Halong Bay
Ha
Long (Halong) Bay is located in the northeastern part of Vietnam and
constitutes part of the western bank of Tonkin Gulf, including the
sea area of Ha Long City and Hai Phong. The site is 1553 sq. km with
more than 2000 islands and islets of various sizes, of which 1969 have been
named
The
islands in Ha Long Bay are mainly limestone and schist islands most
lying in the two main areas: the southeastern part of Bai Tu Long
Bay and southwestern part of Ha Long Bay. These islands represent
the most ancient images of a geographical site having a tectonic age
of from 250 million to 280 million years. In a not very large area,
thousands of islands with different forms look like glittering
emeralds attached to the blue scarf of a virgin. The area where many
stone islands concentrate has spectacular scenes and world-famous
caves and is the center of Ha Long Bay Natural Heritage.
Viewed from above, Ha Long Bay looks like an extremely vivid huge
drawing. This is a wonderful and skilful masterpiece of the Creation
and of nature that turns thousands of dumb soulless stone islands
into fantastic sculptural and artistic works of various graceful
shapes, both familiar and strange to human beings. Thousands of
islands emerging uneven in the fanciful waves look strong and
magnificent but also mild and vivid, all are so real that people are
taken aback by them.
Inside
the stone islands are various breath-taking caves, such as Thien
Cung, Dau Go, Sung Sot, Trinh Nu and others. These are really
magnificent palaces of the Creation on earth.
Ha Long is also home to great biodiversity with typical eco-systems
like mangrove forest, coral and tropical forest. It is also home to
thousands of plants and animals of numerous species, for example
shrimp, fish and squid. Some species are particularly rare and can
be found no where else.
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