Travel

Ha Long Bay - world wonder worth seeing at least once in lifetime: French journal

Routard.com noted that despite becoming a major tourist destination, the bay has retained its otherworldly beauty. To fully appreciate the scenery, visitors are advised to spend more time exploring and venture beyond the busiest tourist routes.

Routard.com describes Ha Long Bay as “one of the most beautiful wonders in the world” that everyone should visit at least once in their lifetime. (Photo published by VNA)
Routard.com describes Ha Long Bay as “one of the most beautiful wonders in the world” that everyone should visit at least once in their lifetime. (Photo published by VNA)

Paris (VNA) – Routard.com, the online version of Guide du Routard, one of France’s oldest and best-known travel guidebook brands, has published a feature on Vietnam’s Ha Long Bay, describing it as “one of the most beautiful wonders in the world” that everyone should visit at least once in their lifetime.

In an article published on October 5, the French travel website was particularly impressed by the green-clad limestone karsts rising from emerald waters, spectacular caves and floating fishing villages in Ha Long Bay. Together, they create “one of the most spectacular landscapes in Asia, if not the world”.

Recognised by UNESCO as a World Natural Heritage Site in 1994, Ha Long Bay is home to more than 2,000 limestone islands and islets covered in vegetation and scattered across its emerald waters. Routard.com noted that despite becoming a major tourist destination, the bay has retained its otherworldly beauty.

To fully appreciate the scenery, visitors are advised to spend more time exploring and venture beyond the busiest tourist routes. One experience particularly recommended by Routard.com is spending at least one night aboard a cruise in Ha Long Bay.

Departing from Tuan Chau Port, visitors can venture deeper into the bay and admire thousands of limestone islands appearing one after another through their cabin windows or from the deck. Waking early amid the tranquility of the sea and karsts, with birdsong in the air, offers a very different and more peaceful experience from the bustle of daytime.

According to Routard.com, Ha Long’s beauty is not limited to views from a boat. Kayaking allows visitors to get close to the cliffs, pass through natural passages and stop at small sandy beaches for a swim. The bay’s extensive cave system is another highlight, with Dau Go Cave, Thien Cung Cave and Sung Sot Cave among the attractions recommended by the French travel website.

Another site highly rated by Routard.com is Ti Top Island. After climbing around 400 steps for about 15 minutes, visitors can enjoy a panoramic view of the bay, with limestone islands rising from the sea. However, it is also one of the bay’s most popular and often busiest attractions.

For those seeking a quieter setting, the site particularly recommends Bai Tu Long Bay, which lies adjacent to Ha Long Bay. It offers similar landscapes but with fewer tourist boats, making it suitable for visitors wishing to escape the busiest routes and enjoy the tranquility of northeastern Vietnam’s waters.

At Vung Vieng fishing village in Bai Tu Long Bay, visitors can take traditional small boats through floating houses and natural passages between the limestone karsts. Routard.com also suggests visiting a pearl farming area to learn about a craft closely associated with the lives of local coastal communities.

It is this tranquility that led Routard.com to describe Bai Tu Long as a more peaceful version of Ha Long Bay. Rather than following only familiar itineraries, the French travel website encourages visitors to venture a little farther to discover fishing villages, coastal areas and limestone islands where a slower pace of life remains, offering another perspective on Vietnam’s renowned heritage destination./.

VNA
#VNHP #Routard.com #Ha Long Bay #Vietnam tourism #World Natural Heritage Site Quang Ninh
Follow VietnamPlus

Vietnam - New era

Related News

The elegant, luxurious interiors of Ha Long Bay’s modern cruise fleet enhance visitors’ premium travel experience. (Photo: VNA)

Ha Long Bay dazzles in spectacular night show

Vice Chairman of the Quang Ninh provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Van Cong said Ha Long Bay is not only a world-renowned heritage site but also a valuable resource for creating new tourism experiences. The province pursues the principle of “conserving for development and developing to reinvest in conservation,” while expanding the Ha Long – Yen Tu – Bai Tu Long tourism chain and developing the nighttime economy and cultural industries.

The 7 Wonders Day will be held on July 7 to celebrate Ha Long Bay as one of the best known world natural heritage site. (Photo: courtesy of Ha Long Bay - Yen Tu World Heritage Management Department)

7 Wonders Day to spotlight UNESCO heritage jewel Ha Long Bay

A special event entitled 7 Wonders Day with a series of attractions and experiences for both residents and visitors will be held in Ha Long city, Quang Ninh province, on July 7 to honour the elected New 7 Wonders of the World and Nature.

The red sails are expected to become a unique visual highlight and popular check-in feature (Source: Quang Ninh's online portal)

Quang Ninh launches traditional sailboat tours along Ha Long Bay

The initiative follows strong public and visitor interest during the recent Lunar New Year (Tet), when the sight of the traditional wooden boat with its signature red sails drew widespread attention, both on-site and across social media, particularly among international tourists.

See more

Pu Luong community-based ecotourism site in Thanh Hoa province attracts visitors during National Day holiday. (Photo published by VNA)

Travel firms drive tourist flows, boost tourism value

Travel companies should play a key role in directing tourist flows and linking the tourism value chain, thus enhancing the competitiveness of the tourism sector. They should go beyond selling tours to understand market demand, design products, connect services, organise tourist flows, manage risks and contribute to shaping destination images.

The picturesque scenery outside Phong Nha Cave (Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park) (Photo published by VNA)

Vietnam steps up tourism promotion on global markets

Experts say that to turn advantages into high-value tourist arrivals, tourism promotion needs to move beyond fragmented activities towards large-scale, long-term campaigns tailored to target markets and closely linked to actual visitor experiences.

Visitors tour Hoi An Ancient Town in Da Nang city. (Photo: VNA)

Vietnam’s tourism targets 12% of GDP by 2030

Resolution 26-NQ/TW targets a direct GDP contribution of 10–12% by 2030, 45–50 million foreign arrivals, 160 million domestic visitors, and total revenue of 80–90 billion USD.

Located on Apollo Square in the heart of Sunset Town, Phu Quoc, Apollo Cafe is a distinctive venue designed by renowned architect Bill Bensley.

Coffee beneath an “upside-down” town: A surreal stop in Phu Quoc

With an entire town recreated on its ceiling, sweeping sunset views and a vantage point for watching fireworks after dark, Apollo Cafe in Phu Quoc offers more than a photogenic backdrop. Designed by Bill Bensley, the venue shows how a café can become an experience travellers deliberately build into their itinerary.

Vietnam is named Asia's Leading Destination for the eighth time and Asia's Leading Heritage Destination for the fourth time at the 2026 World Travel Awards. (Photo: VNA)

Vietnam strengthens tourism profile with WTA 2026 honours

The awards demonstrate that Vietnam's tourism appeal is being recognised across a broad range of areas, from national, urban and heritage destinations to nature-based attractions and tourism products and services, further strengthening the country's presence on the regional and international tourism map

Terraced fields shimmering with water create a picturesque scene in Lang Sang Village, Ta Xua Commune. (Photo: VNA)

Ta Xua named Asia’s leading emerging tourism destination 2026

In recent years, Ta Xua, dubbed "the paradise of clouds", has emerged as one of the mountainous destinations attracting strong interest from young travellers, particularly for its spectacular sea of clouds stretching across the mountains in the northwestern region.

AirAsia highlights Kem Beach as a family-friendly destination, where children can play on the sand while parents enjoy a little more time relaxing by the sea. (Photo: VNA)

AirAsia recommends Phu Quoc as ideal destination for family travel

A familiar low-cost airline among Southeast Asian travellers, AirAsia describes Phu Quoc in its blog guide to travelling with young children as a destination that feels almost tailor-made for families, with beaches for relaxation, leisure attractions and a wide range of activities to engage children of different ages.

Ho Chi Minh City Central Post Office remains a popular attraction for domestic and international tourists. (Photo: VNA)

Ho Chi Minh City wins three top Asian tourism awards in 2026

The 2026 honours add to the city’s impressive streak at international tourism awards. In the 2025 WTA, the southern metropolis took home four titles, including business travel and festival and event destination awards, which it had won for four years from 2022 to 2025.

Phu Quoc is building its capacity to host MICE tourism, with international resorts, event venues, world-class shows and an expanding flight network. (Photo: Sunset Town)

Why does Travel + Leisure call Phu Quoc Asia’s next MICE hotspot?

According to the magazine, Phu Quoc was once known primarily for its beaches and relaxed holiday atmosphere. Over the past two years, alongside that appeal, the island has gradually developed its capacity to serve the MICE market, with international resorts, event venues, world-class shows and an expanding flight network.

Every year, from September to October, terraced rice fields in Mu Cang Chai and Pung Luong communes, Lao Cai province, turn a golden yellow, creating a spectacular landscape across the northwestern mountains. (Photo: VNA)

Indigenous culture becomes tourism asset in northern highlands

With growing recognition of indigenous knowledge, customs and cultural values as unique assets, ethnic communities in the northern mountainous region are shifting from simply providing tourism services to becoming creators and owners of tourism products, confidently telling their own cultural stories

Tourists watch the sunset from the Kiss Bridge in Phu Quoc special zone, An Giang province. (Photo published by VNA)

An Giang's tourism sector grows, prepares for APEC 2027

Phu Quoc remains the biggest contributor to An Giang's international arrivals and tourism revenue. The special zone welcomed more than 1.92 million foreign visitors during the nine-month period, accounting for over 99% of all international arrivals in the province.

Wellness tourism is gradually becoming a high-value-added segment, extending international visitors' length of stay in Vietnam. (Photo: VNA)

Vietnam leans on wellness tourism to unlock higher-value segment by 2030

Vietnam has the abundant natural resources, including beaches, forests, mineral springs, mineral mud and a wide range of medicinal plants, backed by a long-lasting traditional medicine and the cultural identity of its ethnic communities. Together, they form the base for wellness tourism products that are both competitive and distinctly Vietnamese.