Tourist ripped off in Ha Long

A Thai tourist has been forced to pay VND10 million (around US$500) for a 6-kg fish at a fishing village in Ha Long Bay, northern Quang Ninh Province. Kasilod Wuttichai from Thailand visited Ha Long Bay, a popular tourist site in Vietnam, with the excitement of exploring a new country.

After the boat carrying him stopped at the Ba Hang fishing village where many tourists like to visit, Kasilod and some friends went to a fishing craft for sightseeing. He caught a fish and told the owner that he wanted to buy it without asking the price first.

The owner told Kasilod that the fish he chose cost VND1.8 million per kg and weighed a total 6 kg. As the result, he was forced to pay more than VND10 million (US$500). “I told them I don’t want it any more, but they force me to buy it because they already beat the fish’s head to death,” Kasilod told.

Halong Bay is one of seven nature wonders in the world

The first count of the global vote to elect the New7Wonders of Nature has been announced. In alphabetical order, they are: Amazon, Halong Bay, Iguazu Falls, Jeju Island, Komodo, Puerto Princesa Underground River, Table Mountain.

Announcing the results at the headquarters of the New7Wonders Foundation in Zurich, Switzerland, Bernard Weber, Founder-President of New7Wonders, said: “I would like to thank the many champions, citizens, voluntary organisations, public bodies and governments that have helped promote the New7Wonders of Nature campaign over the past four years, starting with over 440 locations from over 220 countries and all the way to the 28 Finalist candidates from whom the New7Wonders of Nature have been chosen.”

Halong Bay: Dau Be Island

Dau Be Island is another of the islands in Halong Bay. Dau Be has some sandy coves, great for sunbathing and swimming. Not far from the beaches there are some diving spots with rich corals. The island is famous for its Japanese run pearl culturing factories.

Dau Be has also a deep grotto with three inland lakes. The cave can only be visited at low tide with a rowing boat.

Halong Bay: Bo Hon Island

Another of the islands famous for its grottoes is Bo Hon Island. French called it the Surprise Island. Seven of the best grottoes in the Halong Bay area are in this island. The best cave in the island probably is Hang Bo Nau (or the Pelican Cave). The cave has a big entryway with stalagmites hanging from the ceiling. It is very typical to shot a picture of the bay from the cave. This grotto is very popular among tourists. Young kids may try to sell you hand made souvenirs or postcards while visiting this site.

Other famous caves in Bo Hon Island are Hang Sung Sot, a big one that can take you up to one hour to explore; and Hang Luon, with its circular pool accessible by boat.

Not far from Bo Hon there is a smaller island with a cave called Hang Trinh Nu. This grotto is famous for its shrine. Locals dedicated this grotto to a local girl. The legend says this girl escaped from a Mandarin that forced her to marry him because her father could not pay a debt. When fishermen found her dead body, they buried her here, and built a small shrine inside the grotto.

Halong Bay: Dau Go Island

One of the islands famous for its grottoes is Dau Go Island. The largest cave in the area is in this island, Hang Dau Go (or the Wooden Stakes Cave). The grotto is popular among tourists since the 19th century, when French called it the Wonders Grotto. Some of its stalagmites are more than 800 inches high (20 meters).

Another famous cave in this island is the Hang Tuyet (Snow Cave), which was discovered more recently. The entryway is steep and slippery. You will need a good flashlight.

Halong Bay: Ship tour

In this picture you can see one of the boats that do the Halong Bay tour. If weatherconditions are good, you can lie on a chair on the deck above. If not, you will have to sit inside.

During the Bay tour, the boat will serve a lunch. Most of the times food is included, and beverages have to be paid apart.

Halong Bay: The best weather to visit

The best time to visit the Halong Bay area is in Spring and Summer. During Fall and Winter the sea is not very clear because of the muddy waters the rain in the region brings to the sea. In Summer, days are clearer and temperatures are high. In winter the area may be visited, but you won't be able to swim.
For the two- and three-days tours there are two options of accommodation. One is sleeping on a boat. The other is sleeping on one of the islands in the bay. Tourism is developing in the area. New hotels are being built in the bigger islands. I recommend sleeping one night on the boat, but if I were you I would not sleep a second night on board. Boats are small, noisy and do rock a lot. If you want a tip, sleep in a hotel the second night.