All things need to know before travelling to Bai Tu Long Bay
1. Where is Bai Tu Long Bay?
Bai Tu Long is a bay of Quang Ninh, Vietnam. It is located in the Gulf of Tonkin, in the Northeast region of Vietnam. About 25 km from Ha Long city and about 190 km from the capital Hanoi to the East. With geographical location:
- The East borders the sea of Co To island district.
- The West borders the mainland of Cam Pha city and Cai Bau island.
- The South borders the sea off the Gulf of Tonkin.
- The North borders the sea of Dam Ha and Hai Ha districts.
2. How is Bai Tu Long Bay unique?
With a favorable geographical location and harmonious natural beauty combined with unique features in the daily life of the people of Northern Vietnam. Bai Tu Long Bay is definitely an ideal tourist destination for visitors to Ha Long.
When exploring Bai Tu Long Bay, you can not only admire the beautiful natural scenery, explore and experience interesting activities. You can also enjoy unique and attractive dishes or learn about the cultural features in the lives of the indigenous people. Bai Tu Long Bay of Vietnam is in the top 5 most wonderful tourist destinations in Southeast Asia.
3. When is the best time to visit Bai Tu Long Bay?
The ideal time to visit Bai Tu Long Bay is in the summer, from March to May every year. When visiting this famous tourist destination, you can enjoy swimming and participating in water games to cool off on a hot summer day.
If you want to see the sights of Bai Tu Long Bay, you can visit this place in the fall, around August – October every year. In the fall, the sea water is clear, the air is pleasant, and very suitable for sightseeing trips as well as resort activities.
Each season in this famous bay has its own interesting experiences for visitors. However, you should limit visiting the bay around June – July every year. The reason is that at this time, the bay often has sudden storms, affecting the tourist experience of visitors.
4. How to get to Bai Tu Long Bay?
To get to Bai Tu Long Bay, you need to go to Hon Gai wharf and then take a boat to the bay. From the center of Ha Long city to Hon Gai wharf takes about 10 minutes by the fastest route of 6.2km. You will follow Highway 18 and turn right onto Tran Hung Dao – Le Thanh Tong – Le Quy Don and turn left onto Long Tien about 160m and you will arrive at Hon Gai wharf.
There are trains to the bay every day. You just need to buy a train ticket at the wharf, move to the boat to visit the bay.
5. Historical achievements of Bai Tu Long Bay
The history of Bai Tu Long Bay is closely associated with the heroic history of the Vietnamese people. That is the place name Van Don – a bustling seaport from the Ly Dynasty. Nearly 900 years ago, this was an ancient trading port, where merchants from Siam, China, Japan, India, … came to exchange goods.
Bai Tu Long Bay is also a place to commemorate the heroic achievements of General Tran Khanh Du and the 3 Pham brothers – who were from Quan Lan commune. They had the merit of defeating the supply ships of the Yuan Mongol general Truong Van Ho (in 1288).
In addition, on the bay there is also Cua Ong Temple (Suot Temple) worshiping Hung Nhuong Vuong Tran Quoc Tang (third son of Hung Dao Vuong Tran Quoc Tuan).
6. Discovering the beauty of Bai Tu Long Bay
In recent years, Bai Tu Long Bay tourism services have been increasingly developed. This bay captivates many visitors from afar because:
6.1 The magical beauty of hundreds of large and small islands
Created millions of years ago, each island has a majestic, ancient beauty, creating a captivating ink painting for visitors. When visiting the bay, you will be able to freely explore Van Don island district. And the island clusters of Cap Ky Gia, Cap Ky Nhay, Hon Ba Sao, Hon Chong, Quan Lan Island, Minh Chau Island or Me Cung Cave, Thien Canh Cave, Hon Con Co, Bai Tho Mountain,…
6.2 Possessing many beautiful pristine beaches
Bai Tu Long Bay is famous for many beautiful pristine beaches such as Minh Chau Beach, Con Co Beach, Co To Beach, Van Don Beach, Quan Lan,… Surely visitors coming here will be overwhelmed by the immense ocean and long white sand beaches stretching along the coast. When coming here, you can freely immerse yourself in the clear blue sea water and breathe in the fresh air.
6.3 Captivating natural beauty
Whether it is sunrise or sunset, the seascape on the bay is as beautiful as in paradise. When traveling here, you will have beautiful pictures to commemorate the trip.
7. Activities and experiences in Bai Tu Long Bay
7.1 Experiencing on a cruise in Bai Tu Long Bay
There is a yacht rental service for visitors to visit Bai Tu Long and the surrounding bays. When on a cruise, you will admire the scenery of mountains, the ocean and enjoy the cool breeze from the sea. It dispels the hot, stuffy feeling of summer, as well as helps you temporarily get away from the dust and noise of the city.
The cruise will glide through limestone mountains such as Ga Choi Islet, Dinh Huong Islet, Mai Nha Islet,… There are thousands of large and small limestone islands with different shapes, bringing truly new discovery experiences to visitors.
7.2 Visiting Cong Dam fishing village
Cong Dam fishing village is one of the tourist destinations in Bai Tu Long Bay that is very attractive to visitors. When you come here, you will have wonderful experiences following the rhythm of life of fishermen in Northern Vietnam. As well as learning about traditional cultures, listening to fascinating legends about the sea, …
Here, you also have the opportunity to fish with fishermen, and confide in the people of the fishing village. Or sit on beautiful bamboo boats to explore the pretty little houses or the towering mountains, …
7.3 Kayaking
To fully feel the majesty of nature when traveling to Bai Tu Long Bay and explore all the cliffs under the caves. Or watch flocks of birds perched on the cliffs, … kayaking is an experience that you cannot miss.
However, you should also note that when kayaking, we may get wet. Therefore, you should wear shorts or swimsuits to paddle comfortably. Besides, rowing on the bay is quite tiring, so if you have good health, you should participate in this challenge.
7.4 Visiting Bai Tu Long National Park
If you are a lover of wild nature, then during your trip to Bai Tu Long Bay, you must definitely visit Bai Tu Long National Park. This is a national biosphere reserve with an extremely rich flora and fauna ecosystem.
Here, you will have the opportunity to admire the wild beauty of islands such as Tra Ngo Lon, Ba Mun, Sau Nam, Dong Ma, … or the limestone mountains surrounding the valleys, which are the habitat of many species of flora and fauna.
In addition, if you have time, visit the villages of the Tay, San Diu, Dao Do, … currently living on the islands in Bai Tu Long. The locals are very friendly and hospitable.
8. Specialties when traveling to Bai Tu Long Bay
When coming to Bai Tu Long Bay, you can not only enjoy the beautiful scenery and experience many new underwater games. But also enjoy extremely attractive island specialties. The dishes here are all made from fresh seafood such as grouper, grouper, crab, shrimp, crab, squid, jumping snails, fragrant snails, geoducks, etc.
Bai Tu Long Bay cuisine is famous for specialties such as:
- Geoducks clam: is a type of seafood with high nutritional value and delicious flavor. Here, geoducks are raised a lot so it has a more affordable price than the market. You can enjoy it with peace of mind.
- Green crab: attractive dishes made from green crab include steamed green crab with fruit, green crab with green pepper sauce, etc. These are typical dishes with the rich flavor of the ocean, very popular with diners.
- Gat Gu cake: is a cake made from rice, similar to rolled cake in other localities. The cake has a sweet, fatty and attractive flavor.
- Clam soup cooked with Malabar spinach: is a specialty dish of Quang Ninh that anyone who has ever tasted it cannot forget that special flavor.
9. Accommodation when traveling to Bai Tu Long Bay
When traveling to Bai Tu Long Bay, you can refer to some of the following accommodations:
- FLC Grand Hotel Ha Long. Address: Hon Gai ward, Ha Long city, Quang Ninh.
- Best Western Premier Sapphire Ha Long. Address: Hon Gai ward, Ha Long city, Quang Ninh.
- Ramada Hotel & Suites by Wyndham Halong Bay. Address: Hon Gai ward, Ha Long city, Quang Ninh.
- Halios Hotel Halong. Address: Hon Gai ward, Ha Long city, Quang Ninh.
- Ha Long DC Hotel. Address: Hon Gai ward, Ha Long city, Quang Ninh.
- Sonasea Van Don Harbor City. Address: Van Don District, Quang Ninh.
- Van Don Hotel. Address: Phuong Dong tourist area, Van Don town, Quang Ninh
- Mai Quyen Hotel. Address: TL 334, Ha Long, Van Don, Quang Ninh.
- Viet Linh Hotel. Address: Zone 8, Cai Rong town, Van Don, Quang Ninh.
10. Some important notes when traveling to Bai Tu Long Bay
To prepare for an interesting and complete trip, you need to pay attention to the following issues:
- Always bring a sun hat and sunscreen with you when going to the beach;
- Bring full personal belongings, especially insect repellent, personal bandages, special medicine for allergies, fever, … to prevent any unexpected events.
- You should bring a camera or smartphone to record beautiful moments for yourself and your friends and relatives;
- Bring all necessary documents;
- If traveling during peak season, you should contact the hotel early to reserve a room, avoiding the situation of no rooms available.
Bai Tu Long Bay is a tourist destination with many hidden potentials that are gradually being awakened. Hopefully, the attraction of natural wonders and the hospitality of the people here will be increasingly spread to more and more tourists.
If you are planning your upcoming vacation to Bai Tu Long Bay. Contact Origin Vietnam – a professional tour operator. We will share with you the most updated and useful information about other beautiful destinations in Ha Long. At the same time, we also arrange perfect services and attractive tour schedules. It makes your vacation in Quang Ninh an unforgettable experience.
