Ha
Long City
Ha Long City is not likely to win prizes for its architecture
or facilities, but it is by no means the hell-hole portrayed
in the ‘Lonely Planet’ travel guide.
The city is the provincial capital
of Quang Ninh province, and was created in the nineties
by amalgamating Bai Chay, a tourist area, with the much
larger industrial and commercial area of Hong Gai. The considerable
differences between the two elements, and their separation
by a busy vehicle ferry crossing the Cua Luc estuary, made
them uneasy bedfellows at first, but time and the imminent
construction of a bridge is bringing them together.
Surprisingly, the tourist area of
Bai Chai is the less attractive area for the serious traveller.
The long seafront suffers from uncontrolled and inappropriate
development, and apart from the hotels, restaurants and
souvenir shops (mostly poor quality), and the Royal Park,
a long seafront development with few distinctive attractions,
there is little reason to spend much time there. Almost
invariably, we offer our clients overnight accommodation
on a well-equipped boat on Ha Long Bay
Of
course, Ha Long City’s fame is its location facing the World
Heritage Area of Ha Long Bay. The main access point is a
purpose built wharf to the west of Bai Chai. Its location
means that the large numbers of day-trip visitors by-pass
Ha Long City altogether, thus depriving the local community
of much-needed income. If time permits, a visit to Hong
Gai is worthwhile.
Although some of the coal mines and
associated heavy industries have been moved further east,
the commercial nature of Hong Gai is immediately evident.
Unlike Bai Chay, there has been no attempt to ‘internationalise’
it. Nearly all the buildings are comparatively new: almost
the entire area was flattened by blanket bombing during
the war.
Fortunately, a small area in the
south of Hong Gai escaped the destruction. In its centre
is Bai Tho (‘Poem’) Mountain, the name derived from the
several verses carved into its almost vertical seaward face
by famous kings and poets. The limestone peak is unexpectedly
rich in bio-diversity and offers stunning views of the bay
and the red backs of sea eagles swooping below. It is also
steeped in Vietnamese culture, not only for its role in
wars and conflicts through the ages, but also for its religious
associations. Two attractive temples, one on each side of
the mountain, are worth a visit.
Elsewhere, Hong Gai bustles with
life, and is a good example of Vietnam’s emerging industrial
cities. A stroll around the market and port is pleasant
and informative.
Ha Long City is already growing rapidly.
However, it’s inevitable that the rate of growth will accelerate
as it lies upon the main road to southern China. At present,
the heavy lorries have to use the ferry - once the bridge
is built, and the road to the border gate is upgraded, goods
traffic will escalate.
The
160km journey to Ha Long City takes about 2½ hrs. Nearly
all accommodation is in Bai Chai. At present, there are
five good quality hotels but, although comfortable, none
is up to deluxe standard. There is a limited number of reasonable
mid-range hotels and an abundance of budget accommodation,
much of it poor quality.
Restaurant menus are quite limited,
but the seafood is excellent, especially that served on
the boats we use. A good alternative is the floating restaurant
near Bai Tho mountain. Apart from the ubiquitous karaoke
establishments and various shows and entertainment in the
Royal Park, there’s not much to do in the evenings apart
from strolling among the prom or around Hong Gai.
On the western outskirts of the city,
Tuan Chau is a small soil island close to the mainland that
has been converted to a large resort area. Although well
done, and boasting some of the best accommodation in Ha
Long City, it has been designed to attract Vietnamese and
Chinese visitors and is unlikely to appeal to those from
developed countries elsewhere.
