Halong Bay Introduction
Geography
Situated in the north-east region of Vietnam, Halong Bay is a part of the Gulf of Bắc Bộ, and comprises Halong City, the township of Cẩm Phả and a part of the island district of Vân Ðồn. To the south-west it borders the island of Cát Bà, to the east is the sea and the mainland follow a coastline of 120 km. It stretches between the 106º58 and 107º22 eastern meridians and the 20º45 and 20º50 northern parallels.
Topography
Halong Bay covers a total area of 1,553 sq. km, including 1,969 islands of various sizes, 989 of which have been given names. There are two kinds, limestone and schist, which are concentrated in two main zones: the south-east (belonging to Bái Tử Long Bay), and the south-west (belonging to Halong Bay). The average geological age of the islands is between 250 and 280 million years old.
The densely concentrated zone of stone islands, grottoes and caves, world famous for its spectacular scenery, forms the central zone of Halong Bay, which has been listed as one of UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites. This protected site covers an area of 434 sq. km, comprises 775 islands and forms a triangle: with the Ðầu Gỗ Island (Driftwood Island) to the west; the Ba Hầm Lake (Three Shelter Lake) to the south; and the Cống Tây Island to the east. The regions immediately surrounding the area were classified as a national site by the Ministry of Culture and Information in 1962.
Climate
Halong Bay is located in a tropical and temperate zone. The four distinct seasons are most evident in a year. The annual average temperature is 22,8ºC. The average temperature in summer is 26,4ºC and the hottest temperature is 35,7ºC. The annual average rainfall is 2,005.4 mm. The period from May to October receives the more important rainfall. The winter lasts from 4 to 5 months. Between the main two seasons are a shorter spring and autumn. The period from August to October is typhoon season.
History
Halong Bay has been called by the great national poet Nguyễn Trãi: “a wonder of the earth erected towards the high sky.” It is also a place closely linked to Vietnam’s history with such famous geographical names as: Vân Ðồn (site of an ancient commercial port); Poem Mountain (with engravings of many poems by emperors and other famous people of the past); and Bạch Ðằng River (the location of three fierce naval battles fought against foreign aggressors).
This is not all; Halong has been proven by scientists to be one of the first cradles of human existence in the area, with such archaeological sites as Ðồng Mang, Xích Thổ, Soi Nhụ and Thoi Giếng. It is also a region of highly-concentrated biological diversity with many varied ecosystems of salt water-flooded forests, coral reefs and tropical forests, featuring thousands of diverse species of animal and plant life.
While exploring the bay, it’s hard not to feel lost in some legendary world of stone islands. There is an island resembling a man standing and looking towards the mainland. Dragon Island looks like a dragon hovering above the turquoise water. Yet another island, Lã Vọng, resembles an old man fishing, and was named after a famous Chinese mandarin who abandoned his position to become a fisherman. There are also the islands of the Sail, the Trống Mái Islet (Cock and Hen Islet), which look like a pair of chicken lovingly playing with each other above the sea; and the Ðỉnh Hương Islet (Incense Burner Islet), which all bear astonishing resemblance to their namesakes. The forms of the islands change incessantly, depending on the angles of lighting and from where they’re viewed.
At the core, are wonderful caves and grottoes such as: Thiên Cung Grotto (Heavenly Residence Grotto), Đầu Gỗ Grotto (Driftwood Grotto), Sửng Sốt Grotto (Surprise Grotto) and Tam Cung Grotto (Three Palaces Grotto).
With such special values, at the 18th Session of UNESCO’s Council of World Heritage held on 17 December 1994 in Thailand, Hạ Long Bay was officially placed on the list of the World Natural Heritage. In 2000, UNESCO recognized it as the World Heritage for the second time for its geographical and geomorphologic values. This confirms the global premier value of Hạ Long Bay.
The end of the Vietnam war, and the advent of “Doi moi”, Vietnam’s policy of opening its economy to foreign trade, means that Westerners and South Vietnamese now have a chance to visit Ha long. Vinh Ha Long or Bay of the Descending Dragon is often touted by proud Vietnamese as the world’s Eighth wonder. One of the main attractions of Ha long is the bay’s calm water and the thousands of limestone mountains dotting the seascape. The Bay’s water is clear during the spring and early summer. Some of the islands are quite large and there are small alcoves with sandy beaches where swimming is possible. Ha Long bay lies in the northeastern part of Vietnam and is 165 Km from Hanoi.
Halong literally means descending dragon(s) and according to local myth, the story goes as follows:
Long ago when their forefathers were fighting foreign invaders from the north, the gods from heaven sent a family of dragons to help defend their land. This family of dragons descended upon what is now Halong Bay and began spitting out jewels and jade. Upon hitting the sea, these jewels turned into the various islands and islets dotting the seascape and formed a formidable fortress against the invaders. The locals were able to keep their land safe and formed what is now the country of Vietnam. The Dragon family fell so much in love with this area for its calm water and for the reverence of the people of Vietnam that they decided to remain on earth. Mother dragon lies on what is now Ha Long and where her children lie is Bai Tu Long. The dragon tails formed the area of Bach Long Vi known for the miles of white sandy beaches of Tra Co peninsula (see map).
This myth is in line with the Vietnamese myth of their origin Con Rong Chau Tien. This myth describes the union between a king (representing the dragon) and his bride (representing a goddess) giving birth to 100 children which are the ancestors of the Vietnamese people. The Ha Long myth illustrate the Vietnamese belief of their origin and the fact that throughout their history, they are aided by their ancestors, the dragon and the gods, in the defense of their land.
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