BREATHTAKING HALONG BAY FROM THE SEAPLANE

The following photos of Ha Long Bay are taken from the seaplane which had newly imported into Vietnam, at an estimated altitude of 1000m.

This picturesque Bai Chay beach attracts tourists all year round

Ha Long Bay is a UNESCO World Heritage site located in Quảng Ninh province, Vietnam.

Bai Chay bridge - a great landmark on Ha Long Bay

The masterpiece was completed and opened to traffic in 2006. It took the record of the longest central-line span of cable-stayed bridge in Vietnam at that time.

Halong bay is in northeastern Vietnam. The bay stretches from Yên Hưng district, past Hạ Long city, Cẩm Phả town to Vân Đồn district, bordered on the south and southeast by the Gulf of Tonkin, on the north by China and on the west and southwest by Cát Bà Island. The bay has a 120 kilometers long coastline and is approximately 1,553 square kilometers in size with 1969 isles.

The area was designated by UNESCO as the World Natural Heritage Site includes 434 km² with 775 islets, of which the triangle area, the core zone is delimited by 3 points: Đầu Gỗ island on the west, Ba Hầm Lake on the south and Cống Tây Island on the east. The protected area is from the Cái Dăm petrol store to Quang Hanh commune, Cẩm Phả town and the surrounding giant zone.

The bay features thousands of limestone karsts and isles in various sizes and shapes

Ha Long Bay is host to two ecosystems: a tropical, moist, evergreen rain-forest ecosystem and a marine & coastal ecosystem. The bay is home to seven endemic species.

Scientists say that Halong bay has experienced at least 500 million years in the various geological states of orogeny (a process in which the outer layer of the earth is folded to form mountains), marine transgression and marine regression. During the Ordovician and Silurian periods (500-410 million years ago), Halong bay was deep sea. During the Carboniferous and Permian periods (340-250 million years ago), Halong Bay was at shallow sea level.

The major characteristic of Halong Bay had mostly been the transgression to expend, the strong erosion with mangrove, clearer - more salt in water and coral development for the past 1000 years.

Halong Bay closely attached to glorious pages of Vietnam history with a busy Van Don which used to be an ancient trading port in the 12th century; a poetic Bai Tho mountain and a historical Bach Dang river which remains until now showing off two famous naval battles against invaders.

Halong bay was introduced to nominate by New Open World Foundation as World's 7 Natural Wonder. In 03/2012, Halong Bay has officially recognized as a new Natural Wonder of the world.

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