Halong Bay
Ha Long bay
Ha Long Bay
(Source: http://www.vietnamtourism.com/E_pages/heritage/halong.asp)
Inside One of the Caves
(Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halong_Bay)
The Kissing Rocks
(Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halong_Bay)
Qn. 1: What is this place?
Ha Long Bay is a UNESCO World Heritage site in Vietnam. The bay features thousands of limestone karsts and isles in various sizes and shapes. Because of their precipitous nature, most of the islands are uninhabited and unaffected by a human presence. The site's outstanding scenic beauty is complemented by its great biological interest.
Qn. 2: Where is this place?
Quảng Ninh province, North-East region of Vietnam. It is in the Gulf of Tonkin comprised of regions of Ha Long City, the township of Cam Pha, and a part of the island district of Van Don.
Qn. 3: Why do tourists visit this place?
The bay consists of a dense cluster of 1,969 limestone monolithic islands, each topped with thick jungle vegetation, which rise spectacularly from the ocean, forming a spectacular seascape of limestone pillars. Several of the islands are hollow, with enormous caves. The evolution of the karsts in this bay also has taken 20 million years under the impact of the tropical wet climate.
While exploring the bay, you feel lost in a legendary world of stone islands. There is Man's Head Island, which resembles a man standing and looking towards the mainland. Dragon Island looks like a dragon hovering above the turquoise water. La Vong Island resembles an old man fishing. There are also the islands of the Sail, the Pair of Roosters, and the Incense Burner, which all astonishingly resemble their namesakes. The forms of the islands change depending on the angle of the light and from where the islands are viewed. At the core of the islands, there are wonderful caves and grottoes, such as Thien Cung (Heavenly Residence Grotto), Dau Go (Driftwood Grotto), Sung Sot (Surprise Grotto), and Tam Cung (Three Palace Grotto).
It is because of all these factors that tourists now visiting Hạ Long Bay are not only treated to one of the true wonders of the world, but also to a precious geological museum that has been naturally preserved in the open air for the last 300 million years.
Qn. 4: What are the sources of information for this place?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halong_Bay
http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/672
http://www.vietnamtourism.com/E_pages/heritage/halong.asp
(Qn. 5: How will tourists affected the area?)
Mangroves and seagrass beds have had to be cleared and jetties and wharves have been built for tourist boats.
Fuel and oil, along with tourist litter, have created pollution problems, which impact on both the aquatic and terrestrial ecosystem of the islands. Human waste from portable toilets erected for tourists, finds its way into the soil and water surrounding the islands, once more altering the ecosystem functioning through increased nutrient flow.
Game fishing, often near coral reefs are threatening many endangered species of fish. Often the fish is not consumed locally but exported to other markets around the region.
The delicate limestone cave ecosystems are diminishing as tourists visiting the caves break off stalagmites and stalactites. Litter, including wine bottles, is dropped into cave streams and visitors exhale carbon dioxide, which has a deleterious effect on the caves. The mouths of some caves have been widened to allow tourist access. This increase in light has led to an imbalance in the delicate links between the flora and fauna, and a decrease in the humidity of the caves.
(Qn. 6: How has natural processes affected this place?)
Climate has become the “engineer” of this place. The limestone in this bay has gone through 500 million years of formation in different conditions and environments. The evolution of the karsts in this bay has taken 20 million years under the impact of the tropical wet climate. The diversity of the enivironment, climate, geology, geography, and geomorphology in the area have created biodiversity, including tropical evergreen biosystem, oceanic and sea shore biosystem.Done by: Astri Devi 4R, Jessica Ardelia Tan 4D
Halong Bay is definitely based on nature-based tourism. Unaffected by human presence, lime stone karsts and isles attracts thousands of tourists.
-Lee Sae Yun, Lim Yi Xian (4D)