Halong – Top famous tourist destinations

Quang Ninh is famous for Halong Bay with thousands of islands bobbing on the shimmering wave and beautiful caves. Quang Ninh’s Yen Tu is a spot of beauty with many historical monuments. This is called Vietnam’s Buddhist land.  Quang Ninh ‘s tourism is developing with international standard tourist sites like Tuan Chau – Halong, Quang Ninh Library and Museum and 5 star yachts on Halong Bay.

In recent years, Quang Ninh has had tourism events attracting thousands of tourists. The highlight is Halong Carnival. Many travelers call Halong the city by the World Heritage – Halong Bay. Halong Bay is a unique natural wonder in the world and is the number one landscape of Vietnam. According to many prestigious travel magazines, only when you visit Halong Bay are you supposed to visit Vietnam.

Halong Bay has twice been recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage. The first time is in 1994 thanks to its landscape aesthetics. The second time is in 2000 thanks to its geology and geomorphology. Besides, this unique gulf is also voted as one of the seven new natural wonders of the world. With an area of over 1500 square meters, Halong Bay includes appropriately 2,000 large and small islands. About half of the island has been named. These islands create a unique scenery that cannot be seen anywhere else in the world.

Halong Bay owns many beautiful islands like Ti Top, Tuan Chau, etc. The bay also has famous beautiful limestone islets like Lu Huong, Man’s Head Islet, La Vong, etc. Fighting Cock Islet is one of the most prominent masterpieces and becomes the symbol of Halong Bay. Shimmering magical caves attracting visitors are Dau Go, Virgin Cave, Surprise cave, Pelican cave, Celestial Palace cave, Three-palace grotto, etc. The whole population of the beautiful monuments is located in Halong Bay, Halong tourist city making continuous development of local tourism.

Outstanding aesthetics, geological, biological and cultural-historical values make Halong Bay a part of Halong City, contributing to making unique tourism advantages and wide influence of Halong City. Halong has many amusement parks. One of which is Tuan Chau Island. About 2 kilometers far from the center of Halong City, Tuan Chau covers over 200 hectares. The resort is made up with sloping hills on which there’re luxury villas and hotels.

Tuan Chau is being gradually improved and becoming a center of tourism and recreation at the international stature. Tuan Chau has the largest artificial beach in Vietnam. Visitors can relax on 4 km-long white sand beach. Nowadays, Tuan Chau Island has been famous both at home and aboard and is considered an indispensable tourist destination with circus, dolphins club, seal performance, fashion show, crocodile show and magic fountains. 

One of the most appealing attractions in Halong recently has been Quang Ninh Library and Museum worth trillions of Vietnamese dong with modern design by one of the world leading architects. This work won “Works of the Year” by ashui.com. The system is designed by a Spanish architect named Salvador Perez Arroryo with 14,000 square meter heat-strengthened glass resistant to  breakage due to thermal changes. Inspired by local black coal blocks, the coat of the building is a huge mirror reflecting Halong Bay.

The highlight of the museum on the first floor is mountain-shaped tubes printed with images of Halong Bay introducing natural conditions of Quang Ninh and a giant whale skeleton. The second floor is uniquely designed and looks like a wooden boat with Halong’s exhibits. On the third floor, there is a mining system showing the development of coal mining industry. Artifacts are displayed and stored in a modern, artistic space helping visitors learn tradition as well as historical, cultural and artistic values of Quang Ninh during 50 years of construction and development. The Museum has welcomed thousands of visitors and becomes a highlight of Halong tourism.

One these days, Halong City has been bustling. It’s not the season peak. However, many tourists have flocked to this beautiful coastal city. All are looking forward to a great event of the tourism industry of the city as well as of Quang Ninh. It’s the Carnival Halong 2014 - Street festival with many special activities. Becoming an annual event of Quang Ninh Tourism Week, Carnival Halong is considered a unique cultural product of the northeastern coastal region. Tens of thousands of visitors long for this event every holiday season.  

 Today’s carnival originates from the ancient Romas’ and Greeks’ carnival to welcome spring and honor the beauty of life. This carnival then was heal in European countries such as France, Spain and Portugal and became a carnival of distinguishing and street dance. Gradually, this carnival tradition reached the America and became the most famous festival, i.e.: Rio Carnival in Brazil. This event then was developed into the current grand festival.

In 2007, Carnival Halong was firstly included in the agenda of Halong Tourism Festival and attracted the attention of local and foreign tourists. From the stimulus of the Carnival 2007, the festival has been held annually with different topic for each year. Carnival Halong has been innovated but the traditional street festival model is maintained with the participation of locals, tourists. The local cultural elements seem in increasingly clearer.

Carnival Halong in 2013 showed this clearly. Art specialists including general director, festival playwright screenwriters, choreographers and performers are Quang Ninh people. Two thirds of the participants are local people. Carnival Halong in 2013 created a colorful cultural party of Quang Ninh visitors.

Once a year, in summer, not only tourists and foreigners but also residents long for the Carnoval in Halong City, the biggest event of the year with excellent performances. This festival not only strengthens the position and importance one of the biggest northern tourist cities but also brings vibrant atmosphere signaling the coming of a summer travel season. Halong Marine Plaza is the newest tourist destination in Halong City. Located right next to the festival area, this commercial and entertainment complex attracts thousands of tourists. To serve the needs of tourists, organizers have offered many unique entertainment services as well as modern and folk games.

Carnival Halong seems to become the meeting place of those who love sea and love festival. Therefore, at the start of the holiday season, number of people eagerly flocked to the Carnival site, congesting all roads. Before the start, the 1,000 seat stand was filled up with spectators. Many people were patient and they stood along the road to wait.As a general rule, Carnival Halong always opens with stage performance. The beauty of Halong Bay is always the major inspiration. This year, repertoires mainly praised the beauty of Halong.

The first performance was about a Halong filled with rhythmic vitality with strong laborers at sea through lyrical songs praising the beauty of Halong’s nature and people. International art groups also brought to this year‘s Carnival Halong the repertoires characterized their culture. Lao artists delivered charming Champa dance. Thai artists gave traditional dance. Artists from Guangxin, China were friendly with ball tossing.

The most awaited of Carnival Halong is great performances of more than 3,800 artists, beauty queens, models and dancers in a street parade with 28 performing groups, 7 flower vehicles and 7 mobile stage cars showing different meanings. Viewers were amazed to see Halong – the City with amazed to see Halong – the City with Aspiration of Flying Dragon with lively dragon dances. Visitors can see the cars advertising 4 tourism centers and typical tourist sites of Quang Ninh, passionate dancers of the beautiful dancers, the replication of King Le Thanh Tong’s cruise around Halong Bay and unique procession ritual of local fishermen.

Viewers were amazed to see the Land with Natural Masterpieces thanks to lively marine exhibits and the memories of the ancient people of Halong through artists in old costumes. Viewers seeing the Land of Cultural value had an opportunity to explore the unique culture of Quang Ninh with tradition of local ethnic minority groups. Visitors seeing Land of Spillover Benefits witnessed international values with burning Latin American dances. The place is where the Carnival began. Leading the performing groups were models, beautiful dancers in colorful costumes and beauty queens in flower vehicles. These people created attractive features for the festival. Carnival Halong 2014 really left an unforgettable impression on tourists with a shimmering colorful festival imbued with national identity to meet the expectations of the people in Quang Ninh, tourists and international friends.

Source: VTC10 - NETVIET