Quang Ninh
Đông Bắc
NKSTTSSHNVN · CC BY-SA 4.0
Home to the world natural wonder of Ha Long Bay and beautiful beaches and islands.
Quang Ninh is a land of sea and islands. Ha Long Bay, with its thousands of limestone islands, is the pride of all Vietnam. Alongside it lie the pristine Bai Tu Long, the white sands of Co To Island and a coal-mining culture rich in identity.
Best time to visit: October–December, calm seas and clear skies
Local specialties
- Ha Long grilled cuttlefish cake
- Sandworms
- Mud clams
- Gat gu cake
Places (13)
Binh Lieu
A mountainous border district with a 'dinosaur spine' ridge and white reed grass in November.
Sung Sot Cave
The largest cave in Ha Long bay, two chambers, the inner one the size of a theatre.
Yen Tu Mountain
The Buddhist capital of Dai Viet — where King Tran Nhan Tong left the throne to found the Truc Lam Zen school.
Bai Tu Long Bay
The bay next door to Ha Long, the same limestone landscape with a fraction of the boats.
Ha Long Bay
A natural wonder of the world, with thousands of limestone islands rising from emerald waters.
Ti Top Island
A small island with a crescent beach and four hundred steps to the classic bay view.
Quang Ninh Museum
A black glass box on the bay — a museum of the coal country, and the building itself is the exhibit.
Bai Chay Bridge
The longest single-plane cable-stayed span in the world when it opened in 2006.
Cua Van Fishing Village
A floating village in the bay, where generations were born and raised on the water.
Van Don
Dai Viet's first international trading port, founded in 1149, now the gateway to Bai Tu Long.
Co To Island
A frontier archipelago in the north-east with white sand, clear water and a lighthouse looking out to open sea.
Tuan Chau Island
An island joined to shore by a causeway, holding the main port for Ha Long bay cruises.
Thien Cung Cave
A stalactite cave on Dau Go island, lit in colour and tied to a dragon legend.