Ha Long Bay, Vietnam

Ha Long Bay, Vietnam

Rock wonder in the sky

Ha Long Bay or Halong Bay is a bay located in Northeastern Vietnam.   The name Ha Long means "descending dragon."   It features thousands of limestone karsts and islets in various shapes and sizes, for which it is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Ha Long Bay has an area of around 600 square miles including 1,969 islets, most of which are made of limestone.   The core of the bay has an area of 129 square miles with a high density of 775 islets.   The limestone in this bay has gone through 500 million years of formation in different conditions and environments.   The evolution of the karst in this bay has taken 20 million years under the impact of the tropical wet climate.   The geo-diversity of the environment in the area has created biodiversity, including a tropical evergreen biosystem and a seashore biosystem.   Ha Long Bay is home to 14 endemic floral species and 60 endemic faunal species.

Historical research surveys have shown the presence of prehistoric human beings in this area tens of thousands years ago.   The successive ancient cultures are the Soi Nhu culture around 18,000–7,000 BC, the Cai Beo culture 7,000–5,000 BC and the Ha Long culture 5,000–3,500 years ago.

In 1994, the core zone of the bay was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.