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Natural
Beauty
Speaking
of Hạ Long, one must above all talk of
the beauty of its water and sky. In a relatively small area (1,553
sq. km), there are 1,969 islands rising from the sea.
Seen
from above, Hạ Long Bay resembles a
light blue handkerchief dotted with emerald gems; sometimes
clustered together, sometimes isolated. The clever artistic hand
of creation has made thousands of stone islands simulating
familiar personages or animals. Like the constellations of the
night sky, it’s possible to find a familiar form in every island
of Hạ Long Bay: one brings to mind a
pair of chickens bobbing on the spacious water
(Trống
Mái Islet); another is
like a giant tortoise with half-closed and sleepy eyes (Rùa
Islet); another is like an old monk joining his hands in prayer to
Buddha, with his face turned to the sea (Ông Sư
Islet); yet another is like a giant incense-burner standing in the
middle of the sea which used to pray heaven and earth (Đinh
Hương Islet).
It is a safe bet that many other islands bearing familiar forms
remain undiscovered in the mysterious bay.
The sea
of Hạ Long is deep blue water throughout
all four seasons. In spring, sailing amidst the waves, the stone
islands look to be bobbing on the water. As summer approaches and
the sun is setting on the far horizon, they appear to awake in
unison and rise from the blue depths. The whole bay is bright red,
and then turns to blue as the crests of the waves run together
towards the shore. Orchids and fig trees, growing from fissures in
the stone, bloom with snowy flowers.
As
a boat makes its way through this forest of islands by ways of
meandering channels, sometimes stone seems to be spread in front
of you; forming a wall heeding further progress. Once nearer, the
wall appears to crack open as if letting your boat pass. The
scenery disappears behind you as yet another panorama opens to
your view.
The
winding route seems to be endless, but the beauty of Hạ
Long Bay does not consist only in the forms of it’s mountains,
islands and the colour of its waters, but also in its infinitely
rich system of grottoes and caves; concentrated mostly in the
middle of the UNESCO-protected area.
Thiên Cung (Heavenly
Palace Grotto) bears a modern and refined trait,
while
Đầu Gỗ
(Driftwood Grotto)
is ample and grandiose and
Sửng
Sốt (Surprise Grotto)
appears deeply secretive. There are many beautiful examples,
closely linked with legends and popular tales, such as:
Trinh Nữ and Trống
Grottoes
(Virgin and Male Grottoes)
and the Fairy Grotto Lake (Động
Tiên Lake). Each is a grandiose and refined
natural architectural creation.
At
sunset, when the mountains’ shadows stretch out long across the
bay, the water turns grey-blue, before suddenly transforming to a
crimson red as the last of the sun’s rays reach the far away
islands. For one short instant, the whole scene mingles into one
colour, and then all light is extinguished. After the moon climbs
into the sky, the sea seems to be coated with silver, with the
lights of Hạ Long City reflected on the
surface of the water.
It
seemed that every islands, caves and beaches in Hạ
Long closely linked with the legend and popular tale of love, of
the heroic song for safeguarding country... Visiting Hạ
Long Bay is a good chance to witness the romantic and attractive
love story, which happened only in the legend.
The
18th meeting of the
Committee of the
World Heritages of UNESCO (in Thailand on December 17th,
1994), officially recognized Hạ Long Bay as
a natural heritage of worldwide importance. And Hạ
Long Bay is honorly recognized as a world natural heritage once
again for its
geological value.
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