Thứ Hai, 3 tháng 10, 2011

Ha Long – Aesthetic value

Ha Long Bay is a mighty, wonderful and unique sculptural site by Nature with thousands of islands and islets rising from the blue sea.
Ha Long – Aesthetic value
Islands on Ha Long Bay do not look boring; it is possible to find various interesting shapes of the islands and islets: one brings to mind a pair of chicken bobbing on the spacious water (Trong Mai Islet); another is like an eagle looking for food (Dai Bang islet); yet another is like an old fisherman (La Vong islet) etc. Ha Long Bay’s beauty varies according to the one’s location, the time of day and one’s emotion.
Ga Choi island
The beauty of Ha Long Bay is not only the forms of its mountains, islands and the colour of its waters, but also its infinitely rich system of grottos and caves. Each has different scale, shapes and beauty, which make such fascination and attraction. Thien Cung (Heavenly Palace Grotto) bears a modern and refined trait, while Dau Go (Driftwood Grotto) is ample and grandiose and Sung Sot (Surprise Grotto) appears deeply secretive.
For a longtime, the beauty of Ha Long Bay leads endless sources of inspiration for artists. Nguyen Trai – a Vietnamese great poet travelled to Van Don visiting Ha Long Bay was inspired by its landscape:
“How innumerous mountains to Van Don
A wonder of the earth erected toward the high sky”
(Extracted from the poem “The way to Van Don”)
Ha Long – Aesthetic valueHa Long Bay – view from Bai Tho mountain
The King Le Thanh Tong of 15th century praised:
“Hundreds f rivers flow into the bay
Scattered islands look like a chessboard of sea joining the sky, both azure blue”
(Extracted from the poem carved on the wall of Bai Tho mountain)
UNESCO has inscribed Ha Long Bay on the World Heritage List, saying that: “The inscription of Ha Long Bay on this List confirms the exceptional and global value of the bay as a cultural and natural site which requires protection for the benefit of the human beings”

INDUSTRY EFFORT

In light of this awful tragedy in Halong, cruise ship owners and travel companies operating in Halong Bay are out to salvage the World Heritage Site’s tarnished reputation. Understandably, clients and partners need to be reassured that the bay is safe for cruises.
According to Pham Ha, founder and CEO of Luxury Travel Company, staying overnight on the bay is a dream of many tourists, especially ones from Europe and America, when visiting the World Heritage Site. But the accident will concern tourists and dent the prestige of travel companies. Travel companies will also suffer losses when clients decide to change their tour itineraries by cancelling scheduled tours to Halong Bay. HaLong – Choppy waters
Nguyen Cao Son from Paradise Cruises said when Halong Management Board temporarily banned overnight cruises on Halong Bay, the company put its clients up in the four-star Bai Chay beach resort.
“Paradise Cruises paid all extra expenses for rooms at four star-grade hotels, transportation fees for all guests booked on overnight tours. If anyone wants to cancel their tour, we will refund them totally,” said Son, whose company runs seven four-star cruises serving 150 – 250 guests a day in Halong. After two days docked in the port, Halong Phoenix Cruises is now operating overnight tours again.
“We have to send a message to our local and foreign partners and clients as well as update information on our Facebook and Twitter pages to clarify the current situation and regular maintenances of our cruises,” says Pham Thanh Hung from South Pacific Travel, which manages Halong Phoenix Cruises.
“My thoughts, when I first heard the news, went immediately out to the families of these passengers. I thought of the calls they would be receiving from our corner of the world, communicating this dreadful news, and how their lives would never be the same,” says Jacques Le Fur, the captain of the Emeraude, one of Halong’s most splendid cruise ships.
“My thoughts then turned to the welfare of my own passengers. I frequently ask myself the same question: “Have we on the Emereude done everything possible to ensure that our passengers are as safe as possible on their Halong Bay cruise?”
“To ensure safety, the team has to follow a strict regimen. Every year, usually in July, they haul the Emeraude out of Halong Bay for maintenance in a shipyard they trust. They’re giving up almost a month of business to make this inspection, but they wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“Obviously this accident has a negative impact on Halong Bay tourism in particular, and on Vietnamese tourism in general,” says Ha, who believes there are too many overnight cruises operating in Halong Bay.
HaLong – Choppy waters
“More than 130 overnight cruises are floating on Halong Bay at the moment making it too crowded and damaging the environment,” he says “The local authorities should inspect quality more carefully, should classify the cruises based on their quality, conveniences and safety standards, like hotels with one to five stars ranking them from budget to luxury accommodation, while improving the quality and quantity of services and entertainment at hotels and restaurants on land.”
Ha suggests that if a one or two star vessel meets with an accident, the local authorities would ban all vessels of that standard while 3-5 star standard vessels could operate as normal. If a five-star met with an accident, they could stop all cruises. That way one incident wouldn’t necessarily mean the whole bay had to close down.
Most tourist experts agree that tourists should look for detailed information on services and quality before booking a Halong tour and should not choose one just because it’s cheap. As Vietnam caters for large numbers of young western backpackers, there is a large budget tourism industry throughout the country.
But, “you should not endanger your life by booking an overnight tour for under $50 to Halong Bay, including transportation, a guide, sightseeing fees, meals and overnight boat,” advises Pham Thanh Hung, from Halong Phoenix Cruises.
“Hanoi based tour operators offer daily packages for different budgets from Hanoi to Halong Bay,” notes Pham Ha. “Many tourists book cheap packages and use a shuttle bus. Sadly cheap deals cost lives in Halong Bay in this recent tragedy.”

HaLong – Choppy waters

The recent boat tragedy in Halong left the tourism industry reeling but the authorities’ response has been swift as Vietnam hopes to ensure tourists its safe to travel on the bay.
HaLong – Choppy waters
When a tourist boat I sank resulting in 12 deaths in Halong Bay on February 16, the story had gone global in a matter of hours. The boat started to sink before dawn near Titov island in Halong Bay, while most of the passengers were sleeping. Fifteen people escaped the boat before being pulled out of the sea by crew from nearby junks, which were also anchored down overnight by the island.
The victims were later identified as holidaymakers from the US, Britain, Australia, Japan, Russia, France, Sweden and Switzerland, along with a Vietnamese tour guide. Halong Bay is one of Vietnam’s most popular coastal destinations and arguably the country’s most stunning location. The reaction to the incident was immediate. The whole bay was shut down for two days as an investigation got underway. At the time of writing over 100 junks have been inspected and declared seaworthy.
So what happened to the junk that sank? At first it was reported a panel of the ship ripped away and water quickly inundated the hull, pulling the ship down. This had alarm bells ringing over the quality of junks and cruise ships operating in the bay. But according to Quang Ninh police department, human error was to blame. The vessel’s captain and a crew member were duly arrested. Apparently, a valve that allows water to come into the boat to cool the engine was left open while the vessel was anchored for the night, said police spokesman Le Thanh Binh. There were no holes or cracks in the hull. As captain Nguyen Van Minh, 22, and his crew mate Do Van Thang, 27, were in charge of the engine, they were arrested.
HaLong – Choppy waters
At present all overnight cruises operating are under strict supervision before disembarking, and all vessels belonging to Truong Hai Company are banned.The Halong Management Board and Quang Ninh provincial People’s Committee launched the special inspection team which checked more than 500 tour boats operating in the bay last week. The 164 overnight cruise vessels were made a priority.
“We are also checking the knowledge and qualifications of captain and crew members working on all cruises,” said Dang Huy Hau, vice chairman of the committee. “We will decide which ones are suitable for operating overnight cruises and which are not to improve the safety of tourist activities.”
“This is the deadliest tour boat accident since the country opened up to foreign visitors 25 years ago. We will pay an expensive price for this accident,” said Hau before promising, “Those held responsible will be dealt with seriously in accordance with the law.”
Tourism authorities also confirmed that AZ Travel (based in Hanoi’s Old Quarter), which booked tourists onto the ill-fated tour, is now not allowed to deal with international inbound travelers.
The UNCESCO-protected World Heritage Site Halong .Bay is a massive hotspot for I tourism in Vietnam

Ha Long Bay tops new world wonder poll

Ha Long Bay tops new world wonder poll
The bay currently takes the lead in the poll, followed by South Korea’s Jeju Island. On www.new7wonders.com, Ha Long Bay always took the lead in the last several days. In May, Vietnam promoted its advertisement and canvas for the bay with many activities held in Vietnam and abroad. Vietnam and South Korea have joined hands to vote for Ha Long Bay and Jeju Island. On website http://www.jeju-halong.com, the Vietnamese page, there are over 4,500 votes for the two landscapes. The poll for the new seven world natural wonders is now in the last stage, with 28 candidates. The winners will be announced on November 11, 2011.
Ha Long Bay is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and a popular travel destination, located in Quang Ninh Province, Vietnam. The Bay has an area of around 1,553 km2, including 1,960 islets, most of which are limestone. The core of the bay has an area of 334 km2 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. Historical research surveys have shown the presence of prehistoric human beings in this area tens of thousands years ago.
In 1962, the Vietnam Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism designated Ha Long Bay a ‘Renowned National Landscape Monument’. Ha Long Bay was first listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994, in recognition of its outstanding, universal aesthetic value. In 2000 the World Heritage Committee additionally recognised Ha Long Bay for its outstanding geological and geomorphological value, and its World Heritage Listing was updated. In 2009, the New 7 Wonders Foundation, which runs the New Seven Wonders of the World programme, including Halong Bay on its list of nominations as one the World’s 7 Natural Wonders.

Vote for Halong Bay

The Ministry of Education and Training has instructed educational institutions and Education and Training Departments in cities and provinces nationwide to promote online votes for Ha Long bay to become one of 7 new Wonders of the Natural World.
Vote for Halong Bay
The promotional campaign is part of the summer activities for pupils and students in the country.
According to information on the website
www.new7wonders.com, the Seven Natural Wonders of the World will be announced on November 11. Ha Long Bay is the only heritage site in Vietnam to be short listed from 28 other wonders and recommended for the 7 natural wonders of the world.
People can call phone number 033.3847481 or http://www.halongbay.com.vn for further information. Vietnamese people and foreign visitors can also go to www.natural7wonders.com to vote for Ha Long Bay.

Campaign launched to promote Halong Bay

Campaign launched to promote Halong Bay
A promotional campaign has been launched in cities and provinces throughout the country with activities that highlight the spectacular beauty of Ha Long Bay.
According to information on the website
www.new7wonders.com, the Seven Natural Wonders of the World will be announced on November 11 this year.
Ha Long Bay is the only heritage site in Vietnam to be ranked twelfth among 28 other wonders listed from across the world, for recommendation as one of the 7 natural wonders of the world.
Vietnamese citizens as well as foreign visitors can go to

Promote votes for Hạ Long bay at New School Year Opening Ceremony 23/08/2011

QNP - The Ministry of Culture Sports and Tourism has asked universities and schools across the country to promote the campaign to vote for Hạ Long Bay as one of the world’s new seven natural wonders.

Hạ Long Bay


Accordingly, the Ministry of Culture Sports and Tourism requested these educational institutions to encourage teachers and students to vote for Hạ Long Bay on the occasion of the start of the new school year 2011-2012.

Those who need technical assistance or further information can come into direct contact with the Hồ Chí Minh Youth Union - the Ministry of Culture Sports and Tourism at the phone number 04.39433629.

In order to become one of the new 7 wonders of the world, the bay needs to collect 60 million votes. Thus, Quảng Ninh province in particular and Việt Nam in general have conducted a huge advertising campaign for the bay to attract as many votes as possible./.

HALONG BAY - ONE OF THE SEVEN NATURAL WONDERS OF THE WORLD






Halong Bay - Quang Ninh Province - Vietnam


Ha Long Bay is located in the northeastern part of Vietnam and constitutes part of the western bank of Bac Bo Gulf, including the sea area of Ha Long City and Cam Pha Town and part of Vân Don island district. It abuts Cat Ba Island in the southwest. Toward the west is the shore with a 120 km-long coastline. It is located within 106o58’-107o22’ east longitude and within 20o45’- 20o50’ north latitude. The site is 1553 sq. km with 1969 islands of various sizes, of which 989 have been named.


The islands in Ha Long Bay are mainly limestone and schist islands most lying in the two main areas: the southeastern part of Bái Tử Long Bay and southwestern part of Hạ Long Bay. These islands represent the most ancient images of a geographical site having a tectonic age of from 250 million to 280 million years. They are the result of many times of rising and lowering processes of the continent to form a karst. The process of nearly full erosion and weathering of the karst created the unique Hạ Long Bay in the world. In a not very large area, thousands of islands with different forms look like glittering emeralds attached to the blue scarf of a virgin. The area where many stone islands concentrate has spectacular scenes and world-famous caves and is the center of Ha Long Bay Natural Heritage, including HaLong Bay and a part of Bái Tu Long Bay.


The area is recognized as the World Natural Heritage that is the area of 434 sq. km with 775 islands. It looks like a giant triangle with Ðầu Gỗ Island (in the west), Ba Hầm Lake (in the south) and Cống Tây Island (in the east) as its three angle points. The nearby area is the buffer area and areas classified as national beauty spots in 1962 by the Ministry of Culture and Information.


Viewed from above, Hạ Long Bay looks like an extremely vivid huge drawing. This is a wonderful and skilful masterpiece of the Creation and of nature that turns thousands of dumb soulless stone islands into fantastic sculptural and artistic works of various graceful shapes, both familiar and strange to human beings. Thousands of islands emerging uneven in the fanciful waves look strong and magnificent but also mild and vivid. Amidst these islands we feel as if we were astray in a petrified legendary world. There are many names given to islands according to their shapes and forms. This one looks like somebody heading toward the shore: Hòn Ðầu Người (Human Head Island); that one looks like a dragon hovering above the sea surface: Hòn Rông (Dragon Island); another looks like an old man sitting fishing: Hòn Lã Vọng; some look like big sails struggling amidst the wind to set off for the sea: Hòn Cánh Buồm (Sail Island); then two islands look like a pair of chicken lovingly playing with each other above the sea: Hòn Trống Mái (Male and Female Chicken Island); and amid the vast sea stands an island like a big incense burner like a ritual offering to Heaven: Hòn Lư Hương (Incense Burner Island). All are so real that people are taken aback by them. Those stone islands have experienced unpredictable changes over time and they take different shapes from different angles of view. Here, we come to realize that they are not dumb inanimate things but are vivid and soulful.


Inside the stone islands are various breath-taking caves, such as Thiên Cung, Ðầu Gỗ, Sửng Sốt, Trinh Nữ, Tam Cung and others. These are really magnificent palaces of the Creation on earth. Long ago, H Long Bay has been called by the great national poet Nguyễn Trãi:a wonder of the earth erected towards the high sky”. Many men of letters from all over the world have been taken aback at the grandiose scenery of Hạ Long. They seem to get puzzled and incompetent as their treasure of vocabulary is not rich enough to depict the splendor of this place.
Hạ Long Bay is also attached to glorious pages of Vietnamese history, with famous sites such as Vân Ðồn, a bustling trade port in the 12th century, charming Bài Thơ Mountain, and not very far away from here is the Bạch Đằng River which witnessed two famous naval battles of the Viêt’s ancestors against invaders. Also, Hạ Long is one of the cradles of human kind with the glorious Hạ Long culture in the late Neolithic age, discovered at such archeological sites as Ðộng Mang, Xích Thổ, Soi Nhụ and Thoi Giếng.


Hạ Long is also home to great biodiversity with typical eco-systems like mangrove forest, coral and tropical forest. It is also home to thousands of plants and animals of numerous species, for example shrimp, fish and squid. Some species are particularly rare and can be found no where else.
With such special values, at the 18th Session of UNESCO’s Council of World Heritage held on 17 December 1994 in Thailand, Hạ Long Bay was officially placed on the list of the World Natural Heritage. In 2000, UNESCO recognized it as the World Heritage for the second time for its geographical and geomorphologic values. This confirms the global premier value of Hạ Long Bay.

Halong Bay Wonder voting campaign launched

  
Speaking at the ceremony, Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Van Tho said this is an opportunity for Vietnam to advertise itself. He said that through this contest, the world will know more about Vietnam. He called for all Vietnamese people to do their part and vote.
 
At the ceremony, a 6-litre Hennessy Mathusalem bottle was auctioned off. The $25,000 proceeds were then presented to the Halong Bay Management Board.
 
In 1962, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism arranged Halong Bay as a National Renowned Landscape Vestige.
 
The bay was listed by UNESCO as a World Natural Heritage site at the 18th meeting of the Committee of World Heritage of UNESCO (in Phuket, Thailand on December 17th, 1994) for its outstanding universal aesthetic value.
 
Then again, on December 2nd, 2000 at the 24th meeting of the Committee of World Heritage held in Cairns city, Australia, Halong Bay was again cited as a World Natural Heritage site for its outstanding universal geological and geomorphologic value.
 
Halong Bay is a nominee of the New Open World Foundation as one of the World’s 7 Natural Wonders; voting will end and results announced on 08/08/2008.
 

Ha Long Bay

Ha Long Bay is located in Quang Ninh, Vietnam. Gulf of thousands of limestone islands and the variety of sizes and shapes. Ha Long Bay is 120 km long coastline of about 1,553 km2 and size with 1969 isles. Some of the empty island with a large cave, the other island is home to the floating villages of fishermen, who painstakingly hard to live with the shallow waters up to 200 species of fish and 450 types of other molluscs. Another feature of the Halong Bay is the abundance of lakes inside the limestone islands, for example, her head up to 6 island lake. All the lakes of this island live in the pit flooded karst Tung Phong.

Vietnam and the Philippines united by nature

Halong Bay consists of more than 3,000 limestone islands rising spectacularly from the ocean
Vietnam's Halong Bay consists of more than 3,000 limestone islands rising spectacularly from the ocean
The Philippines and Vietnam have agreed to support each other in the New7Wonders of Nature campaign. The decision was reached at the East Asia Inter-Regional Tourism Forum (Eatof) standing committee meeting yesterday in Cebu City.
The commitment to support the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River in the Philippines and Vietnam’s Halong Bay was part of the joint declaration of the Eatof, which was presented at the Cebu International Convention Center.
Cebu Vice Governor Agnes Magpale, who presided over the meeting, said it does not matter how the two destinations will be ranked, provided they gain enough support to be included in the New7Wonders of Nature.
Eatof seeks to promote tourism in 12 Asian provinces, including Cebu and Quang Ninh Province in Vietnam, where Halong Bay is located. Vu Thi Thu Thuy, vice chairperson of the Provincial People’s Committee in Vietnam, said there is no contest between Halong and the Subterranean River as Eatof will support both.
“It’s a win-win game for the strength of Eatof,” Thuy said.
The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River  winds through a cave before flowing into the South China Sea
The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River winds through a cave before flowing into the South China Sea 

Campaign launched to promote Ha Long Bay as world’s natural wonder

Ha Long Bay

The Vietnamese Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has asked the Ministry of Education and Training to urge schools nationwide to call upon students to vote for Ha Long Bay as one of the seven natural wonders of the world.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism distributed 100,000 leaflets with instructions on how to vote for Ha Long Bay as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
A promotional campaign has been launched in cities and provinces throughout the country with activities that highlight the spectacular beauty of Ha Long Bay.
According to information on the website www.new7wonders.com, the Seven Natural Wonders of the World will be announced on November 11 this year.
Ha Long Bay is the only heritage site in Vietnam to be ranked twelfth among 28 other wonders listed from across the world, for recommendation as one of the 7 natural wonders of the world.

The seven natural wonders of the world – Let’s vote for Ha Long Bay

According to the promotion plan approved by Quang Ninh’s People’s Committee, from now on, Quang Ninh’s authority will quickly carry out lot of work: to mobilize students, the youth, and cadres, internet users, and foreign tourists who have ever visited Ha Long Bay to vote for the beautiful site. Furthermore, the management board of Ha Long Bay will be responsible for improving the quality of information and the websites on Ha Long Bay to advertise and distribute via the internet as well as printing thousands of leaflets with colorful pictures of the Ha Long Bay landscape to deliver to foreign tourists when visiting the site.

The management board will organize a meeting in August with travel agencies, restaurants, hotels, owners of tourist ships and tour guides to encourage foreigners to vote for Ha Long bay, said Ngo Hung, head of the bays management board.
The Quang Ninh provincial People’s Committee sent a circular to all committees, agencies, organizations, armed forces, enterprises and authorities in the are to instruct people to vote for Ha Long bay through the website at www.natural7wonders.com.
At first, the provincial Department of Education and Training and the provincial Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union will encourage pupils, students and young people to access the website for their recommendation.
   
Ha Long bay is the only heritage site in Vietnam to be selected for the list of 21 wonders and recommended for the 7 worlds natural wonders, said Mr. Quan.
He added that this will be a special event which brings many favourable conditions for the popularity of Ha Long bay in particular and Vietnam – its land and people in general.
In a related issue, on August 6, Mr. Ngo Hung, Chief Manager of Ha Long Bay’s Management Board, Quang Ninh’s People’s Committee officially sent a memo to ask management agencies and services and tourist agents in the province to stop jet ski-ing businesses in Ha Long Bay. This is a policy to follow UNESCO’s suggestion on activities that damaged the landscape and geological value of Ha Long Bay.
Also in the promotional campaign for Ha Long Bay as one of world natural wonders, together with the investment policy for the services quality improvement, natural resources protection, and environmental sanitation, Quang Ninh’s People’s Committee will not allow non-provincial people to establish houseboats and develop aquaculture on the bay and seek ways of sending houseboat-owners ashore and helping them to live and work in contentment. Quang Ninh’s People’s Committee will also come down hard on projects that negativity affect the environment.