"Precious treasures" in Ha Long Bay

Besides the well-known caves, Ha Long Bay also boasts countless other stunning karst caves, sandbanks, coves, and lakes, considered "treasures" that are currently being researched and explored.

It can be seen that many tourism products in Ha Long Bay are traditional, existing for a long time, with little or no change. Meanwhile, this heritage site still has much potential with nearly 2,000 rocky islands, many beautiful and fascinating spots and islands yet to be explored to serve tourists. "We always pay attention to surveying, evaluating, planning, and orienting the exploitation and development of hidden values. This is both fulfilling the task of management and conservation, and promoting the value, contributing to diversifying and boosting tourism in the province," said Mr. Vu Kien Cuong, Head of the Ha Long Bay Management Board.

Over the past period, the managing agency, the Ha Long Bay Management Board, has actively coordinated with scientists to survey and assess the potential of the bay's geology, landscape, and tourism development.

Cap Lom Cave (Cap Lom Island) is one of the beautiful caves discovered in recent surveys.

Since 2017, the Management Board has had a long-term plan to conduct surveys of many routes and points as part of a plan to distribute tourist traffic. To date, 12 points across 4 routes have been surveyed, along with nearly 40 beautiful spots and caves. Through this, potential points such as Hoa Cuong, Chan Voi, Lom Bo, Coc Cheo, and Bai Dong have been discovered and assessed. Prior to this, 23 new points were discovered during a survey and exploration conducted at the end of 2015 by experts from the Institute of Geological Sciences and Minerals and the Ha Long Bay Management Board.

According to preliminary assessments, Ha Long Bay has approximately 59 beautiful caves with sufficient conditions for tourism development, but so far only 19 have been opened for tourism. Among them, many caves are beautiful and have great tourism potential, such as: Cave No. 5 (in the Bo Hon Island area) with 3 chambers, one chamber measuring 400m² with many beautiful stalactite columns; beneath the cave floor is a layer of freshwater snails - an archaeological site of ancient Vietnamese people; Cave No. 8 (in the Gieng Toi Island area) in the Tung Sau area, with an area of ​​over 500m², many beautiful, clean stalactite columns of various shapes…

During the survey trip in May 2018, the Board also studied and evaluated many beautiful beaches and landscapes in various areas, such as Ban Chan, Cat Oan, Crescent Moon, Hon Co, Ba Cat, etc. It is expected that in the third quarter, the Board will continue to survey 51 caves, lagoons, and sandy beaches, as well as coordinate with the Department of Tourism and other specialized agencies to assess the potential and feasibility of developing them for tourism.

In addition to surveying and preparing resources for the future, the Board also focuses on developing and orienting the beaches into tourism products. Besides the two beaches of Soi Sim and Ti Top, in early 2023, the Board proposed the exploitation and management of the Tra San - Cong Do beach cluster (tour route number 4) in an area of ​​approximately 250 hectares, located only about 25km from Tuan Chau International Cruise Port.

The cluster of beaches comprises 8 natural sandy beaches, ranging in size from 100-800m², sufficient to accommodate tourist activities; of which 4 beaches can serve tourists throughout the day without being affected by tidal fluctuations. Besides serving the needs of beachgoers, this area can also be developed for kayaking, sightseeing, and exploring the natural landscape.

The Ha Long Bay Management Board continuously collaborates with scientists and specialized agencies to assess the potential and feasibility of tourism development in the bay.

Furthermore, according to the province's tourism product plan, the Three Peach Beaches are also included in the Ha Long Bay - Bai Tu Long - Van Don - Co To Tourism Product Development Plan. These are three crescent-shaped sandy beaches surrounding the base of the island, resembling three peaches when viewed from a distance.

It can be seen that among the province's 62 tourism products proposed for 2024, many are related to tourism in Ha Long Bay. These products emphasize the scenic values ​​and cultural beauty formed from the bay's abundant natural resources. Although there are still obstacles, efforts are being actively made to overcome them and realize these goals.

With the aim of developing many new products, it is very likely that in the future, these resources, these "treasures," these "reserves," could become the raw materials and foundation for new and attractive products in the future. The issue is that more attention is needed to help the Research Committee review and resolve issues related to planning, inland waterway transport routes, and integration with existing tourist attractions to create unique tourism products to serve visitors.

Source: https://baoquangninh.vn/cua-de-danh-tren-vinh-ha-long-3313126.html