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| Lan Ha Bay in the northern city of Hai Phong. Photo: travel.com |
“The bay itself is home to several hundred islands, of which Cat Ba is the largest. You can rent a boat to explore, or spend the day swimming,” the magazine says.
“There are well over 100 hotels in the immediate vicinity, so you can take your time if you (understandably) want to stay in the area a while.”
Located to the east of Cat Ba Islands in Hai Phong city, about two hours from Hanoi, the 7,000-hectare bay is home to around 400 islands, all of them covered with trees and other vegetation.
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| The pristine scenery in Lan Ha Bay, Cat Ba is difficult to find anywhere else. Photo: VietnamPlus |
Aside from beautiful beaches, its attractiveness also lies in limestone mountain ranges that divide the sea into smaller bays, lagoons and caves, many of which are unexplored.
There are hundreds of limestone mountains in the shape of things such as clogs or bats which also give the islets their names.
Stalactite caves and caverns can also be seen in Lan Ha. Some outstanding ones are Ham Rong Cave, Do Cung Cave and Ca Cave.
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| The bay itself is home to several hundred islands. Photo: VietnamPlus |
Lan Ha Bay boasts 139 small and quiet sandbanks, many of which are located between two rocky mountains – a feature bringing peace and ripples, making these sandbanks ideal bathing beaches.
To fully enjoy the beauties of limestone islets as well as the landscapes of Lan Ha Bay, tourists should travel by kayak. Snaking through islets and small caves, kayaks can access the foot of rocky mountains, giving tourists an view underwater.
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| To fully enjoy the beauties of limestone islets as well as the landscapes of Lan Ha Bay, tourists should travel by kayak. Photo: dulichhalong.net |
Cat Dua Island, also known as Khi (Money) Island, is a must-visit destination in Lan Ha Bay. Many leisure tourism activities have been offered on this island, luring many foreign holidaymakers in recent years.
A typical tourism product in Lan Ha Bay is small fishing villages and those that farm local specialties such as Asian green mussel, clam, cobia, crab, abalone and grouper. Many of such aquaculture farms supply fresh seafood for tourists when they set foot in the bay.
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| Many leisure tourism activities have been offered on this island, luring many foreign holidaymakers in recent years. Photo: VietnamPlus |
Two places of interest many travel companies introduce to visitors are Van Gia fishing village, which is more than 100 years old, and Viet Hai fishing village, which is almost entirely isolated from modern life.
Other destinations in Southeast Asia that appeared on the list were Kelimutu National Park in Indonesia, Kampong Ayer in Brunei, Kuang Si Falls in Laos, Tun Sakaran Marine Park in Malaysia, Banaue Rice Terraces in the Philippines, Gardens by the Bay in Singapore, Angkor Wat in Cambodia, Bagan ancient city in Myanmar and Chiang Mai in Thailand./.
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