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Provinces in Viet Nam
HA LONG City as provincial capital, QUANG NINH
is in the north-east of Vietnam. It shares 170km of border line with
People's Republic of China. With 200km of shoreline, Quang Ninh looks
out onto the Tonkin Gulf to the east. It is rich in natural resources
: Forests, maritime products and particularly large deposits of coal
which account for 90% of the country's total coal deposits. These are
some tourist attractions of QUANG NINH:
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HA LONG BAY : It covers an area of 1,500 sq.km with thousands of islands and grottoes rising from the clear, emerald waters of the Tonkin Gulf. The bottom of the bay is some 200m deep. The book "Les merveilles du monde" published by Hachette in 1950 classified HA LONG BAY as one of the wonders of the world. Recently, UNESCO recognized HA LONG BAY as heritage of the world. HA LONG means "Where the dragon descends into the sea". The legend has it that a great dragon plunged into the sea from his home in the mountains. Twisting and turning along towards the coast, his failing tail gouged out huge crevices and valleys, and when he reached the sea, the water he displaced rushed into the valleys, filling them up and leaving only the peaks which emerge from the surface and form some thousands of islands and islets. At present, about 1,000 islands are named, but many remain nameless or unidentified. The islands are infinitely various in shape, evoking all kinds of animals, hence their names : Dragon Island, Monkey Island, Toad Islet, Turtle Islet, Fighting Cock Islet |
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Hang Dau Go (Grotto of Wooden Stakes) is the most beautiful grotto and also a favourite of tourists in Ha Long Bay. Its name is related to a historical story : In preparation for an ambush on Mongol invaders in 1288, General TRAN HUNG DAO (alias TRAN QUOC TUAN) had hard wood stakes hidden in the grotto and planted in the bed of BACH DANG River to cut off the retreat of the enemy. Earlier in 1287, the grotto had been used as a shelter for General TRAN KHANH GIU's troops lying in ambush awaiting the food supply fleet of the Mongols. The mouth of the grotto is in the middle of the island. After climbing some 90 steps, you enter the first, large chamber which could accommodate one or two thousand people. Here, there are many stone stalactites and stalagmites of different shapes and colours.
There is a stalagmite which looks like an Arhat standing on a lotus-flower stand with a stick in his hand. The walls of the second chamber sparkle beautifully. In the final chamber, there is a cool , fresh water all year round. In the 19th century, French tourists called Hang Dau Go "Grotte des merveilles" for the wide range of shapes and colours of its stalactites and stalagmites and beautiful sparkling light.
BO NAU Grotto : BO NAU in Vietnamese means pigeon. In the old days, this place was the place for innumerable numbers of birds to have shelter and build their nests. Sitting on BO NAU, you can have a large view of the sea and remote islands as far as your eyes can see. Another famous grotto is Trinh Nu (Virgin) which is also called "Surprising Grotto" for its amazing scenic entrance. |
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LAN ANH
HOTEL - VIET NAM
Head office: To 09 Song Da, Muong Lay(Formerly Lai Chau) - Dien Bien, Vietnam Phone: +84 (0) 230 3509 577 - Fax: +84 (0) 231 896 403 Mr Cuong 0989673888 Mrs Thuy 01683089666 or Mailto:Lan Anh hotel - Viet Nam CEO Mr Thang 0988888934, www.lananhhotel.com |