The most wonderful thing when traveling along the Vietnam territory is that there are always amazing places to visit at any time of the year. Among the best places for March travel, Ha Long Bay is the most preferable to both locals and tourists. It is not because of the imposing natural beauty of the bay but also due to the cool weather that could make you fall in love at the very first steps in this bay.
Hereunder, we introduce to you the best guide to enjoy your March trip to the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The UNESCO World Heritage Site
Ha Long Bay belongs to the Gulf of Tonkin that is located in the north of Vietnam. It is a part of Quang Ninh province. The bay is a cluster of 1,969 islets which spread in an area of 1,553 square kilometers. The most attractive part gathers 775 islets in an area of 335 square kilometers.
This bay has been through 500 million years of tectonics. The formation of karts in this bay has taken more than 20 million years. That is the reason why this bay has an imposing but mysterious attraction to both tourists and geologists.
Amazing sunset at the bay - Image: Val.
Until now, Ha Long Bay has been listed by UNESCO several times. The first time was in 1994 when UNESCO announced that the bay was a World Heritage Site of its outstanding, universal aesthetic value. In 2000, again, the World Heritage Committee recognized the bay of its outstanding geological and geomorphological value. Once again, in 2011, the World Monuments Fund has called the bay’s name again. It has not stopped. In 2012, Ha Long Bay was in the list of New 7 Natural Wonders of the world by the New 7 Wonders Foundation.
The legend story of Ha Long Bay
Regardless of the science, the Vietnamese have an interesting legend story of Ha Long Bay. In tradition, the Vietnamese are children of Dragon Lord and Fairy.
During the formation of the country, there have been several times the country was in the threaten of invaders. There were so many wars happened during that time and killed the Vietnamese.
The Fairy who was believed the Vietnamese Mother has descended to the earth to save her children. She brought an army of dragons to set a battle defense. The dragons released their pearls to build up an untouchable wall to save the Vietnamese.
People say the islets in the bay are the Fairy and dragon in the legend story - Image: Lewis J Goetz.
When the war finished, the Fairy and dragons did not come back to the paradise where they came from. Instead of it, they stayed with the Vietnamese and created the amazing bay as you can see today. Ha Long Bay is the place where the Fairy descended. Bai Tu Long is the area where the dragons stayed.
That is also the reason why the locals call it Ha Long. Ha in Vietnamese means descending and Long means the dragon.
The beauty of Ha Long Bay in March
Due to the amazing beauty of Ha Long Bay, you should prepare well to have a great trip exploring the World Heritage Site.
How to get to Ha Long Bay from Hanoi?
There are different ways to go to Ha Long from Hanoi. You can choose to drive a motorbike on the 155 kilometers road. It takes you around 3 hours.
Besides, there is a train from Hanoi to Ha Long which departs from Yen Vien station. It takes you up to 7 hours. In contrast, you could enjoy the beautiful nature along the railway journey.
The imposing beauty with consecutive islets - Image: Taylor Simpson.
Additionally, if you want to save the time of moving, you can choose to travel by airplane which departs from Noi Bai International Airport. Besides, you can choose a luxurious experience with a helicopter from Hanoi to Ha Long as well. With this service, you can have a wonderful view of the islets cluster from the height.
What makes Ha Long that beautiful in March?
If you are not interested in the festival with the crowd but you are into the peaceful and simple beauty of the destinations, March is the best time to visit Ha Long Bay.
The peaceful beauty
During March, there are not too many tourists visit the bay. Therefore, it has the original vibe with the peace and roman which come from the quiet and imposing nature. You will not be stuck in the jam nor have to wait in a long queue at famous spots.
Relaxing moment of the boat - Image: Taylor Simpson.
Additionally, the rhythm of peace and pure local life would attract you the most. The simple but moved scenery of the local life in the early morning without tourism services is the most valuable moment that you could have during the trip. The women stay up so early to light up the coal fire and prepare for the breakfast. The fisherman boats come back after a night floating on the sea. The sun is coming in the east. And the birds are flying to earn food for a new day. They all happen peacefully that you can not experience at other times of the year.
The beauty of foggy weather
Besides the peace of fewer tourists, Ha Long Bay in March is beautiful with the fog. In the clean days, you can see the consecutive mountains and islets seem to last to the horizon. However, in March, you can experience the days that Ha Long is cover with fog.
The mysterious foggy beauty in the early morning - Image: Daniel Welsh.
There will not thick fog that affects your vision. In contrast, it is the fog cloaks that floating in the air. It makes the scenery more mysterious with the legend stories of the locals.
The fog that covers the islets looks like the scarfs. You can see the tops of the famous islets are sparkling in the golden sunshine of the spring in the fog.
Enjoy the fresh vegetation
In the beginning of the spring, it is the time of proliferation. Most of the islets in Ha Long Bay has its own vegetation. In March, they all are covered by the fresh and young green vegetation. It happens once in a year that you cannot see at any other time.
The fresh and green vegetation in March - Image: Taylor Simpson.
Cheap services’ price
March is not the peak time of tourism in Ha Long Bay. Therefore, there is more competition among service providers. As a result, the price of services decreases remarkably. Of course, you are the one who gets the benefits in this situation. Why don’t visit Ha Long this time?
There are not many tourists in March that the service prices will be more competitive - Image: Taylor Simpson.
Conclusion
Most people visit the island and the sea in the summer to enjoy exciting activities. However, in order to have a great and interesting experience, it still can be in March. Let’s pack your luggage and prepare for a memorable trip to Ha Long Bay!