Are you looking for Halong Bay Vietnam 2020 Updates? Halong Bay is a UNESCO World Natural Heritage in Quang Ninh Province that has long been famous in the worldwide tourist communities and even filmed in Hollywood movies. More and more gaining international attention, the Bay keeps appealing to nature lovers and holidaymakers who love cruising and desire for the voyage of a lifetime.

Halong Bay Vietnam 2020 Quick Facts

• Administrative Location: Halong City, Quang Ninh Province
• Area: 1553 km² and 1200 km coastline, consisting of more than 3000 islets
• Population: Nearly 1600 inhabitants who reside in the floating villages of Cua Van, Vong Vieng, Cong Tau, and Ba Hang.
• Eminent rewards:
• Renowned National Landscape Monument by Vietnam Tourism Authority (1962)
• UNESCO World Heritage Site by UNESCO (1994)
• Member of Club of the Most Beautiful Bays of the World (2003)
• One of New 7 Wonders by New7 Wonders Foundation (2012)

Halong Bay Legends

“Halong Bay” means “Bay of Descending Dragon” which has been locally linked to a legend that can be retold from generation to generation. Refer to the following legend if interested.

From the early days of the old Vietnam, many evil enemies from the North attempted to invade the country, and the ancient Vietnamese fought against them. Aiming to support the Vietnamese to defend, Jade Emperor sent Mother Dragon and her children to the earth. Thanks to the divine entities’ help by incinerating the invaders with their magical fire and giant emeralds, the cruel fleet was sunk. The sea battlefield was full of dragon emeralds which established the undefeated wall and caused the invaders to withdraw. Then, peace came back to Vietnam. It was the divine wall of emeralds that turned out to be many islets and islands. Did the Mother Dragon and her children return to heaven? Ah, well, they decided to stay in Vietnam, turned into a human form, and helped the locals to build the castle, plant, develop the country, etc. To honor the sacred entities, the Bay where the Mother Dragon descended was named “Halong Bay” while the Bay where her children descended was “Bai Tu Long” (meaning “Thanks to the Dragon’s Children”).

Halong Bay Vietnam – One of the New World Wonders

The Best Things to Do and See in Halong Bay 2020 Updates

Unique, captivating, and legendary, many other beautiful adjectives are used to describe Halong Bay Vietnam, and indeed, the destination is worth all compliments. There, you have thousands of islands and islets for sightseeing, and even exploring the hidden caves. Halong Bay Cruises open up the fantastic voyages that you can sail along and around the interestingly-shaped formations. Besides, the Bay is home to the ancient fishing villages in which the cultural experiences and seafood are all great. The luxurious cruises of 4-5 stars ensure your comfort onboard so much, with top facilities and entertaining services, as if you’re staying on the splendid floating hotels. The must-have activities onboard are Tai Chi practice, sundowner, and squid fishing,

The boats and vessels will offer some sightseeing rounds along the interesting attractions like the Kissing Rocks or Ga Choi Islet. The top mysterious caves to see are the Sung Sot Cave (Surprising Cave), Thien Cung Cave, Ba Ham Cave, Dau Go Cave, etc. And, make sure you visit the Cua Van fishing village if you appreciate the fishing culture and locals’ traditional lifestyle. There will also be time for outdoor workouts, so have fun with swimming, kayaking, scuba diving, parasailing, and night squid fishing. And if you land in the village, be ready for the eco-biking in the countryside roads and enjoy the peace. Activities of cycling and trekking are usually combined which serve as the mood booster for the explorative thrill-seekers.

Besides the common activities to do in Halong Bay, keep yourself updated with the new services of Halong Helicopter Tour or Halong Seaplane Tour. Either helicopter or seaplane, the aerial trips over the magnificent Bay are truly spectacular, distinctive, and memorable. It is the bird’s-eye view that can convince people of the wholesome beauty of Halong Bay during the scenic flights. You can opt for aerial travel from Hanoi to Halong Bay and travel like a free bird. Together with the scenic transfer between the two cities, the scenic aerial flight over the Bay for 15 minutes is worth every dollar and cent. This premium service is perfect for those who want the distinctive journeys or those that don’t have time for the land transfer but want to save time for exploring the Bay only. Oftentimes, the Halong Helicopter Tour can be combined with the luxurious cruises or yachts, resulting in the one-day rewarding luxury travel. Right in Tuan Chau Island, you can pick the scenic flight of 12 minutes, 25 minutes, or 40 minutes.

The other nice things to do in Halong Bay include just sunbathing, doing Tai Chi or Yoga on the sundeck, or simply walking on the isolated, pristine beaches namely Ngoc Vung Beach, Quan Lan Beach, Ti Top Beach, Bai Chay Beach, etc. The beautiful destination is powerful enough to make the simple thing romantic and joyful. That is an escape that we need sometimes. Even kayaking among the karst outcrops provides an exciting memory and lovely photography. And if you want more, let’s sail further to Cat Ba Island and contemplate the pristine, picturesque Lan Ha Bay in which nearly 139 “real” beaches of white sand and calm water are welcoming you.

Halong Bay today gains more and more spotlight, so you’re likely to see that Tuan Chau Marina (Halong City) is often packed with tourists who are buying cruise tickets. Due to budget, preference, and any other dependencies, you can opt for the public vessel transfer or the luxurious, private cruises (which should always be booked in advance). Some cruise operators even offer the shuttle bus services to pick up passengers from Hanoi to Halong city, and then they will embark on the ritzy cruises. Perhaps, you all know that the Hanoi-Halong expressway helps cut the travel time by half, only 2 hours now, which open opportunities for the one-day Halong Bay Tours. You will certainly create a wonderful photo album and videos about this legendary destination.

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Halong Bay helicopter tour

Vu Hoang Anh

I love traveling and have been working in tourism industry since 1996. Vietnam is my homeland so I would like to share with you my experience to discover this destination best!