The Calgary Airport Is A Central Air Traffic Hub For 27 Airlines And A Lot Of Privately Owned Planes.

Calgary Airport opened in 1914. Calgary’s first airfield moved twice before settling into its current location in the city’s northeast section in 1939.

Named McCall Field for a Calgary World War I aviator, the airport underwent several expansion and modernization projects, eventually becoming the property of the federal government and adopting the present name of Calgary International Airport.

The once modest facility now serves as a central air traffic hub on a regional, national, and international basis, employing thousands of workers and housing 200 companies.

The airport currently encompasses nearly eight square miles of land, and since July of 1992 the Calgary Airport Authority at 2000 Airport Road NE has been responsible for the management, operation, and development of every inch.

The Calgary Airport Authority also manages Springbank Airport, which acts as a relief airfield for Calgary International Airport.

Located west of the city in the Rocky View municipal district, Springbank Airport claims distinction as the closest certified airport to Banff National Park, and it provides both commercial and private aircraft services.

Twenty-seven airlines currently service Calgary International Airport:

Air Canada/Jazz, Air North, Air Transat,

Alaska Airlines, America West/U.S. Airways,

American Airlines, Belair Airlines, British Airways,

Canadian North, Central Mountain Air, Condor,

Continental Airlines, Delta Connection, Excel Airways,

Fly Globe Spain, Frontier Airlines, Horizon Air,

KLM, Martinair, Monarch, Northwest Airlines,

Peace Air, Skyservice, Sunwing Airlines,

Thomas Cook, United Airlines, WestJet, and Zoom.

For transportation on the ground, travelers can visit the Rental Car Centre on the Departures floor across from the main terminal building, which can also be reached via the elevator lobby across from the Arrivals road.

Half a dozen car rental agencies operate out of the Rental Car Centre, and rental companies located outside the airport offer courtesy shuttle service to their locations.

Bus Bay #21 on the Arrivals roadway serves as the shuttle pick-up spot, but advance arrangements must be made with the car rental company.

Travelers who drive their own vehicles can choose from four airport parking options.

There’s a Short Term parking area;

a Parkade that offers hourly, daily, and weekly rates;

an Overweight lot for oversized vehicles;

and a 450-car surface-parking site.

Visitors can also opt for valet parking on the Departures roadway.

Demand for parking space peaks on Wednesdays and Thursdays and during long weekends, often necessitating the use of auxiliary lots outside the terminal, so it’s best to plan for the extra time needed to walk to and from the terminal during these periods.

However almost all parking lot operators provide a shuttle service to and from the Airport Terminal.

For those who wish to check their belongings, the airport provides coat and luggage storage for a per day/per item fee.

This service is available at the airport’s Information Booth on the Arrivals floor, opposite Carousel #4.

You’ll also find the airport’s Lost and Found Department at that location, as well as information on Calgary area attractions and events.

For die-hard shopaholics, Calgary Airport Authority features an award-winning concession program with more than 110 shops, restaurants, and services on hand, both before and beyond the security areas.

The airport also sponsors special promotions throughout the year.

As you’d expect from a first-class, cutting-edge international organization, The Calgary Airport Authority provides valuable information in a comprehensive website.

At the website mentioned above, you can monitor flight arrivals and departures, learn about the airport’s services, and even find a job in the complex.

Whenever you visit Calgary International Airport, you can be sure that Calgary Airport Authority is keeping things running—and flying—smoothly.

Your visit is appreciated and if you want to be advised of changes and/or additions, simply click on the ORANGE BUTTON in the top left corner of this page, to add us to your RSS reader.

Not sure what that is? Just click on What's an RSS feed?, you'll see in the top left corner as well.

Now, for those who enjoy reading books, here is a page that will allow you to select some books about Calgary and area.

Now before you leave this page, you should visit my Digital Store where you can get a pretty good deal just for visiting!

Finally, here is a place where you may be able to locate a long lost relative or an old schoolmate.

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Victoria’s Butchart Gardens

Explore stunning Butchart Gardens, a National Historic Site of Canada; see the sights in BC's picturesque capital city, Victoria.
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Explore Vancouver Island’s Butchart Gardens, one of the world’s premier floral show gardens and a National Historic Site of Canada. You’re one of the million-plus people a year who stroll along the gardens’ 55 acres of colorful flowerbeds, velvety lawns and quiet paths. The experience is sublime: imagine a profusion of roses, scented jasmine and gorgeous peonies. Take in a breathtaking array of tulips and hyacinths as you wander through the Sunken Gardens. Find peace and tranquility in the meditative Japanese Gardens.

While on Vancouver Island, visit the vibrant city of Victoria, British Columbia’s capital. It’s a short, scenic car trip to and from the gardens. Be sure to experience the tradition of afternoon tea, which Victorians have raised to an art form. A serene location for the repast is at Abkhazi Garden: delicately munch the signature smoked salmon sandwiches as you overlook a tranquil garden—one that has been likened to unrolling a long scroll of a Chinese landscape painter.

Book a hotel package that includes a night in an elegant hotel overlooking Victoria’s scenic Inner Harbour. Dine in lavish surroundings and enjoy fresh fare such as Salt Spring Island mussels, local oysters and scallops and handcrafted beer.



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Dinosaurs in Drumheller

Experience a dinosaur dig, explore the natural spectacle of Alberta’s Badlands, examine the fossilized world of the Royal Tyrrell Museum.Explore an ancient land once inhabited by dinosaurs. Hike among rust-colored sandstone hoodoos formed millions of years ago. Dig for fossils. Watch the sunset paint the landscape with pinks and golds; surround yourself with the serenity of nature.

Welcome to Cretaceous Park, better known as Alberta’s Badlands. Dinosaurs roamed its deltas and river flood plains some 60 to 75 million years ago. Find yourself in another world, where rolling fields suddenly give way to steep, dry coulees ridged with the strata of hundreds of years of erosion. Spend the afternoon in Drumheller’s extraordinary Royal Tyrrell Museum, marvelling at the vast array of mounted dinosaur skeletons, including a T. rex. Head out with the experts on a dinosaur excavation and do some prospecting of your own.

Stand 86 ft. high in the mouth of the world’s largest dinosaur and see the awesome view from behind her giant teeth. Don’t forget a side trip to Horsethief Canyon—so named because American horse thieves would hide stolen horses here back in the days of the Wild West. Meet the folks who collect dinosaur bones. Take a driving tour of the Badlands and bring some friends along, or make new ones. Discover a part of the world unequalled in natural formations and cretaceous history.

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What to eat in HCMC?

Street eats can be found in almost every corner of this bustling city. To be inducted into Southern Vietnamese cuisine, opt for Lau (hotpot with cook your own ingredients served on the side), Com Nieu (broken rice served out of a claypot) and Banh Xeo (pancakes cooked over a flame). To enjoy the clatter of an authentic Vietnamese eatery, Com Nieu will surely leave an impression when the waiters fling claypots across the restaurant. Dong Pho is the best place to enjoy a meal of traditional Hue dishes in Ho Chi Minh City.

If you are looking for authentic Vietnamese cuisine in an old world setting, Anh Vien receives the thumbs-up – it offers superb food and tasteful décor in an old French villa. Tucked in a former opium refinery (hence the name) in a small alley, the Refinery is a French bistro that serves a wide range of light eats in classy décor. Just next door, Hoa Tuc serves a tantalizing selection of Vietnamese dishes in an elegant setting of green and purple hues. Xu is our favorite when it comes to fusion Vietnamese fare, a renowned restaurant cum bar tops with a chic and classy atmosphere. If you are in the mood for a lavish dinner, acclaimed French chef Didier Corlou’s On The Six Restaurant is the most chic establishment in the city’s trendiest street. For a different dining experience, join the Bonsai to enjoy a memorable dinner cruise amid the vibrant city lights while sailing along the Saigon River.

Read more »

What to eat in HCMC?

Street eats can be found in almost every corner of this bustling city. To be inducted into Southern Vietnamese cuisine, opt for Lau (hotpot with cook your own ingredients served on the side), Com Nieu (broken rice served out of a claypot) and Banh Xeo (pancakes cooked over a flame). To enjoy the clatter of an authentic Vietnamese eatery, Com Nieu will surely leave an impression when the waiters fling claypots across the restaurant. Dong Pho is the best place to enjoy a meal of traditional Hue dishes in Ho Chi Minh City.

If you are looking for authentic Vietnamese cuisine in an old world setting, Anh Vien receives the thumbs-up – it offers superb food and tasteful décor in an old French villa. Tucked in a formeropium refinery (hence the name) in a small alley, the Refinery is a French bistro that serves a wide range of light eats in classy décor. Just

next door, Hoa Tuc serves a tantalizing selection of Vietnamese dishes in an elegant setting of green and purple hues. Xu is our favorite when it comes to fusion Vietnamese fare, a renowned restaurant cum bar tops with a chic and classy atmosphere. If you are in the mood for a lavish dinner, acclaimed French chef Didier Corlou’s On The Six Restaurant is the most chic establishment in the city’s trendiest street. For a different dining experience, join the Bonsai to enjoy a memorable dinner cruise amid the vibrant city lights while sailing along the Saigon River.

Read more »

Ho Chi Minh City

Commonly referred to as Saigon, Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) is Vietnam’s largest city and undisputed commerce capital. It is a dynamic city that is currently enjoying the fruits of Vietnam’s economic boom – lavish hotels, decadent restaurants and trendy nightspots are continually added to the cityscape. The younger residents may seem status oriented and eager to flank their new-found wealth, a significant change from the war-savaged population barely one generation ago. Yet against the backdrop of new-found confidence, frenetic development and urban bustle, the boutique charm of HCMC still lives on amongst the tree-lined boulevards, quaint wooden shops, old temples and colonial architecture. The city is quickly making a name for itself in Vietnamese crafts shopping, an emerging art scene and a wide range of dining pleasures (with almost every imaginable cuisine available).

Read more »

Ho Chi Minh City

Commonly referred to as Saigon, Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) is Vietnam’s largest city and undisputed commerce capital. It is a dynamic city that is currently enjoying the fruits of Vietnam’s economic boom – lavish hotels, decadent restaurants and trendy nightspots are continually added to the cityscape. The younger residents may seem status oriented and eager to flank their new-found wealth, a significant change from the war-savaged population barely one generation ago. Yet against the backdrop of new-found confidence, frenetic development and urban bustle, the boutique charm of HCMC still lives on amongst the tree-lined boulevards, quaint wooden
shops, old temples and colonial architecture. The city is quickly making a name for itself in Vietnamese crafts shopping, an emerging art scene and a wide range of dining pleasures (with almost every imaginable cuisine available).

Read more »

Ho Chi Minh City Travel guide

As Ho Chi Minh City's cyclo drivers rest easy below vast neon billboards, the emerging Vietnamese middle class -- mobile phones in hand -- cruise past draped in haute couture on their imported motorcycles. Welcome to Ho Chi Minh City -- Vietnam's largest and most exciting city.

How things have changed from the sleepy days pre-16th century, when the Khmer fishing village of Prey Nokor was established on a vast swampland.Saigon's origins date back to the early 17th century when the area became home for refugees fleeing war in the north. Towards the end of the century, once the population was more Vietnamese and Cambodia weak enough, Vietnam annexed the territory. Over the following decades Prey Nokor developed into the Saigon the French found when they conquered the region in the mid 19th century.

Within a very short time the French began to leave their mark on the city and still today some of the best hotels in Saigon are within grandiose colonials overlooking gorgeous boulevards dating back to Saigon's heyday as the Paris of the Orient. For the French, Saigon became the capital of Cochinchina -- an expansive region encompassing parts of modern-day Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. Through the next 100 years, they extracted as much as they could from the region -- much of it passing through Saigon's ports. Often cruel and thoughtless, French rule remained over the city and Cochinchina until their exit from Vietnam following their defeat at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu in 1954.

When the French opted out of Vietnamto avoid recognising the communist victors, they left the south under the care of Emperor Bao Dai who had made his capital there in 1950. Subsequently, when Vietnam was officially partitioned, the southern government, led by Ngo Dinh Diem, kept the capital at Saigon. And there the southern capital remained -- throughout the topsy turvy period of the American war. Then, as America's role in Vietnam's pains drew to an end, Saigon swelled to the eyeballs with refugees fleeing troubles to the north -- just as Prey Nokor once did.
When the South finally fell in 1975, what remained was a paltry shadow of its more grandiose days. Fittingly, the following year the city was renamed Ho Chi Minh City in honour of the late leader of North Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh.. Despite this, many still know the sprawling town as Saigon, and the name still refers to central District One..

The communist victory was followed by widespread repression and re-education. The economy buckled under a heavy hand from the north as entrepreneurial spirit was all but stamped out, and the Chinese trading class were particularly hard done by. Simultaneously, Saigon's elite and pretty much anyone else with the means did their best to get out of the country, and through the late 1970s and early 1980s, Vietnam's "boat people" were featured in media worldwide.

Through a policy of freeing up economic activity known as doi moi in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the economic leash was loosened and Saigon has never looked back. With a very young, increasingly well-educated population, the city has gone from strength to strength. Today, children of The Party slide through the heaving traffic in gleaming, chauffeur-driven Mercedes, and the general population looks more to neon shrines for direction than to Uncle Ho and the old guard.

Towering developments now pierce what was once a very low-key skyline. Five-star hotels and international shopping chains have replaced dowdy government guesthouses and empty shelves. Saigon has some of the best cuisine in the country, from cheap street eating to salubrious haute cuisine. A renewed interest in the arts has stimulated the art scene and many galleries and museums are slowly being spruced up. For a tourist there is a lot to do in Saigon.

And once you're done with the city, use it as a base to explore the surrounds -- head out to the tunnels at Chu Chi, the Cao Dai temple at Tay Ninh or jet off to the sublime Con Dao. Then there's the entire Mekong Delta to explore. How much time have you got?!

Read more »

Ho Chi Minh City Travel guide

As Ho Chi Minh City's cyclo drivers rest easy below vast neon billboards, the emerging Vietnamese middle class -- mobile phones in hand -- cruise past draped in haute couture on their imported motorcycles. Welcome to Ho Chi Minh City -- Vietnam's largest and most exciting city.

How things have changed from the sleepy days pre-16th century, when the Khmer fishing village of Prey Nokor was established on a vast swampland.Saigon's origins date back to the early 17th century when the area became home for refugees fleeing war in the north. Towards the end of the century, once the population was more Vietnamese and Cambodia weak enough, Vietnam annexed the territory. Over the following decades Prey Nokor developed into the Saigon the French found when they conquered the region in the mid 19th century.


Within a very short time the French began to leave their mark on the city and still today some of the best hotels in Saigon are within grandiose colonials overlooking gorgeous boulevards dating back to Saigon's heyday as the Paris of the Orient. For the French, Saigon became the capital of Cochinchina -- an expansive region encompassing parts of modern-day Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. Through the next 100 years, they extracted as much as they could from the region -- much of it passing through Saigon's ports. Often cruel and thoughtless, French rule remained over the city and Cochinchina until their exit from Vietnam following their defeat at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu in 1954.

When the French opted out of Vietnamto avoid recognising the communist victors, they left the south under the care of Emperor Bao Dai who had made his capital there in 1950. Subsequently, when Vietnam was officially partitioned, the southern government, led by Ngo Dinh Diem, kept the capital at Saigon. And there the southern capital remained -- throughout the topsy turvy period of the American war. Then, as America's role in Vietnam's pains drew to an end, Saigon swelled to the eyeballs with refugees fleeing troubles to the north -- just as Prey Nokor once did.
When the South finally fell in 1975, what remained was a paltry shadow of its more grandiose days. Fittingly, the following year the city was renamed Ho Chi Minh City in honour of the late leader of North Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh.. Despite this, many still know the sprawling town as Saigon, and the name still refers to central District One..

The communist victory was followed by widespread repression and re-education. The economy buckled under a heavy hand from the north as entrepreneurial spirit was all but stamped out, and the Chinese trading class were particularly hard done by. Simultaneously, Saigon's elite and pretty much anyone else with the means did their best to get out of the country, and through the late 1970s and early 1980s, Vietnam's "boat people" were featured in media worldwide.

Through a policy of freeing up economic activity known as doi moi in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the economic leash was loosened and Saigon has never looked back. With a very young, increasingly well-educated population, the city has gone from strength to strength. Today, children of The Party slide through the heaving traffic in gleaming, chauffeur-driven Mercedes, and the general population looks more to neon shrines for direction than to Uncle Ho and the old guard.

Towering developments now pierce what was once a very low-key skyline. Five-star hotels and international shopping chains have replaced dowdy government guesthouses and empty shelves. Saigon has some of the best cuisine in the country, from cheap street eating to salubrious haute cuisine. A renewed interest in the arts has stimulated the art scene and many galleries and museums are slowly being spruced up. For a tourist there is a lot to do in Saigon.

And once you're done with the city, use it as a base to explore the surrounds -- head out to the tunnels at Chu Chi, the Cao Dai temple at Tay Ninh or jet off to the sublime Con Dao. Then there's the entire Mekong Delta to explore. How much time have you got?!

Read more »

Saigon and surrounds

Vibrant Saigon, Southern Vietnam's best town

Long considered the commercial engine room of Vietnam and never more so than today, Ho Chi Minh City (better known as Saigon) sums up perfectly the dynamics of modern-day Vietnam. As the paddy is concreted over and the factories dropped in, this region of Vietnam has and continues to go through incredible degrees of change. Nowhere in the country is the division between the have and have nots as stark as here.
Yet these changes have created an atmosphere that appeals to many foreigners, particularly those who find Hanoi a little on the staid side. Saigon has a certain Bangkokian flavour to it -- both in its risque nightlife, and growing number of highrise -- but it remains a unique destination, with a wealth of attractions from war-era museums and palaces to ancient smokey pagodas to keep even the most avid sight-seer well and truly satisfied.
Further afield, there's the Cao Dai temple and the tunnels of Cu Chi (widened for chunky westerners) out to the west towards the Cambodian frontier, while out towards the sea, sits the R&R destination of Vung Tau -- today it's a shadow of itself, but if you're after a quick dollop of sun and sea, you could do a lot worse.
source by travelfish

Read more »

Saigon and surrounds

Vibrant Saigon, Southern Vietnam's best town

Long considered the commercial engine room of Vietnam and never more so than today, Ho Chi Minh City (better known as Saigon) sums up perfectly the dynamics of modern-day Vietnam. As the paddy is concreted over and the factories dropped in, this region of Vietnam has and continues to go through incredible degrees of change. Nowhere in the country is the division between the have and have nots as stark as here
Yet these changes have created an atmosphere that appeals to many foreigners, particularly those who find Hanoi a little on the staid side. Saigon has a certain Bangkokian flavour to it -- both in its risque
nightlife, and growing number of highrise -- but it remains a unique destination, with a wealth of attractions from war-era museums and palaces to ancient smokey pagodas to keep even the most avid sight-seer well and truly satisfied.
Further afield, there's the Cao Dai temple and the tunnels of Cu Chi (widened for chunky westerners) out to the west towards the Cambodian frontier, while out towards the sea, sits the R&R destination of Vung Tau -- today it's a shadow of itself, but if you're after a quick dollop of sun and sea, you could do a lot worse.
source by travelfish

Read more »

Cat Ba Island

Rugged, craggy and jungle-clad Cat Ba, the largest island in Halong Bay, is straight out of Jurassic Park. Lan Ha Bay, off the eastern side of the island, is especially scenic and offer numerous beaches to explore. While the vast majority of Halong Bay’s islands are uninhabited vertical rocks. Cat Ba has a few fishing villages, as well as a fast-growing town.

Except for a few fertile pockets, the fertile pocket is too rocky for serious agriculture; most residents earn their living from the sea, while others cater to the tourist trade. Life has always been hard here and many Cat Ba resident joined the exodus of Vietnamese boat people in the 1970s and 80s. Although the island lost much of its fishing fleet this way, overseas Vietnamese have sent back large amounts of money to relatives on the island, fuelling the hotel boom of the past decade. Cat Ba is still relatively laid-back, despite about a 20-fold increase in hotel rooms (and karaoke machines!) since 1996.Almost half of Cat Ba Island (which has a total area of 354 sq km) and 90 sq km of the adjacent waters were declared a national park in 1986 to protect the island’s diverse eco- systems. These include subtropical evergreen forests on the hills, freshwater swamp forests at the base of the hills, coastal mangrove forests, small freshwater lakes and coral reefs. Most of the coastline consists of rocky cliffs, but there are a few sandy beaches hidden away in small coves.

There are numerous lakes, waterfalls and grottoes in the spectacular limestone hills, the highest of which rises 331m above sea level. The largest permanent body of water on the island is Ech Lake, which covers an area of 3 hectares. Almost all of the surface streams are seasonal; most of the island’s rainwater flows into caves and follows underground streams to the sea, which creates a shortage of fresh water during the dry season.

The waters off Cat Ba Island are home to 200 species of fish, 500 species of mollusk and 400 species of arthropod. Larger marine animals in the area include seals and three species of dolphin.

Ho Chi Minh paid a visit to Cat Ba Island on 1 April 1951 and there is a large annual festival on the island to commemorate the event. A monument to Uncle Ho stands on Mountain No 1, the hillock opposite the pier in Cat Ba town.

The best weather on Cat Ba Island is from late September to November, particularly the latter, when the air and water temperature is mild and skies are mostly clear. December to February is cooler, but still pleasant. From February to April rain is common, while the summer months, from June through August, are hot and humid. This is also peak season and the island is overrun with Vietnamese tourists from Hanoi and beyond.

Cat Ba National Park
This accessible national park (Tel: 216 350 - Admission 15,000d, guide fee per day US$5 – Open: dawn-dusk) is home to 32 types of mammals - including langurs, wild boar, deer, squirrels and hedgehogs - and more than 70 species of birds have been sighted, including hawks, hombills and cuckoos. The golden-headed langur is officially the world’s most endangered primate with just 60 left in the park. Cat Ba lies on a major migration route for waterfowl, which feed and roost on the beaches in the mangrove forests. There are 745 species of plants recorded on Cat Ba, including 118 timber species and 160 plants with medicinal value. The park is also home to a species of tree called Cay Kim Gao. In ancient days, kings and nobles would eat only with chopsticks made from this timber, as anything poisonous it touches is reputed to turn the light-colored wood to black.

A guide is not mandatory, but is definitely recommended if you want to go walking otherwise, all you are likely to see is a canopy of trees.

Two caves in and around the national park are open to visitors.
Hospital Cave oozes historical significance, as it served as a secret, bomb-proof hospital during the American War. This cave is actually just outside the park and the entrance is located about 2 kilometers along the road to Cat Ba town.
Trung Trang Cave (Hang Trong Tram)is easily accessible, but you will need to contact a ranger to make sure it is open. Bring a torch (flashlight) as it is gloomy inside.

There is a challenging 18km hike through the park and up to one of the mountain summits. Arrange a guide for this six-hour hike, and organize a bus or boat transport to the trailhead and a boat to get back to town of this can be easily organized with rangers at the national park headquarters or at the hotels in Cat Ba if you’re traveling independently. Many hikes end at Viet Hai, a remote minority village just outside the park boundary, from where boats shuttle to Cat Ba town (about 250,000d per boat) Don’t get stranded or you’ll get stiffed. Take proper hiking shoes, a raincoat and a generous supply of water for this hike. Independent hikers can buy basic snacks at the in Viet Hai, which is where many hiking groups stop for lunch. This is not an easy walk, and is much harder and more slippery after rain. There are shorter hiking options that are less hard core. If you’re planning to join an organized tour from Hanoi, check the trekking options before you book, as many of the cheaper trips don’t actually hike through the park at all.

To reach the national park headquarter at Trung Trang, take a minibus from one of the hotels in Cat Ba town (15,000d, 30 minutes). Another option is to hire a motorbike (one way 30,000d).

Beaches
The white-sand Cat Co beaches (simple Cat Co I, Cat Co 2 and Cat Co 3) used great places to lounge around for the day. However, 1 and 3 have been taken off new resorts, leaving Cat Co 2 as the only sane and safe haven. There is also simple accommodation here. It is accessible via a wooden cliff side walkway around the mountain Cat Co 1.

On weekends the beaches fill up Vietnamese tourists and litter becomes a real blight, but during the week the crowds diminish.

The beaches are about 1 km southeast from Cat Ba town over a steep headland, can be reached on foot or by motorbike (about 10,000d).

Other beaches include Cai Vieng, Hong Xoai Be and Hong Xoai Lon.

Cat Ba Town
A sleepy fishing village just a decade ago, it is now the Costa del Cat Ba! Since being “discovered” by the Hanoi residents. Cat Ba has turned into a highly popular summer getaway, filling up on weekends and holidays, when the town is jumping. This has been a boon for the range of amenities available, from hotels to restaurants, but the downside is a boom in karaoke joints and the tuneless wailing they often emit. During the summer the town also fills up with cars, as Hanoi residents use the car ferries to come via Cat Hai. Weekdays are saner, as is just before or just after the peak summer season.

INFORMATION

Internet Access
There are now several internet cafés in Cat Ba. Price tend to be higher than the mainland, at 15,000d an hour or more, and the connections quiet slow. There are a couple of places to the southeast of the boat pier, plus one or two on “hotel alley”.

Money
Remarkably, there are still no banks on Cat Ba Island, but Vu Binh Jewellers (Tel: 888 641) can change cheques at 3% commission and does credit card cash advances at 5%. The nearest ATMs are in Haiphong or Halong City.

Post
The main post office (1-4 Str) is a one-stop-shop for postal needs and telephone calls.

Tourist Information
There is now an official Tourism Information & Development Centre (Tel: 688 215 – Add: 1-4 Str), located almost opposite the boat pier in Cat Ba town. The staff here can bring you up to speed on transport options in and around Cat Ba, plus it has Cat Ba Biosphere Reserve maps available.

Most guesthouses and hotels can ‘help’ with tourist information (booking you on their trips, in other words).

SLEEPING

Over the past few years the number of accommodation offerings in Cat Ba has risen

dramatically to keep pace with an ever-expanding tourist market. Look around, as the quality of hotels varies widely. There are now a couple of upmarket resorts in prime beachfront locations for those with the money to spend.

Most hotels are situated on the waterfront in Cat Ba town. The ones to the east, built right up against the hillside, tend to offer better cross-breezes and less of the karaoke call-girl scene. Most hotels have at least one staff member who speaks English.

Room rates fluctuate greatly. In the high- season summer months (May to September) you can expect to pay a minimum of US$15 per room. During the slower winter months (October to April) you can find decent rooms for US$10 or under. The rates given here are for low season, when there’s usually the opportunity for negotiation. It is impossible to quote high-season rates, as they tend to pick a number out of their head depending on demand.

EATING

Sumptuous seafood is the smart choice in Cat Ba town and there are plenty of restaurants to choose from along the seafront strip.

Huu Dung Restaurant
Add: Nui Ngoc Str - Dishes 10,000 - 50,000d
This place has always served up whole some food, but it’s best to eat early, as the Lan Song Xanh Disco is right across the road and cranks up the volume from 8pm or so. The house special is whole steamed fish with I lashings of garlic and soy sauce.

Hoang Y
Add: 1-4 Str - Dishes 15,000 - 50,000d
If you are in the market for fresh grilled shrimp or squid with garlic, this little seafront place is a popular option. As well as a solid selection of seafood dishes, there are also good vegetarian dishes on offer.

Dolphin Restaurant
Tel: 888 804 – Add: Nui Ngoc Str – Mains: 20,000-50,000d
This place is popular with travelers thanks to a selection of Western dishes to complement the reliable Vietnamese fare. Don’t worry, definitely no dolphin!

Green Mango
Tel: 887 151 – Add: 1-4 – Mains 50,000 - 100,OOOd
The restaurant of choice in Cat Ba, the chef here learnt his tricks at Bobby Chinn’s in Hanoi. The alluring menu includes a selection of smaller appetizers if you just can’t settle on one thing. The braised duck is superb but save some space for the delightful desserts. The interior is all drapes and candles, so customers often linger for cocktails.

DRINKING

One of the most enjoyable ways to spend time in the evening is to sit at tables on the water- front towards the eastern end of the harbor, order a drink from one of the stalls, and watch the world go by.

Noble House
Add: 888 363
As well as a popular restaurant downstairs, this spot has a great 2nd-floor bar. Comfy chairs and inspired decor help people settle in for the evening, plus there’s a free pool table, board games and plenty of drinks flowing.

Flightless Bird Cafe
Tel: 888 517 – Add: B 1-4 – Open: from 6.30pm
Little more than a hole in the wall, this small, welcoming place is a good option for those with their drinking boots on and as the night wears on, travelers gravitate. There is a breezy 2nd-floor balcony overlooking the harbor, plus a small book exchange.

Blue Note
Add: Nui Ngoc Str
The after-hours haunt in town, this is karaoke with kudos. The well- stocked bar stays open until the last person leaves and the song list includes indie anthems from Oasis and Radiohead. Plus there is a stage: perform at your peril.

GETTING THERE & AWAY

Cat Ba Island is 45km east of Haiphong and 20km south of Halong City. Be aware that there are several piers on Cat Ba Island. Most handy is the jetty directly in front of Cat Ba town from where the hydrofoils to Haiphong depart. A second popular one is at Ben Beo, about 2km from Cat Ba town where most of the tourist boats berth. The other pier is at Phu Long, 30km from Cat Ba, where boats from Cat Hai arrive. At Phu Long, motorbike rivers wait to whisk passengers from the ferries to town (or the 15km to Cat Ba National Park) for about 50,000. There is also a public bus that meets the boats, but this takes longer o get across the island.

The best option for independent travelers is the hydrofoils linking Cat Ba directly to Haiphong. These air-con rockets reduce the journey to just 45 minutes. There are several companies running the route, with three departures a day in the high summer season and just once a day the rest of the year. Summer season services depart between 10 am and 5 pm. Transtour (Tell: 888 314) runs the Mekong express (100,000d, 2.45pm departure), which is the safest and most comfortable option. Tahaco (Tel: 031-374 7055) has smaller hydrofoils, which are cheaper at 70,000d and depart at 3.15pm. There are no longer hydrofoils operating to Halong City.

The easiest way to get from Halong City to Cat Ba is to hop on the tourist boats (100,000d, Five hours) that leave several times a day. This is less organized going in the other direction to Halong City, but your guesthouse or hotel should be able to hook you up with a boat going that way.

There are also plenty of slow, chartered tourist boats making the run from Halong City to Cat Ba Island; check with the cafes and travel agencies in Hanoi about tour options. Such trips generally include all transport, accommodation, food and a guide, but double check to be sure. An alternative way to reach Cat Ba town is via the island of Cat Hai, which is closer to Haiphong.

A boat departs Haiphong and makes a brief stop in Cat Hai on the way to the port of Phu Long on Cat Ba Island. It is also possible to drive a motorbike or car to Haiphong, from where you can get the ferry to Cat Hai, then drive 15 minutes across the island to a pier from where you take a ferry to Phu Long. This accounts for all those sur- real traffic jams during the summer season. A bridge is under construction to Cat Hai which will make Cat Ba even easier to reach by vehicle. There are also direct buses from Hanoi to Cat Ba town. Hoang Long bus operates four services daily to Cat Ba (120,000d, four hours) from the Luong Yen bus station. However, it is just as easy to use the bus-hydrofoil combination via Haiphong.

GETTING AROUND

Rented bicycles are a great way to explore the island and many of the hotels can arrange Chinese mountain bikes (70,000d per day) There are also some tandems available for double the pedal power.

Minibuses with driver are easily arranged. Motorbike rentals (with or without a driver are available from most of the hotels (from US$5 without a driver). If you are heading out to the beaches or national park, pay the parking fee to ensure that the bike is still there when you return: there have been reports o theft and vandalism.

You’ll get plenty of offers to tour Cat Bi Harbor in a rowboat (around 30,000d), or you can hire a kayak from one of the hotels.

Tours of the island and national park, boat trips around Halong Bay and fishing trips an peddled by nearly every hotel and restaurant in Cat Ba. Cost depends on the number of people but typical prices are US$8 for day trips and US$20 for two-day, one-night trips.

Read more »

Cat Ba Island

Rugged, craggy and jungle-clad Cat Ba, the largest island in Halong Bay, is straight out of Jurassic Park. Lan Ha Bay, off the eastern side of the island, is especially scenic and offer numerous beaches to explore. While the vast majority of Halong Bay’s islands are uninhabited vertical rocks. Cat Ba has a few fishing villages, as well as a fast-growing town.



Except for a few fertile pockets, the fertile pocket is too rocky for serious agriculture; most residents earn their living from the sea, while others cater to the tourist trade. Life has always been hard here and many Cat Ba resident joined the exodus of Vietnamese boat people in the 1970s and 80s. Although the island lost much of its fishing fleet this way, overseas Vietnamese have sent back large amounts of money to relatives on the island, fuelling the hotel boom of the past decade. Cat Ba is still relatively laid-back, despite about a 20-fold increase in hotel rooms (and karaoke machines!) since 1996.
Almost half of Cat Ba Island (which has a total area of 354 sq km) and 90 sq km of the adjacent waters were declared a national park in 1986 to protect the island’s diverse eco- systems. These include subtropical evergreen forests on the hills, freshwater swamp forests at the base of the hills, coastal mangrove forests, small freshwater lakes and coral reefs. Most of the coastline consists of rocky cliffs, but there are a few sandy beaches hidden away in small coves.

There are numerous lakes, waterfalls and grottoes in the spectacular limestone hills, the highest of which rises 331m above sea level. The largest permanent body of water on the island is Ech Lake, which covers an area of 3 hectares. Almost all of the surface streams are seasonal; most of the island’s rainwater flows into caves and follows underground streams to the sea, which creates a shortage of fresh water during the dry season.

The waters off Cat Ba Island are home to 200 species of fish, 500 species of mollusk and 400 species of arthropod. Larger marine animals in the area include seals and three species of dolphin.

Ho Chi Minh paid a visit to Cat Ba Island on 1 April 1951 and there is a large annual festival on the island to commemorate the event. A monument to Uncle Ho stands on Mountain No 1, the hillock opposite the pier in Cat Ba town.

The best weather on Cat Ba Island is from late September to November, particularly the latter, when the air and water temperature is mild and skies are mostly clear. December to February is cooler, but still pleasant. From February to April rain is common, while the summer months, from June through August, are hot and humid. This is also peak season and the island is overrun with Vietnamese tourists from Hanoi and beyond.

Cat Ba National Park
This accessible national park (Tel: 216 350 - Admission 15,000d, guide fee per day US$5 – Open: dawn-dusk) is home to 32 types of mammals - including langurs, wild boar, deer, squirrels and hedgehogs - and more than 70 species of birds have been sighted, including hawks, hombills and cuckoos. The golden-headed langur is officially the world’s most endangered primate with just 60 left in the park. Cat Ba lies on a major migration route for waterfowl, which feed and roost on the beaches in the mangrove forests. There are 745 species of plants recorded on Cat Ba, including 118 timber species and 160 plants with medicinal value. The park is also home to a species of tree called Cay Kim Gao. In ancient days, kings and nobles would eat only with chopsticks made from this timber, as anything poisonous it touches is reputed to turn the light-colored wood to black.

A guide is not mandatory, but is definitely recommended if you want to go walking otherwise, all you are likely to see is a canopy of trees.

Two caves in and around the national park are open to visitors.
Hospital Cave oozes historical significance, as it served as a secret, bomb-proof hospital during the American War. This cave is actually just outside the park and the entrance is located about 2 kilometers along the road to Cat Ba town.
Trung Trang Cave (Hang Trong Tram)is easily accessible, but you will need to contact a ranger to make sure it is open. Bring a torch (flashlight) as it is gloomy inside.

There is a challenging 18km hike through the park and up to one of the mountain summits. Arrange a guide for this six-hour hike, and organize a bus or boat transport to the trailhead and a boat to get back to town of this can be easily organized with rangers at the national park headquarters or at the hotels in Cat Ba if you’re traveling independently. Many hikes end at Viet Hai, a remote minority village just outside the park boundary, from where boats shuttle to Cat Ba town (about 250,000d per boat) Don’t get stranded or you’ll get stiffed. Take proper hiking shoes, a raincoat and a generous supply of water for this hike. Independent hikers can buy basic snacks at the in Viet Hai, which is where many hiking groups stop for lunch. This is not an easy walk, and is much harder and more slippery after rain. There are shorter hiking options that are less hard core. If you’re planning to join an organized tour from Hanoi, check the trekking options before you book, as many of the cheaper trips don’t actually hike through the park at all.

To reach the national park headquarter at Trung Trang, take a minibus from one of the hotels in Cat Ba town (15,000d, 30 minutes). Another option is to hire a motorbike (one way 30,000d).

Beaches
The white-sand Cat Co beaches (simple Cat Co I, Cat Co 2 and Cat Co 3) used great places to lounge around for the day. However, 1 and 3 have been taken off new resorts, leaving Cat Co 2 as the only sane and safe haven. There is also simple accommodation here. It is accessible via a wooden cliff side walkway around the mountain Cat Co 1.

On weekends the beaches fill up Vietnamese tourists and litter becomes a real blight, but during the week the crowds diminish.

The beaches are about 1 km southeast from Cat Ba town over a steep headland, can be reached on foot or by motorbike (about 10,000d).

Other beaches include Cai Vieng, Hong Xoai Be and Hong Xoai Lon.

Cat Ba Town
A sleepy fishing village just a decade ago, it is now the Costa del Cat Ba! Since being “discovered” by the Hanoi residents. Cat Ba has turned into a highly popular summer getaway, filling up on weekends and holidays, when the town is jumping. This has been a boon for the range of amenities available, from hotels to restaurants, but the downside is a boom in karaoke joints and the tuneless wailing they often emit. During the summer the town also fills up with cars, as Hanoi residents use the car ferries to come via Cat Hai. Weekdays are saner, as is just before or just after the peak summer season.

INFORMATION

Internet Access
There are now several internet cafés in Cat Ba. Price tend to be higher than the mainland, at 15,000d an hour or more, and the connections quiet slow. There are a couple of places to the southeast of the boat pier, plus one or two on “hotel alley”.

Money
Remarkably, there are still no banks on Cat Ba Island, but Vu Binh Jewellers (Tel: 888 641) can change cheques at 3% commission and does credit card cash advances at 5%. The nearest ATMs are in Haiphong or Halong City.

Post
The main post office (1-4 Str) is a one-stop-shop for postal needs and telephone calls.

Tourist Information
There is now an official Tourism Information & Development Centre (Tel: 688 215 – Add: 1-4 Str), located almost opposite the boat pier in Cat Ba town. The staff here can bring you up to speed on transport options in and around Cat Ba, plus it has Cat Ba Biosphere Reserve maps available.

Most guesthouses and hotels can ‘help’ with tourist information (booking you on their trips, in other words).

SLEEPING

Over the past few years the number of accommodation offerings in Cat Ba has risen

dramatically to keep pace with an ever-expanding tourist market. Look around, as the quality of hotels varies widely. There are now a couple of upmarket resorts in prime beachfront locations for those with the money to spend.

Most hotels are situated on the waterfront in Cat Ba town. The ones to the east, built right up against the hillside, tend to offer better cross-breezes and less of the karaoke call-girl scene. Most hotels have at least one staff member who speaks English.

Room rates fluctuate greatly. In the high- season summer months (May to September) you can expect to pay a minimum of US$15 per room. During the slower winter months (October to April) you can find decent rooms for US$10 or under. The rates given here are for low season, when there’s usually the opportunity for negotiation. It is impossible to quote high-season rates, as they tend to pick a number out of their head depending on demand.

EATING

Sumptuous seafood is the smart choice in Cat Ba town and there are plenty of restaurants to choose from along the seafront strip.

Huu Dung Restaurant
Add: Nui Ngoc Str - Dishes 10,000 - 50,000d
This place has always served up whole some food, but it’s best to eat early, as the Lan Song Xanh Disco is right across the road and cranks up the volume from 8pm or so. The house special is whole steamed fish with I lashings of garlic and soy sauce.

Hoang Y
Add: 1-4 Str - Dishes 15,000 - 50,000d
If you are in the market for fresh grilled shrimp or squid with garlic, this little seafront place is a popular option. As well as a solid selection of seafood dishes, there are also good vegetarian dishes on offer.

Dolphin Restaurant
Tel: 888 804 – Add: Nui Ngoc Str – Mains: 20,000-50,000d
This place is popular with travelers thanks to a selection of Western dishes to complement the reliable Vietnamese fare. Don’t worry, definitely no dolphin!

Green Mango
Tel: 887 151 – Add: 1-4 – Mains 50,000 - 100,OOOd
The restaurant of choice in Cat Ba, the chef here learnt his tricks at Bobby Chinn’s in Hanoi. The alluring menu includes a selection of smaller appetizers if you just can’t settle on one thing. The braised duck is superb but save some space for the delightful desserts. The interior is all drapes and candles, so customers often linger for cocktails.

DRINKING

One of the most enjoyable ways to spend time in the evening is to sit at tables on the water- front towards the eastern end of the harbor, order a drink from one of the stalls, and watch the world go by.

Noble House
Add: 888 363
As well as a popular restaurant downstairs, this spot has a great 2nd-floor bar. Comfy chairs and inspired decor help people settle in for the evening, plus there’s a free pool table, board games and plenty of drinks flowing.

Flightless Bird Cafe
Tel: 888 517 – Add: B 1-4 – Open: from 6.30pm
Little more than a hole in the wall, this small, welcoming place is a good option for those with their drinking boots on and as the night wears on, travelers gravitate. There is a breezy 2nd-floor balcony overlooking the harbor, plus a small book exchange.

Blue Note
Add: Nui Ngoc Str
The after-hours haunt in town, this is karaoke with kudos. The well- stocked bar stays open until the last person leaves and the song list includes indie anthems from Oasis and Radiohead. Plus there is a stage: perform at your peril.

GETTING THERE & AWAY

Cat Ba Island is 45km east of Haiphong and 20km south of Halong City. Be aware that there are several piers on Cat Ba Island. Most handy is the jetty directly in front of Cat Ba town from where the hydrofoils to Haiphong depart. A second popular one is at Ben Beo, about 2km from Cat Ba town where most of the tourist boats berth. The other pier is at Phu Long, 30km from Cat Ba, where boats from Cat Hai arrive. At Phu Long, motorbike rivers wait to whisk passengers from the ferries to town (or the 15km to Cat Ba National Park) for about 50,000. There is also a public bus that meets the boats, but this takes longer o get across the island.

The best option for independent travelers is the hydrofoils linking Cat Ba directly to Haiphong. These air-con rockets reduce the journey to just 45 minutes. There are several companies running the route, with three departures a day in the high summer season and just once a day the rest of the year. Summer season services depart between 10 am and 5 pm. Transtour (Tell: 888 314) runs the Mekong express (100,000d, 2.45pm departure), which is the safest and most comfortable option. Tahaco (Tel: 031-374 7055) has smaller hydrofoils, which are cheaper at 70,000d and depart at 3.15pm. There are no longer hydrofoils operating to Halong City.

The easiest way to get from Halong City to Cat Ba is to hop on the tourist boats (100,000d, Five hours) that leave several times a day. This is less organized going in the other direction to Halong City, but your guesthouse or hotel should be able to hook you up with a boat going that way.

There are also plenty of slow, chartered tourist boats making the run from Halong City to Cat Ba Island; check with the cafes and travel agencies in Hanoi about tour options. Such trips generally include all transport, accommodation, food and a guide, but double check to be sure. An alternative way to reach Cat Ba town is via the island of Cat Hai, which is closer to Haiphong.

A boat departs Haiphong and makes a brief stop in Cat Hai on the way to the port of Phu Long on Cat Ba Island. It is also possible to drive a motorbike or car to Haiphong, from where you can get the ferry to Cat Hai, then drive 15 minutes across the island to a pier from where you take a ferry to Phu Long. This accounts for all those sur- real traffic jams during the summer season. A bridge is under construction to Cat Hai which will make Cat Ba even easier to reach by vehicle. There are also direct buses from Hanoi to Cat Ba town. Hoang Long bus operates four services daily to Cat Ba (120,000d, four hours) from the Luong Yen bus station. However, it is just as easy to use the bus-hydrofoil combination via Haiphong.

GETTING AROUND

Rented bicycles are a great way to explore the island and many of the hotels can arrange Chinese mountain bikes (70,000d per day) There are also some tandems available for double the pedal power.

Minibuses with driver are easily arranged. Motorbike rentals (with or without a driver are available from most of the hotels (from US$5 without a driver). If you are heading out to the beaches or national park, pay the parking fee to ensure that the bike is still there when you return: there have been reports o theft and vandalism.

You’ll get plenty of offers to tour Cat Bi Harbor in a rowboat (around 30,000d), or you can hire a kayak from one of the hotels.

Tours of the island and national park, boat trips around Halong Bay and fishing trips an peddled by nearly every hotel and restaurant in Cat Ba. Cost depends on the number of people but typical prices are US$8 for day trips and US$20 for two-day, one-night trips.
source by halongngu

Read more »

Bai Tu Long Bay

There’s more to northeastern Vietnam than Halong Bay. The sinking limestone plateau which gave birth to the bay’s spectacular islands, continues for some 100 km to the Chinese border. The area immediately north of Halong Bay is part of Bai Tu Long National Park (Tel: 793 365).

Bai Tu Long Bay is every bit as beautiful as its famous neighbor. Indeed, in some ways beautiful, since it has scarcely seen any tourist development. This is good news and bad news. The bay is unpolluted and undeveloped, but there’s little tourism infrastructure. It’s pretty hard traveling around and staying here, and unless you speak Vietnamese, it’s difficult to get information.

Charter boats can be arranged to Bai Tu Long Bay from Halong Bay; boats range from 100,000d to 250,000d per hour depending size and amenities.The one-way trip take about five hours. A cheaper alternative is travel overland to Cai Rong and visit the out-lying islands by boat from here. Foreigners are almost always charged double the going rate on the ferries around Bai Tu Long Bay.

Van Don Island (Dao Cai Bau)
Van Don is the largest, most populated and most developed island in the archipelago. However, there remains only very limited tourism development here to date.

Cai Rong (pronounced Cai Zong) is the main I town on the island, which is about 30km in length and 15km across at the widest point Bai Dai (Long Beach) runs along much of the southern side of the island and is hard-packed sand with some mangroves. Just offshore, almost touching distance away, there are stunning rock fomations similar to those in Halong Bay. .

SLEEPING & EATING
The only hotels are at Cai Rong pier, about 8 km north of the new bridge to the mainland. Cai Rong is a colorful, busy area, with lots of fishing boats and passenger vessels and a background of limestone mountains in the bay. It’s also full of karaoke bars and motorbikes.You might want to get a room with air-con I to block out some of the noise. There’s no beach.

GETTING THERE & AWAY
There is a new bridge linking Van Don to the mainland, making it much more accessible from Halong Citv. Frequent buses run between Hon Gai (Halong City) and Cai Rong Bus station (20,000d, 1.5 hours). You’ll pass plenty of coal mines en route - your race (and lungs) will receive a fine coating of black coal before the journey is completed. Just pity the people who live here and have to breathe this in every day.

A good way to get to Van Don is with the Mui Ngoc hydrofoil (tel: 793 335) from Halong City (US$8, one hour) departing at 8am. In the other direction, it leave for Halong bay at 4 pm. There is also an irregular service to Mong Cai (US$10, two hours), departing Van Don at 8.30am and returning at 2 pm.

Note that these boat schedules may change and are dependent on the weather. Be prepared to hang around here a day or so. Several of the companies offering tours of Halong Bay also offer tours of Bai Tu Long Bay.

OTHER ISLANDS
Cai Rong Pier (Cai Rong Pha) is Just on the ease of Cai Rong town. This is tE;e place for boats to the outlying islands. Chartering a boat from here to Halong City cOts around US$10 per hour (the one-way journey takes five hours). Tourist boats can be chartered at Cai Rong to cruise the nearby islands for a few hours. Ask at the pier. The hourly rate is between Izo,000d and 150,000d, but the boats are basic compared with what*s on offer at Halong.

Quan Lan Island (Dao Canh Cuoc)
The main attraction here is a beautiful, 1km - long white-sand beach shaped like a crescent moon, The water is clear blue and the waves are suitable for surfing. However, there is no shortage of blissful beaches on the eastern seaboard, so take a hike. The best time to play in the water is from about May to October - winter is a bit chilly.

The northeastern part of the island has some battered ruins of the old Van Don Trading Port. There is little to show that this was once part of a major trading route between Vietnam and China. Deep-water ports, such as Haiphong and Hon Gai, long ago superseded these islands in importance.

The rowing-boat festival Hoi Cheo Boi is held here from the 16th to the 18th day of the sixth Iunar month. It’s the biggest festival in the bay area, and thousands of people turn out to see it.

Tra Ban Island (Dao Tra Ban)
One of the largest islands in Bai Tu Long Bay, Tra Ban borders Bai Tu Long National Park and offers some of the most dramatic karst scenery in the bay. The southern part of the island is blanketed in thick jungle like Cat Ba and provides a habitat for many colourful butterflies. There are boats to and from Van Don Island at 7am and 2pm (20,000d, 90 minutes).

Ngoc Vung Island (Dao Ngoc Vung)
This island is one of the most southerly in Bai Tu Long Bay, bordering on Halong Bay, and offers scenery every bit as good as the more famous World Heritage site. There is some accommodation available here in some basic beach houses (150,000d). There are daily boats between Cai Rong (1pm) and Ngoc Vung (6am), costing 50,000d for foreigners and taking three hours.

Co To Island (Dao Co To)
In the northeast, Co To Island is the furthest inhabited island from the mainland. Its highest peak reaches a respectable 170m. There are numerous other hills, and a large lighthouse atop one of them. The coastline is mostly cliffs and large rocks, but there’s at least one fine sandy beach. Fishing boats usually anchor just of here, and you can walk to some of the boats during low tide. There is a small and very basic guesthouse on the island.

Ferries bound for Co To Island depart Van Don Island on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at unspecified times - check the schedule in Cai Rong. They return from Co To Island on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. The one-way fare is 50,000d and the journey takes about five hours, depending on the winds.

Read more »

Bai Tu Long Bay

There’s more to northeastern Vietnam than Halong Bay. The sinking limestone plateau which gave birth to the bay’s spectacular islands, continues for some 100 km to the Chinese border. The area immediately north of Halong Bay is part of Bai Tu Long National Park (Tel: 793 365).

Bai Tu Long Bay is every bit as beautiful as its famous neighbor. Indeed, in some ways beautiful, since it has scarcely seen any tourist development. This is good news and bad news. The bay is unpolluted and undeveloped, but there’s little tourism infrastructure. It’s pretty hard traveling around and staying here, and unless you speak Vietnamese, it’s difficult to get information.
Charter boats can be arranged to Bai Tu Long Bay from Halong Bay; boats range from 100,000d to 250,000d per hour depending size and amenities.The one-way trip take about five hours. A cheaper alternative is travel overland to Cai Rong and visit the out-lying islands by boat from here. Foreigners are almost always charged double the going rate on the ferries around Bai Tu Long Bay.

Van Don Island (Dao Cai Bau)
Van Don is the largest, most populated and most developed island in the archipelago. However, there remains only very limited tourism development here to date.
Cai Rong (pronounced Cai Zong) is the main I town on the island, which is about 30km in length and 15km across at the widest point Bai Dai (Long Beach) runs along much of the southern side of the island and is hard-packed sand with some mangroves. Just offshore, almost touching distance away, there are stunning rock fomations similar to those in Halong Bay. .
SLEEPING & EATING
The only hotels are at Cai Rong pier, about 8 km north of the new bridge to the mainland. Cai Rong is a colorful, busy area, with lots of fishing boats and passenger vessels and a background of limestone mountains in the bay. It’s also full of karaoke bars and motorbikes.You might want to get a room with air-con I to block out some of the noise. There’s no beach.
GETTING THERE & AWAY
There is a new bridge linking Van Don to the mainland, making it much more accessible from Halong Citv. Frequent buses run between Hon Gai (Halong City) and Cai Rong Bus station (20,000d, 1.5 hours). You’ll pass plenty of coal mines en route - your race (and lungs) will receive a fine coating of black coal before the journey is completed. Just pity the people who live here and have to breathe this in every day.
A good way to get to Van Don is with the Mui Ngoc hydrofoil (tel: 793 335) from Halong City (US$8, one hour) departing at 8am. In the other direction, it leave for Halong bay at 4 pm. There is also an irregular service to Mong Cai (US$10, two hours), departing Van Don at 8.30am and returning at 2 pm.
Note that these boat schedules may change and are dependent on the weather. Be prepared to hang around here a day or so. Several of the companies offering tours of Halong Bay also offer tours of Bai Tu Long Bay.
OTHER ISLANDS
Cai Rong Pier (Cai Rong Pha) is Just on the ease of Cai Rong town. This is tE;e place for boats to the outlying islands. Chartering a boat from here to Halong City cOts around US$10 per hour (the one-way journey takes five hours). Tourist boats can be chartered at Cai Rong to cruise the nearby islands for a few hours. Ask at the pier. The hourly rate is between Izo,000d and 150,000d, but the boats are basic compared with what*s on offer at Halong.
Quan Lan Island (Dao Canh Cuoc)
The main attraction here is a beautiful, 1km - long white-sand beach shaped like a crescent moon, The water is clear blue and the waves are suitable for surfing. However, there is no shortage of blissful beaches on the eastern seaboard, so take a hike. The best time to play in the water is from about May to October - winter is a bit chilly.
The northeastern part of the island has some battered ruins of the old Van Don Trading Port. There is little to show that this was once part of a major trading route between Vietnam and China. Deep-water ports, such as Haiphong and Hon Gai, long ago superseded these islands in importance.
The rowing-boat festival Hoi Cheo Boi is held here from the 16th to the 18th day of the sixth Iunar month. It’s the biggest festival in the bay area, and thousands of people turn out to see it.
Tra Ban Island (Dao Tra Ban)
One of the largest islands in Bai Tu Long Bay, Tra Ban borders Bai Tu Long National Park and offers some of the most dramatic karst scenery in the bay. The southern part of the island is blanketed in thick jungle like Cat Ba and provides a habitat for many colourful butterflies. There are boats to and from Van Don Island at 7am and 2pm (20,000d, 90 minutes).
Ngoc Vung Island (Dao Ngoc Vung)
This island is one of the most southerly in Bai Tu Long Bay, bordering on Halong Bay, and offers scenery every bit as good as the more famous World Heritage site. There is some accommodation available here in some basic beach houses (150,000d). There are daily boats between Cai Rong (1pm) and Ngoc Vung (6am), costing 50,000d for foreigners and taking three hours.
Co To Island (Dao Co To)
In the northeast, Co To Island is the furthest inhabited island from the mainland. Its highest peak reaches a respectable 170m. There are numerous other hills, and a large lighthouse atop one of them. The coastline is mostly cliffs and large rocks, but there’s at least one fine sandy beach. Fishing boats usually anchor just of here, and you can walk to some of the boats during low tide. There is a small and very basic guesthouse on the island.
Ferries bound for Co To Island depart Van Don Island on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at unspecified times - check the schedule in Cai Rong. They return from Co To Island on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. The one-way fare is 50,000d and the journey takes about five hours, depending on the winds.
source by halongngu

Read more »

How to pick the right Ha Long Bay cruise

The first thing you need to know about Ha Long Bay is that it’s beautiful and well-worth seeing.

The only real question for the traveler in Vietnam is how best to see it and, like many things in Vietnam, things are never as clear a they could be

Travel agents who promise the earth, but fail to deliver combined with travelers whose expectations are totally unrealistic makes for a volatile Ha Long Bay cocktail.

The overwhelming majority of travelers experience a Ha Long Bay cruise via a group tour that begins and ends in Hanoi, where there’s a dizzying variety of tours, with prices ranging from about US$12 a day to $70 and up per person.

Ha Long Bay is cluttered with some 500 licensed junks, and on any given day, up to 300 of them may be plying the waters — that’s basically one boat for every ten ticket offices in Hanoi!

Competition has driven prices down to absurdly low levels and as corner cutting, cheating and bare-faced lies become par for the course so do travelers leaving with a bad taste in their mouth… but it needn’t be that way.

Doing your research and asking the right questions — not just of the travel agent you’re dealing with, but also other travelers you meet along the way — can go a long way to making sure your junk ain’t sunk.

So, how do you know which Ha Long Bay tour is the one for you? We’ll get to that, but first, here’s some background on the site.

Ha Long Bay

Ha Long Bay is a UNESCO World Heritage site — and you’ll be reminded of this several times throughout your tour. UNESCO has picked out 830 World Heritage sites around the world, chosen for their cultural and historical importance, and also for their geological uniqueness. Ha Long Bay offers a little of all three.

It’s not the cliffs themselves that make Ha Long Bay unique, but rather their sheer number. A huge bay, dotted with nearly 2,000 mostly uninhabited limestone cliffs, the breathtaking scenery is very similar to that of the Andaman coast of Thailand, Vang Vieng in Laos and Guilin in China.

Created over millions of years, tectonic forces slowly thrust the limestone above the water-line. During this process waves lapping against the stone carved out a number of vast, striking caverns, as well as other geologically interesting formations, such as tunnel caves and uniquely shaped massifs. Unfortunately the geological forces at work were not too flash in the beach-making department, so most of the beaches tourists are taken to in the bay are man-made with the umbrellas and the sand in which they stand are all shipped in.

Over the ages, Vietnamese fishermen with too much time on their hands began to see shapes in the stone massifs atop many of the islands, and named the islands accordingly — Turtle Island, Human Head Island, Chicken Island and so on. In what constitutes one of the most fascinating cultural features of the area, some of these fisherman still live on the bay today — on floating fishing villages, where houses are set atop barges year round, the inhabitants catching and cultivating fish throughout.

So what is a Ha Long bay cruise like?

The primary purpose of a Ha Long Bay tour is to savour the tranquillity and beauty of the water. But two or three days of utter tranquillity can get a little too tranquil — luckily the natural and cultural endowments of the bay provide activities — in some cases with a heavy helping hand from the Vietnamese government.

They’re slow
Boats ply the waters slowly and take scenic, circuitous routes. They often stop and put down their anchors while the passengers are eating lunch.

You may visit a floating village
Not all tours make a stop at a fishing village — some just cruise by. If you do stop, you’ll be able to view the seafood being farmed, have the opportunity to buy some, and have it prepared for you free-of-charge on the boat.

You’ll get to swim
Every tour stops for a swim at least once a day. Sometimes these swims take place near local fishing villages, leading to jokes and apprehensions about the toilet situation on fishing villages. All tours also include a stop at one of the beaches.

You may get to kayak
All the boats bring kayaks and, weather and tides permitting, stop to let passengers paddle around. Sometimes the opportunity to kayak through one of the tunnel cave systems will present itself. Other times passengers are simply expected to paddle in circles around the boat — not surprisingly the caves and tunnels are far more interesting.

You’ll get to go caving
All tours include at least one cave visit in the price of the tour (admission on your own is 20,000 dong). The two most popular caves are the Dragon Cave and the Surprising Cave. You won’t know beforehand which cave you will see — that decision is made on the boat.

You may sleep over on the bay
Two and three-day tours always offer a night in a cabin. On any given night, about 80 boats are allowed to drop anchor in one of three designated areas — that means each area is filled with 20 to 30 boats. Sometimes they anchor very close to one another, other times they’ll find a more private spot away from other boats.

You may overnight on Cat Ba Island
Most two-day tours offer one night in a two-star hotel on Cat Ba Island. Activities including a hike in Cat Ba National Park, a kayaking trip through some offshore tunnel caves, and/or a lunchtime-visit to a local fish farm, where you catch your own fish before it is prepared for you, are usually offered as a part of the tour.

You’ll be fed and transported
All tours offer three meals a day, starting with lunch on the first day and ending with lunch on the last day. The quality of the meals varies tremendously depending on the price of the tour as does the transport to and from Hanoi.

So, no matter how much or how little you pay, all of the above, at least in theory, will be included in the tour. Judging the differences between tours, then, is not so much a matter of what they do, but how well they do it — and if they actually deliver on what they promise.

To get the skinny on the inner workings of the Ha Long Bay cocktail, we tested out three tours of Ha Long Bay — one budget, one midrange, and a more luxurious option — and had three very different experiences of the same bay — read on to learn how we fared.

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How to pick the right Ha Long Bay cruise

The first thing you need to know about Ha Long Bay is that it’s beautiful and well-worth seeing.
The only real question for the traveler in Vietnam is how best to see it and, like many things in Vietnam, things are never as clear a they could be

Travel agents who promise the earth, but fail to deliver combined with travelers whose expectations are totally unrealistic makes for a volatile Ha Long Bay cocktail.
The overwhelming majority of travelers experience a Ha Long Bay cruise via a group tour that begins and ends in Hanoi, where there’s a dizzying variety of tours, with prices ranging from about US$12 a day to $70 and up per person.
Ha Long Bay is cluttered with some 500 licensed junks, and on any given day, up to 300 of them may be plying the waters — that’s basically one boat for every ten ticket offices in Hanoi!
Competition has driven prices down to absurdly low levels and as corner cutting, cheating and bare-faced lies become par for the course so do travelers leaving with a bad taste in their mouth… but it needn’t be that way.
Doing your research and asking the right questions — not just of the travel agent you’re dealing with, but also other travelers you meet along the way — can go a long way to making sure your junk ain’t sunk.
So, how do you know which Ha Long Bay tour is the one for you? We’ll get to that, but first, here’s some background on the site.
Ha Long Bay
Ha Long Bay is a UNESCO World Heritage site — and you’ll be reminded of this several times throughout your tour. UNESCO has picked out 830 World Heritage sites around the world, chosen for their cultural and historical importance, and also for their geological uniqueness. Ha Long Bay offers a little of all three.
It’s not the cliffs themselves that make Ha Long Bay unique, but rather their sheer number. A huge bay, dotted with nearly 2,000 mostly uninhabited limestone cliffs, the breathtaking scenery is very similar to that of the Andaman coast of Thailand, Vang Vieng in Laos and Guilin in China.
Created over millions of years, tectonic forces slowly thrust the limestone above the water-line. During this process waves lapping against the stone carved out a number of vast, striking caverns, as well as other geologically interesting formations, such as tunnel caves and uniquely shaped massifs. Unfortunately the geological forces at work were not too flash in the beach-making department, so most of the beaches tourists are taken to in the bay are man-made with the umbrellas and the sand in which they stand are all shipped in.
Over the ages, Vietnamese fishermen with too much time on their hands began to see shapes in the stone massifs atop many of the islands, and named the islands accordingly — Turtle Island, Human Head Island, Chicken Island and so on. In what constitutes one of the most fascinating cultural features of the area, some of these fisherman still live on the bay today — on floating fishing villages, where houses are set atop barges year round, the inhabitants catching and cultivating fish throughout.
So what is a Ha Long bay cruise like?
The primary purpose of a Ha Long Bay tour is to savour the tranquillity and beauty of the water. But two or three days of utter tranquillity can get a little too tranquil — luckily the natural and cultural endowments of the bay provide activities — in some cases with a heavy helping hand from the Vietnamese government.
They’re slow
Boats ply the waters slowly and take scenic, circuitous routes. They often stop and put down their anchors while the passengers are eating lunch.
You may visit a floating village
Not all tours make a stop at a fishing village — some just cruise by. If you do stop, you’ll be able to view the seafood being farmed, have the opportunity to buy some, and have it prepared for you free-of-charge on the boat.
You’ll get to swim
Every tour stops for a swim at least once a day. Sometimes these swims take place near local fishing villages, leading to jokes and apprehensions about the toilet situation on fishing villages. All tours also include a stop at one of the beaches.
You may get to kayak
All the boats bring kayaks and, weather and tides permitting, stop to let passengers paddle around. Sometimes the opportunity to kayak through one of the tunnel cave systems will present itself. Other times passengers are simply expected to paddle in circles around the boat — not surprisingly the caves and tunnels are far more interesting.
You’ll get to go caving
All tours include at least one cave visit in the price of the tour (admission on your own is 20,000 dong). The two most popular caves are the Dragon Cave and the Surprising Cave. You won’t know beforehand which cave you will see — that decision is made on the boat.
You may sleep over on the bay
Two and three-day tours always offer a night in a cabin. On any given night, about 80 boats are allowed to drop anchor in one of three designated areas — that means each area is filled with 20 to 30 boats. Sometimes they anchor very close to one another, other times they’ll find a more private spot away from other boats.
You may overnight on Cat Ba Island
Most two-day tours offer one night in a two-star hotel on Cat Ba Island. Activities including a hike in Cat Ba National Park, a kayaking trip through some offshore tunnel caves, and/or a lunchtime-visit to a local fish farm, where you catch your own fish before it is prepared for you, are usually offered as a part of the tour.
You’ll be fed and transported
All tours offer three meals a day, starting with lunch on the first day and ending with lunch on the last day. The quality of the meals varies tremendously depending on the price of the tour as does the transport to and from Hanoi.
So, no matter how much or how little you pay, all of the above, at least in theory, will be included in the tour. Judging the differences between tours, then, is not so much a matter of what they do, but how well they do it — and if they actually deliver on what they promise.
To get the skinny on the inner workings of the Ha Long Bay cocktail, we tested out three tours of Ha Long Bay — one budget, one midrange, and a more luxurious option — and had three very different experiences of the same bay — read on to learn how we fared.
source by indochina

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Ha Long Bay for backpackers

Ha Long Bay for backpackers
Two night/three day budget tour

Crammed into a jam-packed minivan, o

ur tour commenced with us circling the block a few times to avoid getting ticked by the cops for illegally stopping to pick up some of our passengers, but then we were away and our guide introduced himself. In his quite decent English, he explained that the 160km journey to Ha Long City would take three hours — apparently the slow going was due to the police — not to worry, if there were no cops around, we were assured, our driver would atte

mpt to speed whenever possible.

The trip included a 15-minute stop at a crafts centre set up for victims of Agent Orange and at 11:00 we reached Ha Long City. Once there our guide promptly got into a 15-minute argument with another guide, and we were eventually put into another minivan and driven to the pier at Bai Chay.

The pier was crammed with boats and after standing around for 30 minutes, our guide returned with tickets and we clamoured over three other boats to reach our (obviously badly parked) boat. As our group was generally agile the cross-boat-obstacle-course was no trouble, though there was trouble to come.

Upon booking we were promised a tour of no more than sixteen passengers, and were surprised to find 11 more people piling on to the boat with us — making for a total of 27 people. They were day-trippers, and those travelling to Cat Ba Island. When asked, we were advised that “they don’t count” as a part of our group because they aren’t on our three-day tour. Twenty-seven people on a sma

ll boat made for a tight fit.

Our boat, like many of the budget junks, had a large top-deck which featured hard, wooden sun-loungers that should have had cushions but didn’t. An epidemic problem on budget tours, we later learned. For an hour, we sat and waited to depart, and once underway, lunch appeared. A decidedly mediocre but

edible meal.

We visited one of the floating fishing villages, which was definitely a sight to see and some passengers bought seafood from the villagers — the staff on the boat cooked it up for them at no extra cost.

We stopped off at the Dragon Cave where we walked in file with one hundred other tourists, viewing the stalagmites, the stalactites, and paused to contemplate which was which. The cave was artificially decorated with coloured lights, man-made pools and fountains, and two red lights were fixed to where the ‘eyes’ should be in the rock formation that is said to look like a Dragon. Lovely.

Next was an unappealing beach for swimming and kayaking — there was only one kayak and it was never put in the water. Later we found out it had a leak. No worries — the weather was lousy, and no one wanted to kayak anyway.

Our first night was meant to be onboard, but the boat had somehow become “overbooked” and so we were shuffled into a hotel on Cat Ba Island. The two-star hotel was anything but remarkable and we got an equally mediocre dinner and breakfast. In the morning, we trekked through Cat Ba National Park — a challenging climb through beautiful mangrove forests, though lacking in any exceptional wildlife — we did spot goats though.

Thrown off schedule by being re-routed to the island, it wasn’t until late afternoon that we reboarded for our night at sea, and while we were supposed to stop off to swim, that somehow got lost in the shuffle. Dinner was much the same as the night before.

We cruised around for a while before eventually stopping at one of the three designated spots where tour boats are permitted to anchor. The night on the boat was memorable mostly for sitting on the top deck engaging in long, ranging conversations with other passengers over beers. It was a wonderfully relaxing evening, and the bay is a mysteriously beautiful place to be as the sun sets — despite the sound of karaoke drifting across the bay from some of the other boats.

When we retired, the cabins were clean, if somewhat dilapidated. While one passenger found himself chocking on exhaust fumes in his cabin and had to spend the night on the top deck, we were all kept up by the deafening noise from the cheap Chinese generator.

In the morning, four-pieces of bread and a greasy omelette sustained us through the slow tour back to Ha Long City for the packed minivan back to Hanoi.

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