Halong Bay, located in the Quang Ninh province of Vietnam, consists of 1,969 isles, covering an area of approximately 600 square miles (1,533 square kilometers) and has a 74.6 mile (120 kilometer) coastline. Because of the stunning beauty of the bay, which features thousands of limestone karsts and isles in various sizes and shapes, it has been made a UNESCO World Heritage site. History shows that Halong Bay has been the setting for local naval battles against Vietnam’s coastal neighbors. On three occasions in the labyrinth of channels in Bach Dang River near the islands the Vietnamese army stopped the Chinese from landing. During the Vietnam War, many of the channels between the islands were heavily mined by the navy of the United States, some of which pose a threat to shipping to this day. The surrounding land region, still rich with high grade coal deposits, is operated by the Vietnamese government. Local legend says that long ago the gods sent a family of dragons to help defend the land. This family of dragons began spitting out jewels and jade. These jewels turned into the islands and islets dotting the bay, linking together to form a great wall against the invaders. The people kept their land safe and formed what later became the country of Vietnam. After that, dragons were interested in peaceful sightseeing of the Earth and decided to live here then. The place where Mother Dragon flew down was named Halong.
Labels: Travel information
posted by Hills @ 7:13 PM
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