Ha Long among top nine sunset selfie spots in SE Asia

Ha Long among top nine sunset selfie spots in SE Asia

HA LONG (VNS) — GOASEAN, the world's first ASEAN travel channel-tune, has named Ha Long Bay in its list of nine best sunset selfie spots in Southeast Asia.

"Let's face it: one of the main reasons we snap photos when we travel is to prove that we were there - and there is no better proof than a selfie," the site says.

The list includes "the most selfie-friendly, instagrammable locations with glorious sunset views".

Ha Long Bay is Asia's ultimate heart-stealer thanks to its beautiful floating villages and emerald waters, it says.

"The Bay of the Descending Dragons already carries an intoxicating and mystical atmosphere but at dusk – with the sun soaking its last rays into the bay – the feeling is intensified 100 per cent."

It also suggests that visitors should stay a night or two aboard a traditional junk and capture the sunset up close from the waters for the ultimate selfie.

The others are The Helix Bridge (Singapore), GunungRinjani (a volcano within a volcano, Lombok, Indonesia), Railay Bay (Thailand), The Rock Bar (Bali, Indonesia), Bagan (Myanmar), Manila Bay (the Philippines), VangVieng (Laos), and Grand Hyatt (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia). — VNS

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23 caves discovered in Quảng Ninh - Halong Bay Travel Guide

Twenty-three new caves have been discovered in Ha Long and Bai Tu Long bays in the northern province of Quang Ninh.

Stalactites in a new cave in the northeast of Bo Hon Island in Ha Long Bay.

This is the result of a study jointly carried out by Ha Long's management board and the Viet Nam Institute of Geosciences and Mineral Resources under the natural resource and environment ministry from November 23 to 30.

Eighteen of the 23 explored caves have high value in terms of science and aesthetics, Phạm Thuy Dương, the head of Ha Long's management board, said.

"These new caves will add more data and tourism resources to help the management board preserve and promote values of Ha Long Bay, a world natural heritage site," Duong said.

Ha Long Bay, located in the Gulf of Tonkin in Quang Ninh Province, is 165km from Ha No. Spread over 43,400ha and comprising thousands of limestone karsts and isles of various sizes and shapes, Ha Long Bay is at the centre of a larger zone that includes Bai Tu Long Bay in the northeast and Cat Ba in the southwest. These larger zones share similar geological, geographical, geomorphological, as well as climate and cultural features.

In 1994, the core zone of Hạ Long Bay was listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, and in 2012, the New Seven Wonders Foundation the named the bay as one of the ‘New Seven Natural Wonders' of the world.
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23 new caves discovered in Ha Long, Bai Tu Long bays - Halong Bay Travel Guide

Quang Ninh Province’s authorities have discovered 23 new caves in Ha Long Bay and its lesser known neighbor Bai Tu Long Bay after a week-long survey, news website VnExpress reported.

The Ha Long Bay’s management board conducted the survey in cooperation with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment from November 23 to 30.

Pham Thuy Duong, chief of the board, said 18 of the 23 new caves were highly praised for their beauty and scientific values.

She said the board will further survey the caves and advise local authorities on which ones should be preserved for scientific research and which one should be opened to tourists.

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Vietnam’s rice terraces, Ha Long Bay among most beautiful places on earth - Halong Bay Travel Guide

UNESCO heritage site Ha Long Bay and a mountainous district with breathtaking rice terraces in northern Vietnam have entered a list of 50 most beautiful places.

Mu Cang Chai, a district to the west of the northern mountainous province of Yen Bai, is in travel magazine Condé Nast Traveler's list for its stunning view of terraced fields, which have been an attraction to both Vietnamese and foreign tourists. The fields turn into beautiful sights when they change their color from green to gold in September and October.

The popular UK news website Telegraph in September also named the rice terraces among 14 most “surreal” landscapes on earth.

Vietnam’s tourism ministry has also listed the terraced fields as one of the most beautiful sights of the country, which is one of the largest rice exporters in the world.

While Mu Cang Chai is a new attraction, Ha Long Bay, more than 400 kilometers to the east, has for a long time been one of the most loved tourist sites in the country.

 Ha Long Bay. Photo credit: GiangKen

The bay draws tourists with a magnificent scene of more than 1,500 islands and inlets of giant limestone karst islands in various shapes and sizes, popping up from turquoise waters.

Tourists can book an overnight cruise trip on the bay to watch sunrise or sunset, or they can also explore many wild ancient limestone caves surrounding the bay.

It has been recommended by different travel sites recently as one of the best eco spots in Asia and one of the most beautiful places to visit in Southeast Asia.

Check the entire list here to see if your favorite destinations make the cut. 

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Four destinations in Vietnam rated among top 29 places to visit in Southeast Asia

Four destinations in Vietnam rated among top 29 places to visit in Southeast Asia

Four locations in Vietnam – Hanoi, Sapa and Hoi An towns, and Ha Long city – have been named among the 29 best places to visit in Southeast Asia, as selected by Touropia, a travel website that features the most impressive and popular travel destinations around the world.

 

Located in northeastern Vietnam, Ha Long Bay in the northern province of Quang Ninh occupies third place on the list, likened to a scene from a fantasy story with its thousands of limestone karst islands of different shapes and sizes. It is also home to four fishing villages composed of floating houses where the occupants make their living and to 200 different species of fish and 450 kinds of mollusk.

Coming in at 15th place, the charming town of Hoi An in central Quang Nam province impresses visitors with its narrow, winding lanes of the old port-town, which are lined with beautiful old architecture, traditional wooden houses and hundreds of tailor shops.

The capital city of Hanoi is ranked 25th on the list thanks to its blend of old-world charm with modern life. Hanoi’s Old Quarter is described as an open-air museum of historic Asian and French colonial architecture that has largely remained intact.

Named in the 27th position, the northwest town of Sapa in Lao Cai province is recommended as a base for trekking in the surrounding mountains, touring rice paddies and visiting traditional villages and hill tribes. Tourists are suggested to visit attractive French colonial sites in the town and buy souvenirs and handicrafts made by various ethnic tribes in the area.

Nhan Dan

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Bewitching beauty of golden rice fields in Quang Ninh

VietNamNet Bridge – Take a view of Binh Lieu - an off-the-beaten-track place with a splendid and captivating beauty in the northeastern province of Quang Ninh.

Some 110km from Ha Long City, it takes only two hours by motorbike to see the goden rice fields in Binh Lieu District, Quang Ninh Province. (Photos: VNA) Binh Lieu District is endowed with the wild and charming beauty of terraced fields and forest spreading as far as the eyes can see. Binh Lieu is called 'little Sa Pa' by backpack tourists thanks to its four-season-in-one-day climate and its pristine landscapes  The fields are among the main tourist attractions In November, tourists are enchanted by the ripe rice fields in the sunlight of the Autumn.   At this time of the year, local farmers begin harvesting their rice crops.  This unique sight will be gone in just a few weeks as rice is brought home. The picturesque river winds around the mountains and hills in the district. Springs sparkle under the sunlight. The endless terraced fields.The endless terraced fields. A local farmer carries his rice home.

VNA

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Hashtag #Vietnam: The week's best photos - Halong Bay Travel Guide

Tourists camp inside En Cave at the protected Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park in central Vietnam. The 1.6-kilometer cave is a feeder to the world's largest cave Son Doong and is itself one of the most captivating caves on earth.

Cham towers built between the 13th and 15th centuries are among the most popular attractions in the  central coastal town of Quy Nhon. Earlier this year the town was listed by UK travel publisher Rough Guides as one of the nine best undiscovered places in Southeast Asia.

A street graffiti in Ho Chi Minh City.

A quiet, surreal moment under Long Bien Bridge in bustling Hanoi downtown.

Hanoi traffic: Beauty in the chaos?

A man rides his elephant across a lake in Vietnam's Central Highlands.

Vietnamese conical leaf hats are made into wall lanterns in Phu Quoc.

A tea farmer in Vietnam's Central Highlands.

Tourists walk inside one of the limestone caves surrounding Ha Long Bay.

A woman sells banh mi baguette on a street in southern Vietnam.

A 200-year-old gate to the botanical garden of Vietnam's former citadel in Hue.

A buffalo auction at Can Cau, the largest cattle market in Vietnam’s northwestern region with hundreds of buffalo and cows put up for sale. The market meets every Saturday on a hill around 115 kilometers from Sa Pa. One can take an overnight train from Hanoi and another three-hour bus ride to the market.

A photo by Truong Huu Hung shows fishers casting their nets on a river

Star anise pods are grilled before being added to a pot of Vietnamese famous noodle soup pho.

A speedboat leaves a white tail around Ha Long Bay.

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