Ha Long Bay literally means ‘descending dragon bay’. It is a beautiful and popular travel destination in Vietnam declared as a World Heritage Site by the UESCO. Here in this dreamy bay there are numerous of isles and limestone karsts in various shapes and sizes that add to the beauty and magic of the place. The place also has historical and archeological significance and is home to four fishing villages namely Ba Hang, Cua Van, Vong Vieng and Cap La that has a considerable role to play in maintaining a decent marine culture attracting lots of travelers from home and abroad.

If what already mentioned above has not got you a little interested in planning a trip to this little paradise, here are some more facts that are sure to convince you. One very interesting feature of this part of Vietnam is the floating fishing villages. The tropical forests, thousands of species of animal and plants, coral reefs and fish species has made it a hot favorite fishing vacation spot for those who want to stay out of the crowd and be lost in the lap of beauty.

This vacation to the Ha Long Bay on Princess Junk is not just about witnessing the magic but actually being a part of it. Watch the fishermen cast their nets and lines all through the year and might we mention here that the shallow waters contain 200 species of fish and 450 different kinds of mollusks! Watch the kids go to floating schools, learn how life can go on peacefully without electricity, internet and cell phones.

The beautiful beaches and the clear blue water are perfect for surfing and swimming. Watch the sunset aboard a boat. You might also consider kayaking. In fact it is one of the most popular adventure sports in Vietnam. Paddle through the lagoons, unspoiled beaches, visit the hidden caves. Rock climbing and canoeing are also pretty common activities here.  Go on a cruise – there are options for private tours as well. Discover the magic that is the Ha Long Bay.

The place is just breathtakingly beautiful and there is a magic in the air. The locals are warm and friendly, the food fresh and delicious for the palate, the history intriguing, the geography marvelous; what more could you possibly look for in a holiday? Call your tour guy and make arrangements. You would not do justice to yourself if you have been to this little paradise called Ha Long Bay.

Author Bio: John Anderson is an avid outdoor enthusiast. He is into boating and fishing big time and this passion has lead him to travel to different countries all over the world. He shares his knowledge and experience with the others who also share the same passion.

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Princess Junk – The Spirit of Asia team of the PBS Television has made a newsreel on tourism in Ha Long bay and the cultural life of the people in Cua Van fishing village in Ha Long bay.

The Spirit of Asia team of the PBS Television has made a newsreel on tourism in Ha Long bay and the cultural life of the people in Cua Van fishing village in Ha Long bay.

At 16:30, March 18 and march 25, 2012, the PBS Television of Thailand (Thai Public Broadcasting Service Television) showed two episodes of Ha Long Bay film .

The film making team visited Ha Long bay at the end of February 2012. The main participants include 3 major members: Production director Naruchi Rochananond; major cameraman Chamnan Pranee and co-producer Kunweenee Paocharoen. This is the first time the team came and made film on landscape and people in Ha Long bay. However, the team visited Vietnam many times to make films on landscape and cultural life of Vietnamese people in Sa Pa, Dien Bien, Ha Noi, Ho Chi Minh city, Nha trang, Da Lat, Hue, Hoi An, Can Tho, Ha Tien, Phu Quoc…

The team has produced and shown more than 20 episodes of films on Vietnam so far, each of which lasts 20 minutes on PBS Television Channel. The film producing team has been supported enthusiastically by the Department of Press – Ministry of Information and Communication, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Southeast Asian Research Institute, Vietnamese Academy of Social-Science. The content of these films is about tourism, describing in details the life styles and festivals of people all over the Asian countries. The Spirit of Asia film maker has been two times awarded the outstanding title by the Thailand press and television (in 2010 and 2012)

The Spirit of Asia programs are often shown in Thai language but the two episodes on Ha Long bay broadcast on Thai PBS channel recently were dubbed in Thai and English. Therefore, the image of Ha Long bay will be promoted to the people in Thai and all over the world. The two episodes include “Descending Dragon at Ha Long” and “The Guardians of Ha Long Bay”. The first episode showed scene of the ways to Ha Long bay such as Hai Phong Opera House, Hai Phong harbor…; scene of purchasing boat tickets to visit the bay, Thien Cung Cave, beautiful islets on the bay, cage fishing village and the specially impressed trade of fresh seafood and processing food right on the yacht; scene of a fish market and a scene of queuing people to purchase the well known specialty Cha Muc (grilled chopped squid)…If the first episode broadcasts the familiar scenes in a 4 hour tour by boat on Ha Long Bay, the second episode shows the daily life of the people in Cua Van fishing village, the only floating cultural center in Vietnam (the Cua Van floating cultural museum).

Under the support from Ha Long management board, the film producer team had chances to follow the working ship of the employee in the management board. Therefore, they approach the daily life of the staff working on the bay. The wonderful landscape of the Cua Van fishing village is recorded though a lot of Vietnamese people have never seen before in details. The scene of students welcoming their teachers in small boats, the enthusiastic working of young teachers and the friendliness of students in the fishing village are also recorded lively.

After watching these videos, foreign people must be surprised by the hospitality of the Vietnamese children. In addition, including in the videos are the sweet folk songs performed by the villagers and especially the weird but rather realistic landscape of Van Chai people such as fishing tools, traditional customs…In conclusion, these episodes have positive affection on promoting tourism in Vietnam. It recorded in details the scenery and daily life of people in Ha Long bay in particular and Vietnam in general.

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Over 40 wireless transmitters will be installed along National Highway 18A in Ha Long City this month to supply free Wi-Fi services, according to the provincial Department of Information and Communications.

The service is expected to become operational on April 20, about ten days before Ha Long Tourism Week 2012.

Tourists and residents will be able to access free Wi-Fi throughout the city, but will be charged for using entertainment services or when exceeding download limits.

The construction of an information technology infrastructure is essential to the city becoming a modern tourist destination.

The supply of free wifi hotspots in Ha Long is part of a wireless installation project in Quang Ninh province which targets to cover all townships and cities by 2015.

Ha Long will be the second locality in Viet Nam providing free-of-charge Wi-Fi services after the central city of Hoi An.

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Lan Ha Bay is part of the Halong Bay community but unlike its more famous neighbor it boasts some amazing sandy beaches.
Located east of Cat Ba Island, a World Natural Heritage site which is famous for its dreamlike and fresh beauty, tourists cannot ignore a pit-stop here when visiting Haiphong Province.

Lan Ha has an astonishing 139 sandy beaches. Some of them are tucked between giant rock mounts and thus are more quiet spots without big, crashing waves and are ideal places for a quiet swim.

The bay is over 7,000 hectares wide, of which 5,400 hectares is managed by Cat Ba National Park. This is a peaceful bay with 400 islands and islets of varied sizes.

The bay is endowed with limestone mountains which give the sea small islands and islets as well as fascinating caves. Some caves have wonderful stalactites in diverse colors and shapes in Ham Rong, Do Cung and Ca grottoes.

There are also hundreds of rocks in various shapes such as Guoc Islet (shoe) or Doi Islet (bat).

Diving to admire colorful corals is a must in Lan Ha with Van Boi and Van Ha beaches, Sen, Cu and Khi islands as good choices.Tourists can also drift along canyons and small islets by kayak or wooden boats. There are also some pearl farms in Cat Dua Beach to discover.

Lan Ha Bay also features a scattering of fishing villages which are also must-see places for travelers to learn more about the daily life, culture and customs of fishermen.

SGT

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A Thai tourist has been forced to pay VND10 million (around US$500) for a 6-kg fish at a fishing village in Ha Long Bay, northern Quang Ninh Province.

Kasilod Wuttichai from Thailand visited Ha Long Bay, a popular tourist site in Vietnam, with the excitement of exploring a new country.

After the boat carrying him stopped at the Ba Hang fishing village where many tourists like to visit, Kasilod and some friends went to a fishing craft for sightseeing. He caught a fish and told the owner that he wanted to buy it without asking the price first.

The owner told Kasilod that the fish he chose cost VND1.8 million per kg and weighed a total 6 kg.

As the result, he was forced to pay more than VND10 million (US$500).

“I told them I don’t want it any more, but they force me to buy it because they already beat the fish’s head to death,” Kasilod told Tuoi Tre.

After being informed about the scam, Nguyen Dang Truong, chief of Quang Ninh’s market management, reassured that during the Tet holiday from January 16 to 30, the price was very stable in the market and he had yet to receive any information about the rip-off at local fishing crafts.

However, he also warned tourists to be careful.

He said tourists should ask fishing craft owners to show the marked price first before deciding to buy anything.

In case they are ripped off, tourists should keep the receipts and notify authorities of the violation via hot-lines.

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The world’s most famous TripAdvisor o­nline travel site has recently listed Ha Long among the top 25 Asian most attractive destinations.
This will be the conditions for Ha Long’s good tourist development.
According to TripAdvisor, the beautiful natural scenery, the impressive caves and the global recognized exceptional values have made the attraction for tourists to Ha Long Bay.

After Halong Bay preliminary shortlisted to become the world’s new natural wonders, the number of travel agencies, tourists to Ha Long are always of high percentage compared with other tours in the North.

From November 2011 to March 2012, the Star Cruise will make 87 tours with about 190,000 Asian high-class visitors to Ha Long Bay, 18 o­nes of which will take place o­n December 2011.

To meet the increasing needs of tourists to Ha Long, Quang Ninh province has invested in infrastructure including harbors, vessels and accommodation services. Therefore, the tourist activities in Ha Long are not o­nly exciting, but more professional. /.
Source: quangninh.gov.vn

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For three days we cruised around the islands of Halong Bay, in the Gulf of Tonkin, one of the most magnificent natural sights I’ve ever seen in my life.

Think of the Grand Canyon in reverse: erosion wreaked by the ocean forming thousands of tiny islands that erupt like small mountains that are home to soaring eagles.

I send an official photo because my words and pictures can’t do justice to its wondrous beauty, nor to the luxury of the red-sailed, wooden Chinese-style junk (The Prince, with 2 cabins) on which we wined and dined like royalty.

We took kayak trips to a beach to visit caves in the rocks and where they prepared a barbecue for us.

On the last night we celebrated Patricia’s birthday with champagne, music and dancing with our fellow shipmate, a handsome Dutchman, and the entire crew.

I noticed a twinkle in the Captain’s eye as we danced to music of the Beatles.

After our dream cruise, we returned to Hanoi where we caught the overnight train to Sapa, high in the mountains of the northwest region of Vietnam, near the Chinese border.

It’s cold but sunny and we marvel at the panoramic view from the large terrace of our large comfortable room.
The porters offer us a motorbike ride around the region.

We hop on and take off on the bumpy road to marvel at the terraced rice paddies cut in irregular shapes out of the steep mountainsides, crossing the nearby pass to visit a stunning waterfall.

Stunning mountain views surround.

We pass through villages of “minority tribes:” black Hmong, Red Hmong, Dao people and Tay people, whose women dress in traditional embroidered clothing, with large earrings and colorful leg warmers.
Patricia and I are glad we brought our anoraks and warm underwear.

After a delicious dinner of pork spring rolls and noodle soup in our hotel we light a fire in the fireplace of our room, turn on the electric blankets to warm our beds, and sleep like angels.

Next day a heavy fog descends on the mountains and the temperature drops to 40 degrees.
Not only can’t we see the mountains we can’t even see our terrace.

Bundled in all my warm clothes, plus the rubber boots I purchased in the market, we go for a three hour trek off the road, on a muddy track, to get a close look at a few Hmong villages.

But now the rain is falling hard, the temperature drops again and it’s too cold for this thin-blooded West Hollywood Los Angelina.

We head straight to the only place in town with central heating: the five-star $300 per night Hotel Victoria, where we spend a glorious warm spa afternoon getting foot massage, aromatic oil body massage, soothing papaya wraps, and hot soaks in wooden tubs filled with flower petals.

They bring us tea and snacks and we forget the cold for a little while.
Next day, the weather is colder yet and rainier, which is out of season.

Patricia went back to the market and I stayed in our room, next to a roaring fire and the space heater on full force.
Why don’t we get out of town now?

We’ve arranged for a private car to drive us to Dien Bien Phu tomorrow morning, a drive which my guidebook declares passes through the most scenic area in the country.

I just hope the weather will be clear enough for us to see something.

Source by: Carol Pearlman is a writer living in West Hollywood who makes world-girdling journeys as often as she can, reporting back to West Hollywood via WeHo News as she goes.

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Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his girl friend Pricilla Chan spent Christmas Eve on a cruise ship on Ha Long Bay.

They were spotted first at a cell phone shop in Hanoi’s Metropole Hotel on December 23 and the information quickly spread on the Internet.

Local news media on Friday quoted witnesses as saying that they saw Zuckerberg and Chan on Thursday visiting the Hoa Lo Prison Museum, known as the “Hanoi Hilton,” where American prisoners of war were held during the Vietnam War.

A source told Thanh Nien that the couple departed from Hanoi’s Gia Lam Airport in the morning on December 24 on two EC 155-B1 helicopters hired from the Northern Vietnam Helicopter Company.

Mark and his friends flew in one helicopter while the other was for their two guards, it said, adding that the payment for the two helicopters was about US$20,000.

A Quang Ninh tourism official told Thanh Nien on condition of anonymity that one of the helicopters landed on a hill at Bai Chay.

Zuckerberg and his entourage of eight people hired the Phoenix cruise ship and left the mainland at around 11:30 p.m. to cruise Bo Nau and Sung Sot caves in Ha Long Bay, another source told Thanh Nien.

Mark and his entourage spent the night in the bay and also rowed kayaks there.

On December 25, they visited other places in the bay before departing for Sa Pa by helicopter.

Earlier, a representative of Facebook in Vietnam confirmed that Zuckerberg and his girlfriend are in Vietnam for the Christmas holiday, according to local news website VietNamNet.

The report quoted Huynh Kim Tuoc, Growth Manager of Facebook in Vietnam, as saying that the company has confirmed that “Zuckerberg has arrived in Hanoi on December 12.”

His trip is “personal and not related whatsoever to his work at Facebook,” the report quoted Tuoc as saying.

According to comScore, Vietnam is a one of only seven markets where Facebook does not have the largest audience in the social networking category. The other markets are Brazil, China, Japan, Poland, Russia and South Korea.

Zuckerberg and Chan also made a low profile trip to China and Thailand for last year’s Christmas holiday.
By Thanh Nien News

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Halong Bay Cruise on Princess Junk – The Vietnamese business circle has geared up to prepare to grab the new opportunities to be brought when Ha Long Bay has been recognized as one of the seven new wonders of the world. Experts have urged management agencies to draw up long term development plan to effectively exploit the wonderful landscape.

More travelers to come to Ha Long

An officer of the Tuan Chau tourism complex in Quang Ninh province said that the bosses asked their staff to send messages to vote for Ha Long bay as the new wonder of the world. Dao Hong Tuyen, a well known businessman in Vietnam, and his staff spent one day in a whole to make and send messages. This can show how high hopes the businessmen put on the title of the new wonder of the world.

Ha Long, which has been two times officially recognized as the world’s heritages, is now a famous tourism destination of Vietnam, where a lot of tourism complex projects have been arisen, including the Tuan Chau International Tourism and Recreation Complex, Mandaville Ha Long, The Bayview Tower and the 19-storey apartment tower, Metro Ha Long hyperlink and golf courses. Businessmen better understand than any one about the positive impacts that the title “new wonder of the world” can bring.

Director of a travel firm said that with the new title, Ha Long Bay will have more opportunities to attract more travelers, especially foreign ones. Foreign media will introduce Ha Long to the international audience as one of the new wonders of the world, which will make people know more about Ha Long and encourage them to fly to Vietnam to see the wonder with their eyes. Meanwhile, travel firms will have the opportunities to design new tours to the Ha Long bay.

The businessman also said that it is necessary to take actions right now to preserve the wonderful beauty endowed to Ha Long bay by the nature.

Don’t miss the great opportunity

It is clear that the title of the new wonder of the world will bring great business opportunities. However, the opportunities may be missed if businesses do not follow reasonable plans to grab them.

Analysts recalled the bombing in Bali in 2002, which frightened a lot of international tourists and many travelers then refused to come there in the next years. However, Vietnam could not attract travelers to the country as the alternative destination, even though the political stability and safety are always the big advantages of Vietnam.

The prolonged floods in Thailand have forced a lot of international tourists to change their itineraries. However, Vietnam has been doing nothing to lure travelers to the country. In fact, Vietnamese businesses well understand that the opportunities are coming, but they cannot do anything to turn the opportunities realistic.

Travel firms all say that relevant ministries and branches, and the community all need to join the campaign to develop the Ha Long bay and the tourism industry, while this is not the story of Ha Long Bay or Quang Ninh province alone.

They said that one of the most urgent tasks is to upgrade the road that links Noi Bai airport and Ha Long Bay to make it easier to travel on and safer. It would be better if there are many things to admire, to purchase and to enjoy on the road, which allows travelers to avoid insipid hours on the road.

They also said that Vietnam should not let complicated procedures to discourage foreign travelers. Besides, there are also many things to be done to satisfy the diversified requirements of travelers. They do not want to come to Ha Long bay and stay there for one week just to admire the beauty of the bay, but they need to enjoy other services during their trips.

Quang Ninh received 1.7 million travelers in the first nine months of 2011, while Disneyland in Hong Kong attracted one million visitors just within 2.5 months since the opening day. This shows the importance of modern works in attracting travelers.

By Vo Hong VNN

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Halong Bay in Quang Ninh is a one of Vietnam Heritage Site, and a popular travel destination of Vietnam tours. Cruise Ha Long Bay is a center of a larger zone which includes Bái Tu Long bay to the northeast, and Cát Bà islands to the southwest.
Halong Bay has an area of around 1,553 km2, including 1,960 islets, most of which are limestone. The core of the bay has an area of 334 km2 with a high density of 775 islets. Here below are some wonderful Halong bay caves

Sung Sot Cave

Situated in the centre of the UNESCO-declared World Heritage area, the Sửng Sôt or Surprise Grotto is on Bồ Hòn Island, and is one of the finest and widest grottoes of Hạ Long Bay.
Ascending to the grotto, the way is covered by trees and foliage, and consists of great paved stone blocks.
Inside, it is partitioned into two chambers; the first one being similar to a wide theatre hall. Many stalactites hang from the high ceiling, with numerous possible forms and shapes.
A narrow passage leads to the second rooms, where a flow of light meets visitors. The chamber is so immense it could contain thousands of people at one time.
At the deepest point of the grotto, a “royal garden” appears with a clear pond and a seemingly fascinating landscape of mountains. Many birds and plants (benjamin figs, cycads and centenary banyan trees) live here. On nice days groups of monkeys might arrive in search of fruit.
It is situated in the central tourism centre of the bay, as well as Ti Tốp Beach, Bô Nâu Grotto, Mê Cung Grotto and Luồn Grotto. French named it “grotte des surprises” (grotto of surprise)
From the wharf, you climb 50 steep stone stairs to the mouth of the grotto, which lies 25 m above the sea level. Going down some 10 stone stairs, you reach the mouth of a grotto. The grotto covers some 10, 000 m2. Inside the grotto there have thousands of stalactites and stalagmites along the 500-meter paved passage. Light posts line the passage and serve as signposts and ornaments. The lighting system with elegant styles adds more charm to the beauty of the grotto.
Up in the 30-meter roof of the grotto, one can figure out small, soft and even concave spots, which look like patterns in the ceiling of a theater. A huge piece of stone stands up to the ceiling by the grotto’s mouth. This evidences one of the typical karst-style grottoes with high scientific values.
At the side of the entrance, the rock seems to form the shape of a horse with a long sword. Legend has it, that after having defeated the Ân aggressors, Thánh Gióng (the Saint Gióng) helped the population to chase away evil spirits and demons. After this feat, Saint Gióng flew to heaven, leaving a stone horse and sword to continue to keep the demons away.

Thien Cung cave

It is situated on the south-west side the bay, 4 km from the wharf outside of Ha Long City. The way to Thiên Cung is a perilous one, covered on both sides by thick forest. After entering a narrow gate, the grotto’s 130-meter-long girth opens up. Getting in we are more astonished in front of the very animated and splendid beauty which is made from stalactite. On the east wall of the grotto, there is a grandiose and imposing picture with characters of tales.
Going out of the Thiên Cung Grotto, we have a sensation of just watching a unique, meticulous, interesting fine-art museum which is made by nature, get out of the imagine, ability and intellect of man.
This grotto is recently discovered, one of the most beautiful grottoes in Halong Bay.
Legend has it, that beautiful young lady named Mây (cloud), caught the eye of the Dragon Prince and he fell in love with her. They were betrothed, and their wedding lasted seven days and seven nights in the very centre of the grotto.In honour of the wedding, small dragons flew about through the stalactites and stalagmites, elephants danced together happily, snakes twined themselves around trees and two stone lions danced with their manes flowing in the wind. A large elephant, smartly dressed, waited for the bride and the groom. The genies of the south and north stars also came to attend the banquet, and the atmosphere was definitely animated and lively. All these scenes have been seemingly fossilized in the grotto.
In the centre are four large pillars supporting the “roof of heaven.” From the base to the top, many strange images seem to live in the stone: birds, fish, flowers and even scenes of human life. On the north wall of the grotto a group of fairies seem to dance and sing in honour of the wedding. Under the immeasurably high roof, stalactites make a natural stone curtain. Somewhere there is the sound of a drum beating, but it is actually just the noise made by the wind blowing through stone.
Arriving at the last partition of the grotto, a natural gushing stream of water babbles throughout the year. Here are three small ponds of clear water. Legend has it, that this was where Mây bathed her 100 children, bringing them up wisely and happily into adolescence. One path meanders out of the grotto; it was the way Mây, together with 50 of her children, took to harvest new lands. The 50 remaining children, together with their father, were left to build the native land. Left behind by the mother was the natural stream described above.

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