When traveling to Ha Long Bay, you cannot miss the experience of exploring its archipelago, a wonder of nature that has left humanity a world natural heritage site.
Beautiful Islands Not to Miss When Traveling to Ha Long Bay
Although Vietnam has since gained and continues to gain many more world natural heritage sites recognized by the world, the first world natural heritage site recognized in Vietnam was Ha Long Bay. It is no exaggeration to say that Ha Long Bay has played a major role in helping Vietnamese tourism in particular and Vietnam in general become better known to international friends and increasingly assert its position on the tourism map.
Photo: baoquangninh
Photo: @canhdepvietnam_12
Ha Long Bay is a small bay belonging to the western shore of the Gulf of Tonkin in the East Sea, including the coastal waters of Ha Long City. Ha Long Bay covers an area of approximately 1,553 km² and includes 1,969 large and small islands, most of them limestone islands. The bay's core area covers 335 km² and is densely clustered with 775 islands, with a geological formation history of approximately 500 million years.
Ha Long Bay. Photo: @ng.ngoc.hanh
The heritage area of Ha Long Bay recognized by the world (the core area) covers 434 km², forming a triangle with three vertices: Dau Go Island (to the west), Ba Ham Lake (to the south), and Cong Tay Island (to the east), and includes 775 islands with many caves and beaches. The adjacent area (the buffer zone) is a national scenic relic that was ranked by Vietnam's Ministry of Culture and Information in 1962. Ha Long's terrain consists of islands and mountains interspersed among marine depressions, a saline area where mangroves grow, and limestone islands with sheer cliffs that create contrasting beauty while harmoniously and vividly combining the elements of mountains, sea, and sky.
The islands in Ha Long Bay are of two types: limestone islands and schist islands. These islands are the result of repeated uplift and subsidence of the mainland into marine depressions, and each has a unique shape created by weathering and erosion. Local people named the islands according to their shapes or folk legends. Here are some of the famous and beautiful islands that tours commonly visit.
Tuan Chau Island
Tuan Chau Island is a coastal land island with villages and residents. In 2001, a bridge was built to connect the island with the mainland, allowing the island to develop more than ever. An entertainment complex, restaurants, hotels, and especially Tuan Chau International Passenger Port were built, making a major contribution to the development of Ha Long tourism.
Tuan Chau Island International Port. Photo: @b.aobeii
Tuan Chau Island – Ha Long. Photo: thuonghieuvietnoitieng
Ti Top Island
The island was named after Russian cosmonaut Gherman Titov when he visited Ha Long Bay with President Ho Chi Minh in 1962. Today, a statue of Mr. Titov has been erected on the island in his memory.
Ti Top statue on the island. Photo: @ng.ngoc.hanh
Ti Top Island has steep shores and a flat, crescent-shaped white-sand beach. When visiting the island, travelers can climb up the mountain to admire the beautiful surrounding scenery or swim and play some water sports in the clear blue water.
Ti Top Island beach. Photo: @lzx_aini
Incense Burner Islet
Also called Lu Huong Peak because its shape resembles a giant incense burner in the middle of the sea. Incense Burner Islet is considered sacred by local people. The image of Incense Burner Islet will be very familiar to you; it is the image printed on Vietnam's 200,000-dong banknote.
Incense Burner Islet. Photo: @vieetjxt
Fighting Cocks Islet (Rooster and Hen Islet)
It is commonly known as Rooster and Hen Islet because its shape resembles a pair of chickens facing each other. Fighting Cocks Islet is used as a symbol of Ha Long Bay and appears on the Ha Long Bay logo.
Rooster and Hen Islet. Photo: @scorpie.art
Con Coc Islet
Located approximately 12 km from Bai Chay tourist boat port. The islet was named Con Coc because, viewed from an angle, its shape resembles a toad squatting in the middle of a vast expanse of water.
Con Coc Islet
Finger Islet
Located on the way to Ti Top Island, Finger Islet is the name commonly used by local people; its official name is Muoi Nam Islet. The islet is shaped like a thumb giving a “like,” which is why local people often call it Finger Islet.
