Hanoi Halong Bay Tours

04/05/2024

Discover the best Halong Bay with a variety of Halong Bay Boat Cruises, including extended Vietnam tours to short day trips from Hanoi to Halong Bay.

20/12/2023

03/05/2016

It is situated on the south-west side of Ha Long bay, 4km from the wharf outside of Ha Long City, Quang Ninh Province.

This grotto is recently discovered, one of the most beautiful grottoes in Ha Long Bay.

The way to Thien Cung is a perilous one, covered on both sides by thick forest. After entering a narrow gate, the grotto's 130-meter-long girth opens up.

Getting in we are more astonished in front of the very animated and splendid beauty which is made from stalactite. On the east wall of the grotto, there is a grandiose and imposing picture with characters of tales.

Going in the Thien Cung Grotto, we have a sensation of just watching a unique, meticulous, interesting fine-art museum which is made by nature, get out of the imagine ability and intellect of man.

Legend has it, that beautiful young lady named May (Cloud), caught the eye of the Dragon Prince and he fell in love with her. They were betrothed and their wedding lasted seven days and seven nights in the centre of the grotto.

In honour of the wedding, small dragons flew about through the stalactites and stalagmites, elephants danced together happily; snakes twined themselves around trees and two stone lions danced with their manes flowing in the wind. A large elephant, smartly dressed, waited for the bride and the groom. The genies of the south and north stars also came to attend the banquet, and the atmosphere was definitely animated and lively. All these scenes have been seemingly fossilized in the grotto.

In the centre are four large pillars supporting the "roof of heaven." From the base to the top, many strange images seem to live in the stone: birds, fish, flowers and even scenes of human life. On the north wall of the grotto a group of fairies seem to dance and sing in honour of the wedding. Under the immeasurably high roof, stalactites make a natural stone curtain. Somewhere there is the sound of a drum beating, but it is actually just the noise made by the wind blowing through stone.

Arriving at the last partition of the grotto, a natural gushing stream of water babbles throughout the year, here are three small ponds of clear water. Legend has it, that this was where May bathed her 100 children, bringing them up wisely and happily into adolescence. One path meanders out of the grotto; it was the way May, together with 50 of her children, took to harvest new lands. The 50 remaining children, together with their father, were left to build the native land. Left behind by the mother was the natural stream described above.

03/05/2016

Trong Mai is situated on the south-west side of Ha Long Bay, 5km from the tourist wharf near to Dinh Huong Islet.
Characteristics: The islet looks like a pair of C**k & Hen in the sea.

In a somewhat large expanse of open sea, the island seems to grow up from the bottom of the deep emerald waters. At sunset, the island with the height of over 10 m is bright red and in a somewhat tottery position. Their tiny legs support heavy bodies, and it appears that one strong wave could throw the two stone blocks into the sea. However, hundreds of millions of years have passed, and the Trong Mai is still there. The image of the islet is the logo of Ha Long Bay and Viet Nam Tourism.

25/04/2016

Ha Noi Flag Tower, also called Cot Co, is one of the rare architectural works in Ha Noi that was fortunate enough to not be destroyed by the French administration between 1894 and 1897.

It was used by French troops as an observation tower and communication station between command headquarters and adjacent military posts.

It was built in 1812 and is composed of three platforms and a tower. The words Nghenh Huc, meaning "to welcome dawn's sunlight," are inscribed on the eastern door. The western door bears the two words Hoi Quang, meaning "to reflect light," and the southern door, Huong Minh, meaning "directed to the sunlight."

The tower receives sunlight through 36 flower-shaped and six fan-shaped windows.

23/04/2016

Hoan Kiem Lake also called Lake of the Restored Sword. The name Lake of the Restored Sword is derived from a legend.

After ten years of hard fighting (1418 - 1428), the Lam Son insurrectionists led by Le Loi swept the foreign invaders out of the country of Dai Viet (Great Viet), ending the Ming's 20-year domination over the Viet people. Le Loi became a national hero, proclaiming himself kings, called Le Thai To and establishing his capital in Thang Long.

On a beautiful afternoon, the king and his entourage took a dragon-shaped boat for sight-seeing on Luc Thuy (Green Water) Lake, which was located in the centre of Thang Long Capital (present-day Ha Noi). As the boat was gliding on the lake, suddenly there was a great wave and on top of the wave, the Golden Tortoise Genie appeared, telling the king: "Your Majesty, the great work is completed. Would you please return the sacred sword to the King of the Sea?".

The precious sword was formerly lent to Le Loi by the King of the Sea and was always beside him throughout his battles and helped him win over the Ming invaders. At the time the Tortoise Genie spoke, the sword hung at the King's waist. It then moved out of the scabbard and flew towards the Genie. The Genie kept the sword in his mouth and dived under the water and bright lightning flashed up to the sky. Since then, Luc Thuy Lake has been called the Restored Sword Lake or the Sword Lake for short.

The Sword Lake is not only a historical site but also a beauty-spot of the capital. When visiting Ha Noi, Ludemis, a Greek poet, exclaimed: The Sword Lake - An emerald jewel set in the heart of the city, With the Red River as a silk ribbon around.

It is said that when visiting Ha Noi, if the visitor does not see the Sword Lake, then they would not have actually been in Ha Noi. The lake is an endless topic and inspiration for painters, poets, writers, music composers, etc, and innumerable works about the lake have been produced.

Once, a famous Japanese painter said to the late-painter Van Giao that he had painted dozens of pictures of Mount Fuji - the second to none beauty spot of Japan. Then painter Van Giao replied by saying that he had painted hundreds of pictures of the Sword Lake.

The Sword Lake is really an emerald jewel of Hanoi. For generations, the Vietnamese believed that deep in the green water of the Sword Lake, there is a sacred sword of their ancestors, which is carefully safeguarded by the golden tortoise. When the weather changes, the tortoise emerges on the water surface to take a sun bath, seeming to prove his existence and remind the young generation of their national history of defending their country from foreign invaders.

18/04/2016

Seen from afar, the entrance to the grotto appears to be blue and has a shape similar to that of a jellyfish. After 90 steps up the island, the entrance is reached. The ceiling of the grotto is about 25m.
Hundreds of stalactites falling down from the roof of the grotto look like a waterfall. The grotto is divided into three main parts. The exterior is a room with a vault full of natural light. Many forms may be seen in the rock formations of the chamber, depending on the imagination of the visitor of course. In the first chamber, in the very middle of the grotto, is a colossal pillar supporting the large vault. On the top of the pillar, there appears to be a monk draped in a long, dark cloak, with his right hand clasping a cane.
Crossing the first chamber, one enters the second chamber through a narrow passage. The light here is mysterious, and new images appear in the stone. It makes us having a fear and be inquisitive. The second chamber is narrow. Here, the stalactites look smaller but more graceful. One feels like going to a pagoda with a monk in meditation so that one steps more gently.
The third chamber of the grotto is widely opened. The third chamber features high stone columns out of which nature has carved images of a large kingdom, of heroes and soldiers holding swords and spears rushing up, of war elephants and horses or lions, etc. All of them suddenly was petrified and remained there for good. At the end of the grotto is a well of clear water. Looking up in the dim light we recognize that surrounded is the image of an ancient citadel and a scuffle of elephants, horses, man with bristly sword and spear. All are making a rush and be petrified suddenly.
The name Driftwood Grotto came from a popular story of the resistance war against the Yuan - Mongolian aggressors. In a decisive battle, Tran Hung Dao was given the order to prepare many ironwood stakes here, to be planted on the riverbed of Bach Dang River. The remaining wooden pieces found in the grotto have given it its present name. And the name Giau Go is associated with the legend that General Tran Hung Dao (1226-1300) hid ironwood stakes in preparation for the Bach Dang battle against the Yuan-Mongolian invaders.
If the Thien Cung Grotto is monumental and modern (in its natural form) then Driftwood Grotto is solemn, but also grandiose. In "Marvels of the World," published in France in 1938, the author called the grotto "Grotte des merveilles" (a site of many marvels). In 1917, Emperor Khai Dinh came to visit the grotto and amazed by the beauty of the place, ordered the er****on of an engraved stone stele singing the praises of Ha Long Bay and the grotto. Today it remains to the right-hand side of the entrance.

13/04/2016

The museum is a four-story building covering a total area of 100ha and designed in the shape of a lotus flower as a symbol of President Ho's noble character.

From 8:00 to 11:00 and from 13:30 to 16:30 daily except Monday and Friday.

This museum was completed on 9 May 1990 for the 100th anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh's birthday.

The main showroom displays 117,274 documents, articles, pictures and exhibits illustrating the historical events that took place during President Ho Chi Minh's life, as well as important events that occurred in the rest of the world since the end of the 19th

The museum contains other rooms such as a library, a large hall, meeting rooms and research rooms.

30/01/2015

48 kms west of Hanoi, covers an area of 7, 377 ha on a range of high mountains. The park is famous for its rich and diverse flora and fauna comprising tropical and subtropical species.
http://www.vietnambambootravel.com/Vietnam-Travel/Vietnam-Tours/Ba-Vi-National-Park-1-Day/

22/01/2015

Love for Hanoi ancient streets

Hanoi is the capital and also the center of politics, culture and tourism of Vietnam. Hanoi has a rich and long history with so many cultural architectures and famous vestiges, which make it to be the greatest destination of tourism for foreign guests. Tourists will be impressed not only by the hidden beauty of this ancient city but also by the elegant and taciturn aspects of 36 old streets in Hanoi.