Going to discover Vietnam without even sailing the waters of Halong Bay? Unthinkable! This beautiful bay has been rightly proclaimed a World Heritage by UNESCO. There is no doubt that this magical place will generate exceptional photos and will remain engraved in your memory for a long time.
Since 2012, Halong Bay has been on the list of 7 new wonders of nature. No need to specify that this is something out of the ordinary. You cannot miss it under any circumstances during your trip to Vietnam.
“Halong” means ‘dragon descending into the sea’. It is true that the rocks protruding from the water resemble the scales of a gigantic dragon. Many of these small islands are uninhabited. Most people live off fishing and never reach the mainland.
The rocks are made of limestone, and as you may know, limestone is subject to erosion. This is how many underground caves and lakes have appeared over the centuries.
5 must do’s in Halong Bay
A cruise through the bay
Let’s start with the most obvious: a cruise across the bay. You will not be alone, but it’s a must. An experience you are not about to forget, even if you sometimes have to be able to ignore other boats. There are all kinds of different boats, with the possibility of sleeping on board. There are also private boats.
Visit the floating villages
The bay is full of floating villages. Ba Hang and Cua Van are undoubtedly the best known. The inhabitants literally live on and around the water.
Explore Cat Ba
The largest island in Halong Bay is Cat Ba. It is adventurous to say the least: with its dense jungle, it is also a very wild island. The village of Cat Ba is a bit more crowded, but the rest of the island is mostly made up of nature.
A breakaway in Lan Ha Bay
Smaller, less well known, but also beautiful. Lan Ha Bay is less touristy, but that is precisely its advantage.