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A
UNESCO world heritage site and
truly a natural wonder, Halong
Bay is made up of over 3000
limestone karsts that soar
skyward out of calm emerald
waters. Within the islands of
the Bay there are hundreds of
beautiful caves, including
many famous names such as Thien
Cung, Dau Go, Sung
Sot, Tam Cung and Bo Nau.
Some of them are
archaeological sites retaining
tangible archaeological
evidence of Soi Nhu and Ha
Long prehistoric cultures such
as Soi Nhu, Me Cung, Tien Ong,
Thien Long, Hang Trong, and
Trinh Nu caves.
The
name Ha Long Bay is literally
translated as "Bay of
Descending Dragons". A
legend has been handed down in
the local area relating to the
name Ha Long Bay, which says:
"Long ago, in the first
founding days, the Viet people
were attacked by foreign
aggressors. The Jade Emperor
sent the Mother Dragon and a
herd of Child Dragons to help
the Viet fight the invaders.
While the enemy vessels were
launching massive attacks
against the mainland, the
dragons descended in flocks
from the sky. They spat out
innumerable pearls that, in a
moment, were changed into
innumerable jade stone islands
linked together into firm
citadels that checked the
enemy's advance and smashed
their vessels into pieces. The
Viet won at last! After the
invaders were driven out,
Mother Dragon and her Child
Dragons did not return to
Heaven but stayed on earth,
right at the place where the
battle occurred. The spot
where the Mother Dragon landed
was Ha Long, and where the
Child Dragons came down was
Bai Tu Long. The place where
their tails violently wagged
was called Long Vi, the
present-day Tra Co Peninsula
with its soft sandy beach
stretching dozens of
kilometers".
Sung
Sot Cave
Situated
in the centre of the
UNESCO-declared World Heritage
area, the Sung Sot or Surprise
Grotto is on Bo Hon Island,
and is one of the finest and
widest grottoes of Ha Long
Bay.
Ascending
to the grotto, the way is
covered by trees and foliage,
and consists of great paved
stone blocks.Inside,
it is artitioned into two
chambers; the first one being
similar to a wide theatre
hall. Many stalactites hang
from the high ceiling, with
numerous possible forms and
shapes.Anarrow
passage leads to the second
rooms, where a flow of light
meets visitors. The chamber is
so immense it could contain
thousands of people at one
time.At
the deepest point of the
grotto, a "royal
garden" appears with a
clear pond and a seemingly
fascinating landscape of
mountains. Many birds and
plants (benjamin figs, cycads
and centenary banyan trees)
live here. On nice days groups
of monkeys might arrive in
search of fruit.
Thien
Cung Grotto
It
is situated on the south-west
side the bay, 4 km from the
wharf outside of Ha Long City.
The way to Thien Cung is a
perilous one, covered on both
sides by thick forest. After
entering a narrow gate, the
grotto's 130-meter-long girth
opens up. Getting in we are
more astonished in front of
the very animated and splendid
beauty which is made from
stalactite. On the east wall
of the grotto, there is a
grandiose and imposing picture
with characters of tales.
Going
out of the Thien Cung Grotto,
we have a sensation of just
watching a unique, meticulous,
interesting fine-art museum
which is made by nature, get
out of the imagine, ability
and intellect of man.
This
grotto is recently discovered,
one of the most beautiful
grottoes in Ha Long Bay.
Legend
has it, that beautiful young
lady named May (cloud), caught
the eye of the Dragon Prince
and he fell in love with her.
They were betrothed, and their
wedding lasted seven days and
seven nights in the very
centre of the grotto.
In
honour of the wedding, small
dragons flew about through the
stalactites and stalagmites,
elephants danced together
happily, snakes twined
themselves around trees and
two stone lions danced with
their manes flowing in the
wind. A large elephant,
smartly dressed, waited for
the bride and the groom. The
genies of the south and north
stars came to attend the
banquet and the atmosphere
were definitely animated and
lively. All these scenes have
been seemingly fossilized in
the grotto.
In
the centre are four large
pillars supporting the
"roof of heaven."
From the base to the top, many
strange images seem to live in
the stone: birds, fish,
flowers and even scenes of
human life. On the north wall
of the grotto a group of
fairies seem to dance and sing
in honour of the wedding.
Under the immeasurably high
roof, stalactites make a
natural stone curtain.
Somewhere there is the sound
of a drum beating, but it is
actually just the noise made
by the wind blowing through
stone.
Arriving
at the last partition of the
grotto, a natural gushing
stream of water babbles
throughout the year. Here are
three small ponds of clear
water. Legend has it, that
this was where May bathed her
100 children, bringing them up
wisely and happily into
adolescence. One path meanders
out of the grotto; it was the
way May, together with 50 of
her children, took to harvest
new lands. The 50 remaining
children, together with their
father, were left to build the
native land. Left behind by
the mother was the natural
stream described above.
Titov
Island
Situated
about 7-8 km south-east of Bai
Chay lies the small Ti Top
Island. It displays a beach
shaped like a crescent moon,
and sand that has been washed
to a snowy white by the tide.
On 22 November 1962, this tiny
island had the honour of
receiving a visit from
astronaut Ghermann Titov, a
hero of the former Soviet
Union, accompanied by Ho Chi
Minh. To perpetuate the
remembrance of their visit,
Uncle Ho named the place Ti
Top Island. It has now become
an attractive beach for
tourists and has various of
tourist services.
Am
Islet
Am
Rock or Kettle Islet is
situated in Bai Tu Long Bay.
An island jutting out of the
seawaters, the teapot of the
Jade Emperor, who accidentally
dropped it into Ha Long so,
its handle was broken.
Con
Coc Islet
Con
Coc or Toad Islet is one of
the most exquisite works
nature has presented Ha Long.
Just imagine, a 9-meter-tall
toad sitting to wait for rain
amidst the vastness of the
sea. The Toad Islet lies in
the southeast of Ha Long Bay,
12 km away from the tourist
boat wharf. The Toad is an
ugly but useful animal. In the
drought season, farmers
usually listen to its sound to
guess when it will rain. The
Vietnamese have a folk tale
about the hard trek of thirsty
animals to Heaven to plead for
rain. A tiny courageous toad
led this struggle. Eventually,
the Jade Emperor adopted the
Toad as his Uncle and
willingly creates rain
whenever it grinds its teeth.
Dinh
Huong Islet
In
the itinerary of Thien Cung -
Dau Go - Ti Top, one finds
Dinh Huong Islet or Lu Huong
(Incense Burner Islet) to the
southwest of Dau Go Island.
Passing the Cho Da (Stone Dog)
Islet and the Con Meo (Cat)
Islet, one sees an imposing
stone slab resting on two
other small stones stands
blocked the way. The stone
slab resembles a huge incense
burner, which lies in the
middle of the sea as a holy
object to worship the Sky and
Earth.
Trong
Mai Islet
Trong
Mai is situated on the
south-west side of Ha Long
Bay, 5 km from the tourist
wharf near to Dinh Huong
Islet. In a somewhat large
expanse of open sea, the
island seems to grow up from
the bottom of the deep emerald
waters. At sunset, the island
with the height of over 10 m
is bright red and in a
somewhat tottery position.
Their tiny legs support heavy
bodies, and it appears that
one strong wave could throw
the two stone blocks into the
sea. However, hundreds of
millions of years have passed,
and the Trong Mai is still
there. The image of the island
is the logo of Ha Long Bay and
Vietnam Tourism.
Oan
Islet
Situated
300 m away from Bai Tho
Mountain and 5 km from the Bai
Chay Tourist Wharf, a 22-meter
islet stands out in Bai Tu
Long Bay. It has the shape of
truncated sticky rice, which
serves as an offering to
Buddha.
Dau
Nguoi (Human head) Islet
From
afar, you can see a 25-meter
islet, which reminds us of a
huge Egyptian head with a big
nose. Its chin lies close to
the sea surface. Many people
associate it with the image of
the Egyptian Sphinx. The Dau
Nguoi Islet in Ha Long Bay, a
masterpiece of nature, has its
own poetic beauty as it lies
amidst seawaters. The islet
lies near Luon Cave, 13 km
away from the tourist wharf.
Thien
Nga (Swan) Islet
In
the waters of Bai Tu Long Bay,
a stone islet is bobbing like
an alluring and graceful swan
(Thien Nga) - a swan losing
its herd. This stone swan has
taken up countless time and
rolls of film of tourist near
and far.
Yen
Ngua (Saddle) Islet
The
Yen Ngua or Saddle Islet lies
in Ha Long Bay, in the centre
of the World Heritage Area.
Nature has creatively shaped
two pieces of stone, one high
and one lower, which are
linked together to form an
imposing rock, looking like a
saddle. Boats can go through
underneath. The whole rock
resembles a sewing machine.
How wonderful to have such a
magnificent but elegant
"saddle", jutting
some 10 m above the sea
surface.
Ngon
Tay (Finger) Islet
On
the way to Ti Top Island,
visitors see a stone rock
resembling a thump jutting
out of the sea. Nature has
put the Ngon Tay (Finger)
Islet here as a reminder of
many interesting extras in
the discovery of Ha Long.
Mat
Qui (Monster Head) Islet
Boating
past the Am Islet some 20
minutes, we see Mat Qui
Islet or Monster Head Islet,
which protrudes about 30-35
m from the waters of Bai Tu
Long Bay. Nature has carved
the rock in the shape of a
monster head, with a rough
big nose standing out from a
distorted face. From
whatever angle, one still
find it horrible.
Su
Tu (Sea Lion) Islet
On
the canoe route to Thien
Cung - Dau Go Grottoes, one
should visit Su Tu Bien or
Sea Lion Islet, which is 10
minutes away from the Bai
Chay Tourist Wharf. Amidst
the vast seawaters of Ha
Long, you recognize a high
rock jutting from the sea,
resembling a lion
stretching.
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