Best time to travel to Halong Bay

Posted by admin on February 11, 2011 under Tips for Halong tours | Be the First to Comment

Halong’s climate is humid and tropical. With a hot, humid summer and dry, cold winter; Halong’s  temperature varies from 15ºC to 25ºC.

Annual rainfall is between 2000mm and 2200mm. Halong Bay has typical diurnal tide system (tide amplitude ranges from 3.5-4m). The salinity is from 31 to 34.5MT in dry season and lower in rainy season.

Photo by JR. Álvaro González

It is possible to visit Halong Bay year-round, with the best time to visit from October through April, although during the winter months of December, January and February, the weather can be cool and overcast with low visibility. During the summer months from May to September, temperatures rise and storms are more likely during the rainy season.

Five-star dining … in a Vietnam cave

Posted by admin on February 10, 2011 under Halong Bay Cruises, Tips for Halong tours | Be the First to Comment

Halong Bay, about 100 miles east of Hanoi, is in the running for inclusion in the global campaign  New7Wonders of Nature. What’s so special about Halong Bay? Not only does it have nearly 2,000 limestone islands, many of them are hollow, with massive caves. Several operators offer excursions on the bay, but Emeraude Classic Cruises says it offers something a little different: dinner.

Emeraude offers up a four-course dinner inside one of these caves during its annual Wine and Dine Cruise.
This year, the cruise departs May 14 and returns the next morning. The cruise’s $245-per-person price tag includes breakfast at Hanoi’s Press Club, champagne, a seafood buffet, and tapas and wine tasting before dinner in the cave.

“Halong Bay from the deck of the ship is an incredible sight,” said Kurt Walter, general manager of Emeraude. And “viewing it from the interior of Drum Cave is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

Source: LA Times

Souvenirs in Halong

Posted by admin on January 27, 2011 under Tips for Halong tours | Be the First to Comment

In Halong there are souvenirs of a diverse variety: local arts and crafts from coal, wood, horn items, brocade and embroidered items, glassware, porcelain and sea products (pearls, sea shells etc.) as well as electrical and photographic accessories, and post cards. Traditional souvenirs of Quang ninh are porcelain, ceramics, embroidery and arts and crafts from coal, wood and other natural products.

A souvenir shop in Halong

Souvenir shops in Halong Bay:

Kiosks, shops, drinks and other services are available at the visitor sites, such as: at the entry of Thien cung Grotto, Dau go Cave, Titov Beach, Soisim Island and Sung sot Cave. Similar services may be available on tourist boats.

There are also shops in Baichay, such as:

- Thanh Nien Mart, by the three-way crossroads near Baichay Post Office:

- Vuondao Commercial Center in Vuondao Street, Bai Chay.

- Halong Supermarket in Le Thanh Tong Street (Hon gai – Halong)

- Halong Market in Bachdang ward, Hongai. The market is open everyday, including Saturday and Sunday, until 10 pm.

- Baichay Night Market opens every night from 6 pm till 11 pm in the Thanhnien Tourism Company area.

- Fair Market is open on Tuesdays every week from 6.00hrs till 14.00hrs in the Halong Hotel area (mainly to serve package tours from tourist ships.)

Apart from the above shops, there are kiosks and souvenir shops available, along Baichay Street, Vuondao Street and in Halong hotels.

5 Essential Things to Do Around Halong Bay, Vietnam

Posted by admin on January 21, 2011 under Halong Attractions, Halong Bay Cruises, Halong Bay Overview, Halong Culinary, Tips for Halong tours | Be the First to Comment

Almost every traveler who visits Southeast Asia makes it a point to visit Halong Bay: a picturesque bay set amidst emerald waters and craggy limestone cliffs. Next to Ho Chi Minh City, Halong Bay is right up the list of must-see destinations for travelers in the region.

Flickr photo by qureyoon

So what can one do around Halong Bay besides taking that once-in-a-lifetime cruise into the UNESCO World Heritage site here? Fear no more as I had one extra day around Halong City when I visited Halong Bay, Vietnam recently. So here are 5 things you can do around Halong Bay if you have time to kill waiting for your junk boat cruise.

Bai Chay Tourist Wharf and Jetty

Bai Chay Tourist Wharf. It is here that most of the travelers will arrive at before heading out on the Halong Bay Overnight Cruise. Depending on your departure time, you may or may not have time to explore the area.

Vietnamese Coffee

Try some Vietnamese Coffee the Cafe 555 opposite the Bai Chay Tourist Wharf. Well, you need to walk about 100 meters to your right if you exit Bai Chay. The cafe is located in between a row of shops by the main road. They serve some potent coffee here so if you are a coffee lover, you hit jackpot here. If you don’t drink coffee, they have other drinks there too.

Karaoke anytime of the day

Try the Cafe Kinh Moi Karaoke just further down the road from Cafe 555. Start your karaoke sessions early if you must here. Singing is inside but if you so desire to do it outside, by all means.

Halong Market

Take a taxi to Halong City and visit the Halong Market. This market is right in the heart of Halong City and you cannot walk there unless you have a few hours to spare. Best would be to take a taxi there. Once here, explore the dry and wet market. A number of interesting items can be seen here while it would be wise to stock up on snacks and drinks for your Halong Bay Cruise.

Vietnamese Snacks and Herbal Drinks

Indulge in the local Vietnamese food and drinks at Halong City. In and around the Halong Market, there are quite a number of exotic foods available if you are up to it. One of the must-try items are the Squid Cakes which are similar to Thai Fish Cakes, these are sold in the open area behind Halong Market.

A number of stalls sell them and they are reasonably cheap and quite tasty. If you walk around the wet market area, you will come across various local foods and delicacies. One of them, the deep fried mini crabs sold cooked or raw. Also, if you have an iron stomach, try some of the local mixed rice dishes and finally wash it down with some local Vietnamese Herbal Drinks. Don’t forget to buy some local fruits for your Halong Bay Overnight Cruise trip.

Halong Bay Casino

Take a walk to the Halong Bay Casino (Royal International Casino). This super small and only casino in Halong Bay can be seen just located by the main road to Bai Chay. Walking here can take you about 10-15 minutes from the wharf. Foreigners need to show your passport to enter and there is no deposit required.

A coffee lounge with slot machines on the ground floor is open to all while there are two gambling halls, one on the ground floor which is closed on weekdays while the main hall is up on the first floor. So small that I walked round it in less than two minutes. So if you’re feeling lucky, head on to the Halong Bay Casino.

Author: David Jr

Bai Tu Long Bay

Posted by admin on March 27, 2009 under Halong Attractions, Tips for Halong tours | Read the First Comment

Bai Tu Long didn’t have own name because local people do not recognize its diffences with Ha Long Bay. At the beginning of 20th century, the engineering geological French working in Quang Ninh to visit the region. They showed it is an individual with Bay Ha Long Bay and named the new Bay this in French Tuolon Bay is to remember about their home city is Toulon. After this, who say the farm Toulon Bay Bai Tu Long. The legend has it that “The location Mother Dragon landed is nowadays HaLong Bay and where Child Dragons descended is now Bái Tu Long”.  With long and smooth sand banks and clear water waves, Bai Tu Long Bay is associated with the graceful and sweet beauty of a teen-aged girl.
The bay also attracts a growing number of domestic and foreign visitors to its historical and cultural sites, rare and precious specialties, and the archipelago’s unspoiled beauty.

There is a legend about the archipelago that in the old days when the Vietnam was attacked by foreign invaders, the God sent a mother dragon and its babies to support the Vietnamese people. The dragons immediately blew out myriad pearls and gems that turned into grand rock mountains as a solid citadel to protect the Vietnam. After the foreign invaders were pushed away, the mother dragon and its babies did not return to the heaven but stayed in the lower world. The land where the mother dragon landed was then called Ha Long, and where the baby dragons landed called Bai Tu Long. The area where the dragon tails lashed was called Long Vi, nowadays Tra Co Peninsula, which consists of many long and smooth sand banks.

There are hundreds of islets rising from the water and many quirkily shaped rock mountains on Bai Tu Long Bay’s site. Touring Bai Tu Long Bay, a day is not enough for visitors to discover these mysterious islets. Bai Tu Long National Park can also bring great surprises, and is one of the most desirable stopovers for visitors making a trip to Bai Tu Long Bay.

The Bai Tu Long National Park was formerly the 20km long and 1.5km wide Ba Mun Island. That island is part of Van Don District, some 60km away from Bai Chay Beach. The long island serves as a solid breakwater, preserving peaceful life for the whole region. The island is in fact a thick primitive forest consisting of two vegetation layers. The primeval layer consists of rare and precious woods like ironwood, teakwood, and canary-wood, while the second layer includes valuable herbs like araliaceous bark and rhubarb plant.

The Ba Mun primitive forest is the habitat of a variety of fauna. Spotted deer with their smooth fur are the most famous species. After showers when the weather turns fine, spotted deer often go to the forest edge to pick fresh buds that were washed by rainwater. The view from afar is excellent.

Visitors can reach the Bai Tu Long National Park by road from Bai Chay Beach or more romantically by speedboat. After tours, visitors can relax at stilt-houses near the water offering a wide range of food and drink.

Visitors can also call on a fishing village at Minh Chau Island or drop in on Cai Lang, the oldest village in the island with its clear-water Nang Tien (Fairy) Well. People once said that the girls’ hair would grow longer and blacker if they used water from the well to wash it.

Taking advantage of Bai Tu Long Bay’s attractions, many domestic travel companies both at home and abroad offer tours to the site. One of the best-selling tours brings visitors to the Bai Tu Long National Park, a fishing village at Minh Chau Island, Cai Lang, Thong Thien Cave, Phat Co Island, and finally returns to the shore to call at Cua Ong Temple and Van Hoa Port. Visitors can also go through thick forests to reach the habitat of ethnic minority groups (Dao Do, Tay, and San Diu minorities) and enjoy authentic local dishes.

Bai Tu Long Bay is every bit as beautiful as its famous neighbour. Indeed, in some ways it’s more beautiful, since it has scarcely seen any tourist development. This has its positives and negatives. The bay is unpolluted and undeveloped, but there’s little tourism infrastructure. It’s pretty hard travelling around and staying here, and unless you speak Vietnamese, it’s difficult to get information.

Charter boats can be arranged to Bai Tu Long Bay from Halong Bay; a boat suitable for 20 passengers costs US$10 per hour and the one-way journey takes about five hours. A cheaper alternative is to travel overland to Cua Ong pier, catch a public ferry to Van Don Island and visit the remote outlying islands by boat from Cai Rong pier.

Hotels in Halong Bay

Posted by admin on March 14, 2009 under Tips for Halong tours | Be the First to Comment

Tips for Halong tours

Posted by admin on October 2, 2008 under Baitho Junks, Bhaya Cruise, Emeraude Cruise, Ginger Cruise Programs, Halong Bay Cruises, Halong Bay Overview, Halong Bay Tours, Halong Ginger Cruise, Halong Jasmine cruise, Huonghai Junks, Indochina Junks, Indochina Sails, Tips for Halong tours, Tropical Sails | Read the First Comment

You’re recommended to bring

• Original Passport with valid visa

• Camera and rolls of film

• Sun block

• Wide brim hat

• Swimming clothes

• Sun Glasses

• Small amount of cash

• Jackets (In winter only)

• Personal medicines

• Joy and big smiles

You’re not recommended to bring

• Alcoholic Beverages

• Pets or any kind of animal

• Hazardous Materials

• Inflammable and Explosives

• Any kind of weapon

How to get there

• 180 km from Hanoi City

• 3 and a half hour by drive

Cruise Facilities

• Restaurants and Bar

• Kayaking Service (Optional)

• A/C cabins with en-suite bathrooms

• First Aid Kits

• Doctor on-call

• Luggage Storages

• Emergency Tender boat

• Major credit cards accepted