Halong Bay is definitely a can-not-miss destination for your Vietnam tours and a Halong Bay vacation would bring you more than you ever expected.

With its 1969 limestone island and 23 grottoes, this natural marvel has twice been proclaimed a national heritage site, thus remaining under the watchful eyes of UNESCO. In 1994, the committee first considered the bay a natural wonder, confirming its appointment because its overwhelming beauty. In1998, a British geologist ventured to explore the Bay, finding what the Vietnamese government had proclaimed since 1962 - that the bay has rare and precious geological features. Following his report, UNESCO once more placed Ha Long under consideration and in July 1999 recognized the site for its geological and geomorphic value.

The legends of the origins of the Bay's name as numerous as the guides and locals who tell them. Literally, Ha Long means 'Dragon Descending.' As one story goes, the inhabitants of Ha Long once lived in peace with a family of dragons. The mother and her children would descend over the bay to play over the waters. When a drought came, the dragons would spit rainwater to fill the bay. One day, according to the legend, a group of pirates pillaged the village and attacked its inhabitants. Hearing the cries of the villagers, the dragons rushed to their rescue, spitting fire into the bay to ward off the invaders. When the fire hit the water, it turned into the gray limestone rocks that now fill the bay.

Another story claims that the bay was formed when a dragon spat out divine pearls, forming a barrier against an invading Chinese fleet. Once the enemy had been turned back, the dragon settled in the bay and its scales turned into rocky islets. A third version of the story portrays the island formation with less heroism and more clumsiness on the dragon's part: the dragon mother is fabled to have simply fallen into the sea, her body and tail carving out holes in the land during her descent. These later filled with water, surrounding the untouched land and transforming it into a network of separate islands.

Whatever the real legend of the bay is, your Halong Bay tours would be splendid and enjoyable. Majestic and mysterious, inspiring and imperious, no, words cannot do justice to the natural wonder, you would have to immerse its beauty with your own sense. Taking you beyond the breathtaking vistas is what IOT, the professional Halong Bay tour operator is working on!

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

1. Getting there & away

Bus & boat

For more on tours to Halong Bay, see the boxed text below. It is hard to do it any cheaper on your own, but some travellers prefer to steer their own course. Travelling independently allows you to take more or less time in places, depending on the weather. The downside is that it is hard to arrange an overnight on a boat this way. You can take a bus to Halong City from Hanoi (40, 000d, 3½ hours) and book a passage on a Cat Ba tourist boat (130, 000d including entry ticket, six hours). This boat takes in the main sites and drops you at Ben Beo harbour. Then chill out on Cat Ba before taking a hydrofoil to Haiphong and a bus to Hanoi. Alternatively, run the route in reverse and try and hook up with a tour boat in Cat Ba.

Air

Northern Airport Flight Service Company (04-827 4409; fax 827 2780; 173 Pho Truong Chinh, Hanoi) offers a helicopter charter service from Gia Lam in Hanoi to Halong Bay on Saturday from 8am. Free transfers are available from the Sofitel Metropole Hotel. The cost for the charter service is US$175 per person, but it only runs with a minimum of six guests. The same helicopters can be privately chartered for US$3695 round trip.

2. Getting around