With its long and clean sandy beaches, clear water, fascinating historical sites and untouched beauty, Bai Tu Long Bay has been labelled one of northeast Vietnam ’s wonders of nature and only 200 km from Hanoi.

Embraced by a string of splendid limestone mountains, the eco-system in Bai Tu Long remains untouched. There are hundreds of islands and hundreds of kilometres of coastline with white sandy beaches like those in Minh Chau, Quan Lan, Ngoc Vung and Son Hao. Bai Tu Long’s beauty lies in its limestone caves and historical sites such as Van Don pier, Tinh Hai pier, a citadel from the Mac dynasty on Ngoc Vung Island and Quan Lan Mountain on Quan Lan Island .


Legend has it that when old Vietnam was finally becoming a nation, the country was attacked by foreign invaders. The Gods then sent a mother dragon and its babies to support the Vietnamese people. When the invaders’ warships drew close to shore, the dragons blew out myriads of pearls and gems that turned into mountains like castles protecting Vietnam . After the foreign invaders were beaten off, the mother dragon and its babies did not return to heaven but stayed in the lower world. The land where the mother dragon landed was then called Ha Long and the baby dragons landed at a place called Bai Tu Long.


One of the highlights of Bai Tu Long is the maritime eco-tourism area, which is 60 km from Bai Chay by road or over one hour by fast motorboat. On arriving, visitors have the chance to enjoy the architectural beauty of the temples and pagodas from the Ly dynasty. Bai Tu Long is another must-see destination which boasts a highly diverse ecosystem. Visitors can also tour Cai Lang Village , the earliest example of an old traditional village in the islands where the famous Nang Tien Well can be found.


In addition, tourists can see with their own eyes the beauty of Thong Thien Cave, Phat Co Island or take a boat trip to explore the egiceras forests, or head up to Ban Sen to enjoy the millennium-old tea and wallow in the crystal waters of Uyen Uong Beach .


Blessed with such a lot of potential for tourism, the authorities in Quang Ninh have made every effort to develop Bai Tu Long into an ecotourism destination, attractive to both foreign and domestic tourists. There are many choices of activities here such as visiting a fishing village on Minh Chau Island , Cua Ong Temple , Van Hoa Pier or hiking through forests to reach to the villages of Tay , Red Dao and San Diu ethnic people who live very simply but are very friendly.


Arriving in Bai Tu Long at any time of the year, visitors will discover the naturally scenery with big mountains, beaches, stilt houses and seafood specialties. There, they can either rest in a stilt house on the edge of the beach or enjoy local culinary delights such as garrupa raised at sea by fish farmers.

To make full use of its tourism potential, Quang Ninh province has been calling for more investment to build top-quality resorts, architecturally designed to match in with the surroundings.

Furthermore, the local authorities have been accelerating the development of unique tourism services and products such as organising balloon tourism, especially in the islands of Van Don, Quan Lan and Minh Chau./.