Hạ Long Bay - One of the World's Heritage

Hạ Long Bay with Helicopter View

Ha Long Bay (Bay where Dragon landed) is a small bay of the west coast of North Bay in the East Vietnam Sea, including islands in the waters of Ha Long City, Cam Pha City and a part of the districtVan Don island province of Quang Ninh.

Is the center of a large area with little more common elements of geology, geomorphology, landscape, climate and culture, with Bai Tu Long Bay northeast and Cat Ba Island in the southwest, Ha Long Bay restricted area of about 1553 km ², including 1,969 islands, mostly limestone islands, of which the core area of the Gulf has an area of 334 km ² clustered density of 775 islets. Limestone tectonic history of the Gulf has spent about 500 million years to the ancient geographical circumstances are very different; fully and evolution carxto process over the last 20 million years to a combination of factors such as thick limestone floors, hot and humid climate and the slow tectonic uplift as a whole. The combination of the environment, climate, geology, geomorphology, has made ​​Ha Long Bay gathering of biodiversity including ecosystem of tropical moist evergreen rain forest and marine ecosystems and coastal coast with many small ecosystems. 14 endemic plant species and 60 endemic animal species have been discovered among the thousands of plant and animal populations living in the Gulf.

The Imortal Legend

Ha Long Bay has long ago due to tectonic.However, in the minds of the Vietnamese people from prehistoric times to the popular imagination and the idea of Dragon and Fairy roots, some legends that when the English founded the country were foreign invaders, Jade Emperor sent Mother Dragon and her child Dragons down to earth to help the Viet people fight the invaders. Marine invaders' boats were rushing to the shore just as the dragons landed down on earth. The dragons immediately ejected the enemy boat burned, partially Chau Ngoc Dung imposing stone walls make the enemy hit that broke the boat, stop the progress of the Gentiles.

After the victory, the ground peaceful, lush trees, the people here diligence, hard work, solidarity and help each other, Mother Dragon and Child Dragons did not return Heaven but stayed on earth, where just place the eternal battle to protect the people of Dai Viet. Location Mother Dragon landed was Ha Long; where Child Dragons came down was Bai Tu Long and the water dragon undo tail is white Bach Long Vi (Tra Co Peninsula today, with over 15 km long sandy beach).

Other legends say that at a time when a country with invaders, a dragon flying along the river down to the sea and landed in the coastal Northeast make sure bulwark step of aquatic invaders. Dragon landed sheltered accommodation for the country known as Ha Long.

Landscape

One of the Cave up inside off sea moutains

Regional heritage on Ha Long Bay was recognized by the world (core area) has an area of ​​434 km ², as a triangle with three vertices is the island of Dau Go (west), Ba Ham lake (south) and the island of Cong Tay (east), consists of 775 islands with many caves and beaches. The next area (buffer zone), is the national heritage has been the ranking of Culture and Information of Vietnam in 1962. Ha Long Bay is the island, terrain interspersed between the valley of the sea, is a land of salt tiger parrots grow and limestone cliff islands that make up the beauty of contrast, harmony, lively elements: stone , water and sky .

Sea and islands

The islands in Ha Long Bay, there are two types of islands of limestone and schist islands, concentrated in two main areas of the southeast region of Bai Tu Long Bay and southwestern region of Ha Long Bay. According to the Management Board of Ha Long Bay, in the total of 1,969 islands of Ha Long Bay to the 1921 islands with many islands with a height of about 200 m [5]. This is the oldest image of the terrain tectonic age from 250-280 million years ago, as a result of the campaign raised, lowered several times from the continent into the sea valley. Process abrasive carxto, turned almost completely create a Ha Long Bay unique, with thousands of islands many shapes, different looks heaving on the sea, in an area not major Gulf.

Concentration of the islands have spectacular scenery and many beautiful caves is central Ha Long Bay Natural Heritage, including the majority of the bay (the core), part of Bai Tu Long Bay and Lan Ha Bay Cat Ba Islands (buffer).

The islands in Ha Long Bay has its own shape, unlike any island Vietnamese coastal and island does the same. Gathering place island looked away wondering if stacked on top of each other, but also for alternate horizontal lined island, forming long lines running tens of kilometers as a wall. It is a world of creatures hidden in the shape of stone have been legendary. Island is the same face that someone is looking forward to the mainland (than oil); island is like a dragon hovering above the water (Dragon Islet); island is like an old man sitting fishing (rock La Vong); far is two sails are turning brown waves offshore (islet sails); reverse magnifying raspberry soup as also (raspberry); then chicken lovingly playing with each other on the waves ( over the roof); standing between the vast sea a giant incense as an object of worship heaven and earth (Hon Lu Huong); islands like monks standing in the middle of the Gulf of how la palms Buddha (Hon Mr Master) ; circular islands have a height of about 40 meters looks like exposed his chopstick nature (rock Chopsticks), but viewed from the other direction like the blue court, dragonfly wings hat, fisherman, also known as islet He etc.

Besides the islands are named based on the shape, is the island named after the folk area (Bai Tho mountain, hang Virgin, Tuan Chau), or based on the specialty of the island or sea around the island (Hon Ngoc Vung, Golden Ant island, islands etc.).

Cave

Sửng Sốt Cave

Not only the transformation of the dark green islands on the Gulf countries specifically attractive, red-brown bat boats comes from Halong pier start your sightseeing, discovery again keep guests on the island, visiting the cave contains many hidden historical evidence. The caves in Ha Long Bay, according to the French geological expedition, while studies on the bay in the early 20th century, said that most of them were constructed in the Pleistocene lasted from 2 million to 11 thousand years ago, is located in the 3 groups of ancient underground cave, hang background carxto and the sea palate.

Cave Sửng Sốt: Hang Sung Sot, or Sung Sot is located on Bo Hon Island in the center of Ha Long Bay, which is the French name "Grotte des surprises" (of the period). This is a large and beautiful cave in Halong Bay's most. Situated in the tourist center of the system in the Gulf tourist routes including Ti Top beach - hang Bo Nau - Maze-Luon cave Sung Sot cave.

Location and area: Hang Sung Sot is a tubular cave, located at an altitude of 25 meters above the current sea level. Area about 10.000m2, length more than 200m, the widest place 80m, the largest distance from the ceiling to hang approximately 20m. Hang is divided into two compartments.

Detect and process management: - Due to the extended store, Sung Sot cave was discovered quite early on Halong Bay (late nineteenth century). New name of the cave was not until 1946 that appears on the mass media by some expedition here. - In 1999, the Management Board of Ha Long Bay has invested embellished Sung Sot Cave. The road system, the light so that visitors can see and feel the beauty of the block stalactites, stalagmites inside hang.Anh bright architectural designed in accordance with customers at the same time in harmony with daylight course from the store. - Currently Sung Sot Cave under the management of the cave Park Conservation Centre (Management Board of Ha Long Bay).

Road to Sung Sot Cave winding winding under the forest canopy, with the craggy stone pair, twist and turn. Action is divided into two compartments, the first full stop as a large theater wide wandering cave ceiling is covered with stalactites, stone statues, stone elephants, seals, raspberries, flowers, opening up a world of fairy. 2 separate compartments 1 through a small opening. Step into the cabinet, opened a new scene completely different with our wide compartment can accommodate thousands of people. Inside compartment 2 of Sung Sot cave image is associated with the legend of St. encoded: next to the entrance is a stone horse, long sword, and in the grotto there are small ponds Stud footprints.

Thien Cung:

Halong City around 8 km and 4 km from the tourist harbor is the island context, also known as Canh Doc Island coordinates of 107 ° 00'54 "and 20 ° 54'78". In books Unified Dai Nam has written: Hon Canh Doc Island halfway widely accommodate several thousand, nearby islands Pair Chicken, Cat Island, Hon La .... Today, through research, Van Canh island top 189m, shaped like a throne embracing two Dau Go Cave is a cave located protruding above and Thien Cung at the edge of the water not far away. Hang Dau Go and Thien Cung about 100m apart, are separated by winding paths, bending under the forest canopy.

Thien Cung is situated halfway Canh Doc Island, at a height of 25m above sea level. Guests step into the door Thien Cung, sudden heart open space quadrilateral cross-section with a length of over 130 meters, with stalagmites like a beautiful temples. Vertical high walls and surrounded by stalactites and on every wall mosaic that nature has many strange shapes, attractive view. That is four huge pillars between the pole to the top are carved strange shapes such as birds, fish, scenes of human activity, leaves flowers; bring iconic stalactites Nam Tao, Polaris maiden dance; cave ceiling with a sculpture, birds, flowers, animals are a party, entirely by hand manipulation of nature for thousands of years. Small door hidden in the mountains but increasingly go inside, heart as big and wide open, leading viewers go from surprise to surprise.

Voted in the Seven New Natural Wonders of the World

In the four years from 2007-2011, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in conjunction with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Education and Training, Ministry of Information and Communications, Tuoi Tre newspaper associations such as the Youth, Student Association, etc. Quang Ninh province and many other local organizations-scale campaign to vote for Ha Long Bay is one of the Seven New Natural Wonders of the World, is a poll by private NewOpenWorld Organization (NOWC). The poll is not due to cultural organizations, education, the United Nations (UNESCO) organized and election results is not recognized by this organization, so the public does not agree as well as criticism. But according to Tran Nhat Hoang, director of the Center for the Promotion of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the contest is "an opportunity to promote Vietnam, Monday again after the title, will continue to promote promotion, to attract more tourists to Vietnam anymore ". . When compared to the broadcast on international media such as CNN, BBC, each took about $ 160,000 - $ 200,000 (4 billion) but only in 1 ad 30-second clip, the cost of mobilization is not significantly while the efficiency is much higher. Compared with the annual cost of promoting tourism in the same area is also very small, such as Malaysia to invest $ 80 million, Thailand 70 million, and Singapore nearly $ 60 million.

At 7 pm November 11, 2011 to 2pm November 12, 2011 (now Vietnam), Ha Long Bay New7Wonders organization announced as one of the seven natural wonders of the new world after the preliminary voting.