Map of Ha Long Bay

The Ha Long Bay archipelago is made up of 1,969 islands, both inhabited and uninhabited. These can be accessed from various ports, though in the special case of Cat Ba you can also arrive either by car, motorbike or bus (via Haiphong) or combined bus/boat (from Hanoi via Halong City).

• 20.951623107.085211 Halong City
• Ban Sen - a thickly forested, almost uninhabited island reachable by ferries to Quan Lan from Cai Rong.
• 20.8106.9997222 Cat Ba - the home of the endangered Cat Ba langur, a national park, numerous caves and the most popular destination in Ha Long Bay for tourists. It can either accessed by local bus and ferry from Hanoi's Lương Yên bus station (recommended), by tourist boat from Halong City (a five hour "hard sell" ordeal; this is what the hordes of Hanoi package tourists do), or by local bus or ferry from Haiphong (less scenic).
• 20.884305107.5143943 Quan Lạn - a historically significant outlying island with the beginnings of some tourism infrastructure and some beautiful beaches. Reachable by ferry from or also (reportedly) from Halong City.
• 21.059167107.4341674 Cai Rong on Van Don - a large island that is well inhabited, little visited by tourists and connected by road to the mainland near Cửa Ông.
• 21.031389107.3563895 Cửa Ông

"Ha Long" means "Bay of Descending Dragons" (Chinese: 下龙湾; Xiàlóngwān), though prior to the 19th century this name was not recorded in any document or archive. When mentioning the present-day Quang Ninh Sea or Ha Long Bay, old histories often referred to them by the names of An Bang, Luc Thuy or Van Don. Not until the late-19th century did the name of Ha Long Bay appear on a French maritime chart. The Hai Phong News, a French newspaper of the time, had an article, Dragon appears on Ha Long Bay, reporting the following story: In 1898 a sub-lieutenant named Lagredin, skipper of the Avalanse, reported seeing a huge sea snake in Ha Long Bay. This was also witnessed by many of the crew. Thus emerged the European image of the Asian dragon. Whether this appearance of a strange animal resembling a dragon resulted in the name of Ha Long Bay is unknown.

• Ha Long Bay Tourism website

There are a number of domestic connections, particularly to the ports of Halong City and Haiphong.

The islands can be accessed from various ports:

• Cai Rong, a small port serving the northeastern archipelago.
• Halong City, spanning a portion of the northern part of the archipelago. There are several ports here; at least one port exists that is wholly distinct from the tourist boat piers.
• Haiphong, a large historic port city at the mouth of the Red River.

It is best to avoid beaches and swimming until you get to the islands: depending on the winds, the beach water can be a varying combination between a garbage dump and crystal clear water.

Here are things you can choose to do:

• Tu hài is an expensive gourmet shellfish associated with the Van Don Island district, sometimes called 'snail spout'. It is reputed to have a particularly unique and unforgettable taste. It can be prepared in soup or salads, steamed or baked. Steamed tu hài is sweet and cool, and sometimes mixed with spices.
• Horseshoe crab is gradually becoming a specialty of Halong Bay.

It is best to avoid beaches and swimming until you get to the islands: Depending on the winds, the beach water can be a varying combination between a garbage dump and crystal clear water.

• To the north there is the neighboring bay Bai Tu Long Bay with similar scenery and fewer tourists. Cruises to Bai Tu Long Bay leave from Hon Gai wharf (Cảng Hòn Gai) in the city of Ha Long. The islands of Bai Tu Long Bay can be reached by ferry from Cái Rồng port, approximately 60 km north of the city of Ha Long.
• To the south is the coastal city of Haiphong.
• Hanoi is 170 km to the west.
• To the north, you can reach Mong Cai and Dongxing on the Chinese border and then other destinations in China's Guangxi province.
• Co To Island, reachable by boat from Ha Long City