The Ha Long Bay 3 - Lan Ha Bay itinerary features many beautiful and naturally and culturally rich attractions, including: Cua Van Floating Cultural Center, Tien Ong Cave, Ba Ham Lake, Ba Men Temple, Ang Du, Truc Forest (Ha Long Bay), Tra Bau, Bright Cave, Dark Cave, Ba Trai Dao, Quai To, Viet Hai Gate, Hon Rua, and Cai Beo - Ben Beo Fishing Village (Lan Ha Bay).
Tien Ong Cave stands out not only for its beautiful stalactites, especially a stalagmite shaped like a kind old man resembling a deity, but also for preserving special historical values. Based on artifacts excavated in the cave, historians believe Tien Ong Cave was one of the places where ancient Vietnamese people lived during the Early Neolithic period, belonging to the Soi Nhu culture, dating back approximately 10,000-8,000 years. Here, visitors can encounter traces of prehistoric life in the cave, such as freshwater and mountain snail shells, as well as rudimentary stone and bone tools.
Ba Ham Lake, meanwhile, consists of three interconnected lagoons linked by underground caves through the limestone mountains. Paddling a small boat through the caves to visit each lake, visitors can experience the still, peaceful and poetic atmosphere on the water, as well as the lush vegetation covering the limestone mountain slopes. Somewhere in the distance, birdsong can still be heard, or visitors may catch fleeting glimpses of golden monkeys playing on the branches. Bordering Lan Ha Bay is the area around Ba Men Temple, a highly sacred temple for local fishermen. Visitors arriving during the temple festival, held annually on the 19th and 20th days of the first lunar month, will experience a distinctly maritime atmosphere, with fishermen from Ha Long and Cat Ba gathering to take part in the festival and pray for a smooth and peaceful year at sea.
This is an exploration itinerary featuring destinations rich in cultural, ecological and spiritual values, offering a peaceful, profound experience amid the heritage landscape of Ha Long Bay. The destinations on this itinerary in the Lan Ha Bay area also offer visitors many memorable experiences. Hon Rua is a special symbol of the Cat Ba Archipelago and makes an impression with its pristine and spectacular natural scenery. Paddling through Bright Cave and Dark Cave, a 70m passage through the mountain, visitors will feel as though they have entered paradise as they admire the vast body of water surrounded by imposing high limestone ranges. At Ba Trai Dao, a group of small islands in Lan Ha Bay with charming natural scenery and a romantic love legend, visitors can swim to their heart's content at three crescent-shaped sandy beaches embracing the peach-shaped mountains here…
In particular, the sightseeing route also includes three fishing villages, each offering distinctive experiences. At Tra Bau Fishing Village, visitors can try catching seafood, prepare their own catch and enjoy a seafood feast in a floating house. To reach Viet Hai Fishing Village, visitors take an electric vehicle from Viet Hai Wharf along a 5km road through Cat Ba National Park, admiring the area's diverse natural ecosystem. In the center of the village, visitors can discover the distinctive culture of local residents and take part in other activities, such as fish massage…
At Cai Beo Fishing Village, known as Vietnam's oldest seaside village and also one of the most famous tourist destinations in the Cat Ba Archipelago, visitors can admire the scenery from a bamboo boat or paddle a kayak around the fishing village to explore the natural landscape, as well as the aquaculture and fishing activities of local fishermen…
Research shows that the destinations on the four itineraries connecting Ha Long and Lan Ha Bays are quite similar in Lan Ha Bay, with each route usually adding or omitting a few sites. Meanwhile, the destinations in Ha Long Bay differ from one route to another, expanding from areas close to shore to offshore destinations and extending to the area bordering Lan Ha Bay.
Specifically, on the Ha Long Bay 6 - Lan Ha Bay itinerary, destinations in Ha Long Bay such as Hon Chan Voi, Ba Cua Inlet, Tung Lam Island and Hon Cap Bai are primarily sights viewed as the tourist boat passes by, allowing visitors to relax and experience the area's magnificent and distinctive natural beauty. These include mountain peaks connected across a vast space, forming shapes resembling the legs of giant elephants reaching out to sea around Hon Chan Voi. There are also the rich mangrove forests in the Ba Cua Inlet area and the picture-like beauty of Tung Lam Island, where many Ha Long Palms - a plant species endemic to Ha Long Bay and the Cat Ba Archipelago - grow. Hon Cap Bai stands out with two tall limestone peaks facing and corresponding to each other. The island also marks the boundary between Ha Long Bay and Lan Ha Bay.
In contrast, on the Ha Long Bay 4 - Lan Ha Bay itinerary, destinations in Ha Long Bay such as Co Cave (Thien Canh Son), Thay Cave, Cap La Cave, Vong Vieng, and the Tung Ang Ecological Area - Hon Xep Park allow visitors not only to admire the scenery from the boat but also to directly explore and experience beautiful caves, a poetic fishing village and the customs and traditions reflected in the daily lives of Ha Long fishermen. Visitors can also enjoy bamboo-boat rowing, kayaking and dragon-boat racing on the bay, savor fresh seafood and watch cultured pearl processing in the bay… These are all destinations in the offshore area of Ha Long Bay, where the green mountains and clear blue waters remain pristine and exceptionally beautiful.
On the Ha Long Bay 5 - Lan Ha Bay itinerary, destinations in Ha Long Bay such as Thien Cung - Dau Go Caves, Hon Cho Da, Ba Hang, Hon Dinh Huong and Hon Trong Mai take visitors to explore representative destinations in a relatively nearshore area. These include the magnificent Thien Cung Cave, resembling a “palace in the sky,” the ancient Dau Go Cave, the peaceful Ba Hang Caves, and the distinctive, world-famous rocky island formations of the heritage site, such as Hon Dinh Huong, Hon Cho Da and Hon Trong Mai (the symbol of Ha Long Bay).
At present, the connection of sightseeing itineraries across Ha Long and Lan Ha Bays is only in its initial implementation phase, within the Ha Long Bay - Cat Ba Archipelago World Heritage Site. In the future, when tourist boats operate the connected sightseeing routes more comprehensively, visitors will certainly have more opportunities to experience additional attractive destinations in this interprovincial heritage region.
