Halong Bay Tours

Located in the North East of Vietnam, Halong City is 175 km by road (the journey direct from Hanoi to Halong Bay takes about 3 hours) to reach Bai Chay, Halong's main port. There are no special attractions to be found here – the dockside is dilapidated and grubby with dust from decades of coal shipments - but to the south of the ferry pier, in the lee of a limestone outcrop named Nui Bai Tho or 'Poem Mountain', is a picturesque fishing village. If you have time, stroll through the village, taking note of the poems in praise of the beauty of Halong Bay, carved into the rocky face of Nui Bai Tho over the centuries.From Bai Chay, it is just a short ferry ride across the narrow Cua Luc Channel to the town of Hong Gai, conjoined with Bai Chay since 1994 to create Halong City. Where Hong Gai is grimy and industrial, Bai Chay is northern Vietnam's most developed resort. Designed to appeal primarily to locals and to visitors from nearby China, karaoke bars and neon lights abound, but this somewhat sleazy aspect in no way detracts from the beauty of the emerald sea and gem-like garland of the islands spread to the south.