Halong bay – an area of miraculous grottos and caves
Visitors who only cruise among the thousands of stone islands in the bay would be unaware of the multitude of grottoes and caves of all sixes inside the huge stones. Some are so famous that their names have appeared in centuries-old historical records, while others are new discoveries. For example, thein Cung, one if the largest is arguably the most beautiful grotto in ha Long. Although located on a large island just 4 km away from Cai Dam Tourist Wharf, so close that the trees and plants growing on the island are clearly visible from the hotels in Bai Chay, it was only discovered in 1993 and is now among the most important destinations for tourists. The grotto’s narrow mouth was masked by bushes and large boulders as well as steep cliff as a result it lay hidden for nearly a hundred years. There is no doubt that there are many more unknown caves perhaps even more majestic than Thien Cung in the myriad of mountains in Ha Long.
The dozens of grottos and caves that have been unearthed so far make Ha Long the largest concentration of grottos and caves in Vietnam, mostly located within ha Long’s World Heritage area. Their scale, size and color are remarkably diverse and each contains evidence of the power of erosion by seawater, rainfall and moisture over hundreds of millions of years.
Some grottos are quite large, with a multi-layer structure and several entrance. They house numerous stalactites and stalagmites, forming spectacular ‘landscapes’. These grottos include:
Thien Cung (Celestial Palace) is located to the north of Dau Go Island, near Dau Go Grotto, 4 km south of Cai Dam Tourist Wharf.
The grotto’s mouth is 25 above the sea level. Its 10,000m2 floor area is divided into many layers and compartments, with high ceiling and walls. Going inside, one can immediately see a large number of stalactites and stalagmites. Their strange shapes lead fanciful people to weave legends about the love story between the Dragon Parents. Others compare the cave with a labyrinth built by the Persian emperors in the famous Arabian Nights.
Dau Go (Wooden Stakes, also Giau Go: Timber Store), covers an area of 8,000 m2 and lies next to Thien Cung on Dau Go Island. Its starfish-shaped mouth is over 20m over sea level. The grotto consists of three compartments, narrowing backwards, and the floor is 8m below the entrance. There are many massive stalactites and stalagmites.
Many people believe that the name Dau Go is rooted in the historical use of the grotto as a workshop and timber store to produce the wooden stakes used to hole the Yuan Mongolian invaders’ warships in the 13th century resistance wars. However, some people disagree with this argument – the French colonists named it Grotte des Merveilles (the Grotto of Marvels).
A 90 step stairways leads up to the mouth of the grotto. Standing at the entrance, one can see almost all the whole area of the grotto’s inner panorama and its many stalactites, stalagmites and deep ravines. The first compartment has a yault-like 20m high ceiling and numerous stalactites. The second is lower, narrower and darker. The third is quite large with a freshwater well at the end. A 20 m high stone column in the centre resembles a Buddha sitting on high and looking over a battle of elephants, horses, lions and warriors.
Near the cave mouth is a one-meter stone stele. Its engraved Chinese script is now illegible but a nearby Vietnamese translation explains: In spring of the lunar year of Nham Tuat (1919), king Khai DInh and French General Governor Paul Doumer took boat form the Luc Dau River (Kiep bac) to Ha Long bay via Hai Phong. The King made a poem to praise the grotto’s magnificence.
Sung Sot (Surprise), located on one of the Bo Hon Islands is a large cave, covering an area of 12,200 m2. The French entered this grotto in 1901 and in a tourist book on ha Long published in 1938, they called Sung Sot Gtotto des Supries (the Grotto of Surprises). Its entrance is 25m above sea level and covered by bushes. The grotto’s mouth faces a windless bay surrounded by the Bo Hon mountain arc. Sung Sot is close to many small mountains and beautiful caves such as Bo Nau, Me Cung, Luong and so on. This area is also a floating village for fishing families.
The grotto has three chambers linked through narrow ravines. The outmost section has a high ceiling and many stalagmites. The third chamber opens wide with an arch like a large medieval theatre: unusually there are almost no stalactites or crevices on the ceiling. In Sung Sot grotto, any voice can be heard very clearly but there is no echo. In the centre of the grotto, a huge stone column supports the vault. Approaching the end, one can see gigantic rocks on the floor, each much bigger than a room. They seem to reach the ceiling suggesting that they collapsed along time ago, creating the many deep ravines and crevices in the chamber. N 800m-long walkway inside the grotto was built in January 1999 and finished on 1st May of the same year.
Luon (Passing Through) Grotto is situated on the northeast od the Bo Hon Islands, over 1 km away from Sung Sot grotto. This is a closed mountain arc creating an inland lake linked to the sea through a semi-submerged tunnel. Luon grotto is nearly 60m in length and varies between 2.5 m and 4m in height, depending on tide levels. The grotto’s arched ceiling has several stalactites. The lake resembles a stadium with high sloping stands around-ferns, cycads and orchids grow on the cliffs.
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