Halong Bay Overview
Situated in the Northeastern region of Vietnam, Halong Bay is a
bay in the Gulf of Tonkin, comprised of regions of Halong City,
the township of Cam Pha, and a part of the island district of Van
Don. Halong Bay borders Cat Ba Island in the southwest, the East
Sea in the east, and the mainland, creating a 120 km coastline.
Halong Bay is made up of 1,969 islands of various sizes, 989 of
which have been given names. There are two kinds of islands,
limestone and schist, which concentrate in two main zones: the
southeast (belonging to Bai Tu Long Bay), and the southwest
(belonging to Halong Bay). This densely concentrated zone of stone
islands, world famous for its spectacular scenery of grottoes and
caves, forms the central zone of Halong Bay, which has been named
a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The bay itself has an area of 43,400 ha, consists of 775
islands, and forms a triangle with the island of Dau Go (Driftwood
Grotto) to the west, the lake of Ba Ham (Three Shelter Lake) to
the south, and the island of Cong Tay to the east.
Viewed from above, Halong Bay resembles a geographic work of
art. While exploring the bay, you feel lost in a legendary world
of stone islands. There is Man's Head Island, which resembles a
man standing and looking towards the mainland. Dragon Island looks
like a dragon hovering above the turquoise water. La Vong Island
resembles an old man fishing. There are also the islands of the
Sail, the Pair of Roosters, and the Incense Burner, which all
astonishingly resemble their namesakes. The forms of the islands
change depending on the angle of the light and from where the
islands are viewed. At the core of the islands, there are
wonderful caves and grottoes, such as Thien Cung (Heavenly
Residence Grotto), Dau Go (Driftwood Grotto), Sung Sot (Surprise
Grotto), and Tam Cung (Three Palace Grotto).
Halong Bay has many links to the history of Vietnam. For
example, there are such famous geographical sites as Van Don (site
of an ancient commercial port), Poem Mountain (with engravings of
many poems about emperors and other famous historical figures),
and Bach Dang River (the location of two fierce naval battles
fought against foreign aggressors). It has been proven by
scientists that Halong was one of the first cradles of human
existence in the area at such archeological sites as Dong Mang,
Xich Tho, Soi Nhu, and Thoi Gieng. It is also a region of
highly-concentrated biological diversity with many ecosystems of
salt water-flooded forests, coral reefs, and tropical forests
featuring thousands of species of animal and plant life.
With all this in mind, the 18th meeting of the Committee of the
World Heritages of UNESCO (in Thailand on December 17th, 1994),
officially recognized Halong Bay as a natural heritage site of
worldwide importance.
Haiphong Overview
Lying 100 kilometers from Hanoi, on the Cua Cam River, one of
the main channels of the Red River, Hai Phong was a formerly
humble fishing village and developed to be the main port city in
the North Vietnam only in the 17th century. However, the real
development of township began only during the siege of the French
in 1874. Since then, Hai Phong has been served the north's
principal port as well as the military outpost. Industries also
began to develop along the Cua Cam River, enhancing the city's
affluence.
Haiphong city reappeared in the history books as the battle
field between the French troops and the soldiers of the newly
declared Democratic Republic of Vietnam during the Indochina War
I, resulting in the estimated one thousand to six thousand deaths
of civilians. The war, however, ended up with the embarkation of
the French Troops upon the collapse of French Indochina in 1955.
Only a decade later, Haiphong was under siege again. As one of
the few industrial centers in the North, the city was, this time,
targeted by the American planes, attending to destroy a major
supply route for Soviet aid. During that time, Haiphong was a
mines-infested city because of the Nixon's order, mining of
Haiphong harbor, in 1972. Haiphong became free of mines and safe
once more when America cleared up later the mines under the terms
of the Paris ceasefire agreement, allowing the peace and the
economic recovery of the city.
Today, Haiphong is considered as the industrial center of the
northern region of Vietnam. The sight of smoke-puffing factories
and the bustling highways as well as the businessmen commuting
around the city become common. However, these can enjoyably
co-inhabit with the broad avenues of the elegant colonial villas
in the old districts of the city, adding to the impression of the
fascinating controversy. Although Haiphong only has low-key
attractions if compare to the neighboring world famous Halong, its
pleasantly quiet ambiance is charming enough for relaxation.
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