Bãi Cháy is a large,
beautiful, artificial beach, closed to the coast ofHạ Long Bay. The 100-meter-wide-sandy beach spans over 500
m. Early in the morning or in late afternoon, thousands of people
liven up the atmosphere here.
The asphalt road winds its way through the white
sandy beach and luxuriant casuarinas. The Hoàng Gia Tourism
Company has invested in diverse services for tourists. The Bãi
Cháy tourist site is fast changing into one of the most
captivating of this kind in Hạ Long City. It comprises
restaurants, water puppet and traditional music theatres,
Hoàng Gia Park, water-skiing, and sea
motorcycling. The Hoàng Gia Park lines along the Hạ Long road
leading from the Bãi Cháy Tourist Wharf to the gate of the Hạ Long
Night Market.
There are many legends associated with the name Bãi
Cháy. According to one legend, when the fleet carrying food for
the Yuan-Mongolian invaders led by Trương Văn Hổ came there, the
Vietnamese troops and locals under the leadership of Trần Khánh Dư
set fire to it. The whole fleet was engulfed in fire. Meanwhile,
the northeast wind blew hard and further added fuel to it. Fire
was so fierce it burned down the forest in the western side of Cửa
Lục. Hence the name Bãi Cháy.
Another legend has it that the western side of Cửa
Lục used to be a wharf for seagoing boats. Acorn-barnacles firmly
attached to these boats’ sides and underneath, and might wreck the
boats. The local population had to use casuarinas leaves to burn
acorn-barnacles. From Hòn Gai and other neighboring places, people
always see a blaze from there, so they called it Bãi Cháy.
