According to one of the legends about the formation of the bay, it was created by a dragon that, after sinking into the water, create the hundreds of islands by smashing its tail. The name Ha-long, which literally means “dragon that sinks” is also found in another legend. In the Middle Ages, the Chinese, East Asia’s eternal enemies, attempted to invade Vietnam. The nation tried to resist in vain, and a family of dragons came to help, by spitting precious stones against the Chinese warriors. Those jewels were stuck in the sea, and created the two thousand islands of the bay, which have become since then a symbol of peace and national independence.
Considered a world wonder, the bay is made up of thousands of limestone cliffs that rise from the sea to create a natural show which is unique in the world.
The most common way to visit the bay is to book an organized boat tour for one or two nights, swaying inside the beautiful limestone caves. The caves found on each island are one of the wonders of this archipelago.
You can of course also organize the visit independently and, according to our travelling style, that’s what we did.
With a local train first and then a ferry, we headed to Cat Ba island, the largest island of the archipelago with the Cat Ba National Park, located near the beautiful Lan Ha Bay.
We were lucky that all the excursions were canceled the day of our departure due to bad weather.
When we reached Cat Ba we were practically the only tourists on the island. From the window of our room we could see the famous fishing floating villages. Every house had a number, and even its own television antenna. And that’s not all, there were small temples and fruit and vegetable markets, all floating on water.
The following day we hired a motorbike and we left as two explorers discovering this enchanting island.
It was simply marvelous: coves, bays with old boats abandoned on the beach, coconut palms, exotic fruit trees, giant-leaved plants, multicolored flowers and butterflies of all sizes. I had never seen again such big butterflies in my life. We also discovered some war ruins, military hospitals created into natural or dug caves.
Last but not least, Cat Ba gave us some wonderful dinners with very fresh local fish. Walk by harbor in the evening, you will have plenty of choices.
