Halong Bay - Vietnam's Top Tourist Attraction

Halong Bay is located in Quang Ninh province in northern Vietnam, approximately 170 kilometers east of Hanoi in the Gulf of Tonkin. The bay is renowned for its picturesque ocean karst landscape and is regarded as one of Vietnam's most spectacular natural wonders. It's also one of the country's top tourist attractions, drawing a huge chunk out of the millions of tourists that flock to the country each year.

What Makes The Bay Unique?

I've been there and believe me when I say everything about the place is unique...almost magical. It boasts of more than 2,000 limestone karsts and is literally dotted with thousands of limestone monolithic isles along the 120-kilometer shoreline of Bai Chay Beach. The climate is tropical with two seasons: dry and cold winter, and hot and moist summer. The average temperature ranges from 15° to 25°C.

The geo-diversity of the Bay's topography has created diverse ecosystems, including oceanic, sea shore and tropical evergreen biosystems. There are coral reefs, freshwater swamp forests, dense mangrove forests, freshwater lakes and powdery-white sandy beaches. The bay is also home to 60 endemic faunal species and 14 endemic floral species. With such universal aesthetic value and a varied conglomeration of wildlife, it's not surprising to note that Halong Bay has been designated by the Vietnam Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism as a 'Renowned National Landscape Monument and later listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994.

Etymology and Legend of Halong Bay

The literal meaning of Halong is "Bay of Descending Dragons". Legend has it that locals had to fend off invaders when Vietnam was just starting to develop into a country. In order to help the Vietnamese, a family of dragons descended from the heavens as protectors. The dragons then started spitting out jewels and jade which turned into islands and islets that link together to form a natural fortress against the invaders. After the battle was won, the dragons decided to settle in the bay. The name Halong was given to the spot where the mother dragon descended. Today, visitors will find caves and grottos which create unified chambers with hidden ponds and magnificent stone formations.

Enjoy Halong - the Sights and Sounds

The best way to enjoy the natural wonders of Halong Bay Vietnam is to embark in one of several Halong Bay tours that visit the area on almost a daily basis. Patterned after traditional junk boats, Halong bay cruises are once-in-a-lifetime experience that conveys a sense of the old world. Most of the boats have been designed in time-honored conventional style but with luxurious cabins and ultra-modern facilities. These boats are floating works of art themselves as they often feature intricate craftsmanship and brightly colored sails.

Taking Halong Bay tours and Halong cruises are great ways to immerse yourself in Vietnamese culture and allow you to truly enjoy the exotic feel and the natural wonders of Vietnam. So, whether you want an exciting way to explore the lush environment and diverse ecosystem, or you're looking for a romantic weekend amid some of the world's most captivating scenery, Halong Bay Vietnam has it all... you'll certainly have a trip that you won't soon forget! And without any doubt is an absolute highlight of any visit to Vietnam and certainly a must on every traveler's itinerary.

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Hanoi, Vietnam - Places to Eat At When You're Feeling Homesick!

I know the time gap between my posts seems to be getting longer and longer and they aren't any pictures but things can be a bit crazy sometime.

This article is especially for the expats or tourists visiting Hanoi, Vietnam and are craving food other than Vietnamese.

Food seems to bring about a great festivity to the people in Hanoi. Everywhere you look you see families eating breakfast, lunch or dinner together chattering away while sitting on their colorful plastic stools oblivious to the tourists or other people around them. To eat the true Vietnamese food you can stop at any of the million places on the road where families are eating noodles or rice out of their bowls (different variety of noodles are also sold in stalls on the road). Accompaniments to this can be a variety of fish, pork, beef, veggies. A staple of the Vietnamese cuisine also is the Pho bo (beef noodle soup) served with lots of fresh red chillies and lime and Congee again served with meat and an assortment of sauces - traditionally made with beef but you can get yours with chicken too.

Breakfast every morning at the hotel seems more like lunch with either congee, miso soup or Pho ga (Chicken noodle soup) and is so filling that there is hardly any place for a full blown lunch. The more exotic and contemporary Vietnamese dishes - snails, clams, pork intestines with blood and all (yes, you did read it right),spring rolls filled with a variety of vegetables / pork / chicken or tofu cooked and then served with a matured duck egg sauce can be found at all the good fine dining places here. A common site here is that everywhere you go you can see women with balancing baskets of food on her shoulder slung over a bamboo pole. This can be as exotic as rice cakes or boiled sweet potato but after a while an average person staying here for more than 10 days does start to get a bit homesick.

I am not a fan of experimenting with my meat and stick to chicken and vegetables. Also, with a small baby around me my excitement to experiment is a bit diminished... so I am always looking for places which serve basic sandwiches and fries and bottled water and have an air-con so that I can feed my baby in a cool place.

The options for expats and tourists who are home-sick are quite a bit. You find a number of restaurants around Hoan Kiem Lake that cater to the palette of tourists and Vietnamese alike. The Little Hanoi (Every thing from Vietnamese food to Tandoori chicken baguettes can be got here and the food is really tasty. This is just at the entrance of the old quarter and you can watch the hustle bustle of the old quarter from the confines of a nice air-conditioned sit down place which makes you feel right in the middle of it but still gives you yours pace) ), Thai Express (over looking the lake for good thai fast food), KFC (for your burger and fries craving), Opera House Cafe (great place to lounge and enjoy that evening beer or Vietnamese cold coffee with condensed milk). There is a coffee shop at the Hotel Zephyr that looked very chic and modern and have been meaning to try it out but haven't had the chance to step in. The good old Indian food craving can be satisfied with a visit to Tandoor (at the old quarter) or Asia House (Indian and Indian Chinese near Hai Ba Trung ). And there is always the good old Highland's Cafe, Hanoi's answer to Starbucks that has multiple branches all over the city and is always full of families and people sipping on their cuppa, chatting or expats / tourists surfing the net (you can get everything from breakfast to a decent meal here with an assortment of cold and hot coffees and tea to accompany it).

Since I am currently living in a service apartment I have been cooking a lot and L's Place at Hai Ba Trung (near the Cuban Embassy) is a great place to stock up especially is you are looking for food for kids (all ages). They have kiddie food.

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Discovering Saigon: 5 Places In Vietnam You Ought To Visit

Asia offers different tourist spots in the world which is why a lot of people flock the continent every year. One of the countries that most people consider for a visit is Vietnam. To know more about this country, here 5 places that you should consider when you get to this beautiful country:

Hanoi - is the capital of such country and is also known as the second largest city. Hanoi is known to provide its tourist with excellent accommodation and provides world class amenities to people who would like to visit such beautiful city. If you are in Hanoi, make sure to check out the famous Ha Long Bay.

Ho Chi Minh - offers its wonderful history. It also offers great architecture that has a mix of the French culture. The city offers great Vietnamese characteristics which make this city one of the most visited in this beautiful country.

Danang - it is also an old city which is found in the central area. If you are looking for beaches, then this is the best place to go to. You would love their world class beaches with the backdrop of mountains which are definitely breathtaking. If you love art specifically sculptures, then you could find a lot of these things in Danang and you could also get these items at very affordable prices.

The Mekong - is home to the famous Mekong River. This is home to amazing riverboats which are considered one of the best tourist attractions in this city. The Mekong River is known to be a famous river because of the fact that this river runs through six countries based on history.

Hoi An - is found in the south of Danang. It boasts Chinese culture and if you would go here, you might think that it is part of China. This city also boasts great beaches for tourists who love to swim. You would surely love the city's state of the art facilities and if you are looking for some traditional environment, then this place also offers it.

These are 5 of the best places that you need to consider if you want to check out the beautiful country of Vietnam. This country is one of the best countries in Asia that provided great tourist destinations which is why this country is a great place to go for a vacation. Check out these beautiful cities and you will certainly have fun and enjoy your vacation in this great country.

B H Yao invites new and seasoned travelers from the online community to read original articles on travel tips, vacations for couples and families, world travel at World Travel Guide.

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