The Top 10 random facts about Halong Bay.
1.There are 1969, rocky islands located in Halong Bay. They are formed from both karst and schist and are the wonders of Vietnam.
2. Less than half of the islands have been named and most of the names are based on the islands’ shape.
3. Halong Bay means ‘Bay of the Descending Dragons’. Mythology says the islands were formed from the jewels and jade dropped from the mouth of dragons who were sent by the gods.
4. Halong Bay was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1994,and included in the New 7 Natural Wonders of the World in 2012.
5. Halong Bay is the home to approximately 507 species of plants, 200 fish, more than 200 corals, numerous molluscs, 71 birds and 45 reptiles.
6. Most of the islands and rock formations in Halong Bay are uninhabitable, due to the very high and steep cliffs that protect them. The largest island in the bay, Cat Ba Island, has approximately 13,000 inhabitants.
7. It is believed that some limestone formations in Halong Bay may be as much as 20 million years old.
8. It took over 500 million years for Halong Bay’s magical islands to form beneath the sea and rise up into the air.
9. Halong Bay has about 25 limestone caves that have already been explored, and some of them are open to tourists.
10.The movie, L’indochine was filmed here, and this made the bay very popular with French travelers in the 1990’s. In the 1997, The movie, The Vertical Rays of the Summer, by Tran Anh Hung, was created to educate the world about the beauty of Halong Bay. It is played regularly on board Emperor Cruises Halong.
How to get there?
Halong Bay sits off Vietnam’s northeastern coast, 165km from the capital, Hanoi. Its serene emerald waters are home to multiple small limestone islands covered by rainforest. It is a popular spot for boat tours, day trips and overnight cruises, cave exploration, booze cruises, and kayaking. No trip to Vietnam would be complete without visiting it.
Self-drive car hire is not available for short-term visitors to Vietnam so most travelers to Halong Bay usually book a cruise package, which includes a private car and chauffeur or a shuttle bus (3,5 hours). Helicopter or seaplane transfers are also available to the bay from Hanoi (1hour).
To ensure total comfort on your journey from Hanoi, we offer a daily limousine transfer service with pick-up and drop-off services from your hotel in Hanoi, or Cat Bi Airport in Hai Phong City (upon request).
When Is The Best Time to Visit?
Halong Bay and Bai Tu Long Bay can be visited all year round. The best time to visit is September to April. Expect hot weather and some tropical rain in the summer from May to August, but the sun and blue skies reappear quickly allowing you to catch the magical sunset and the moon rising high into the night sky.
