Ngọc Vừng Island

Ngọc Vừng (in Vân Đồn district) is an island of 12 square kilometers, with the ancient port of Cống Yên belonging to the Vân Đồn trading port system and the ruins of the ancient citadel of the Mạc and Nguyễn dynasties.

Legend has it that Ngọc Vừng Island once had countless kinds of rare pearls. At night, the pearls glowed and the entire sea and could be seen by the boats from afar, so the island is called Ngọc Vừng (Light of Pearls). Pearl farming here is still very popular. People on the island can also grow rice in freshwater areas, farm and fish seafood such as crabs, shrimps, fish and squid.

Beautiful beach on Ngọc Vừng Island

Ngọc Vừng Island attracts tourists by its wild and beautiful beaches. Visitors often come to Ngọc Vừng in the summer when it is at its most beautiful. From April to August, the sea is blue and the waves are calmer. Visitors should avoid going between September and October as this is the rainy season. The hurricane season off the island is quite dangerous, and most tours will also not accept guests at this time.

Visitors can buy tickets to Ngọc Vừng from Vũng Đục port (Cẩm Phả), Cái Rồng port (Vân Đồn) or Hòn Gai port (Hạ Long), in which going from Cẩm Phả is the fastest. However, if you want to visit both Quan Lạn and Ngọc Vừng, you should depart from Hòn Gai because the boats from here will pass through Ngọc Vừng and then to Quan Lạn.

Quan Lạn Island

Quan Lan has three big beaches, namely Quan Lạn, Sơn Hào and Minh Châu, in which Minh Châu is the favourite because of its beautiful sand, clear sea water and lyrical landscape. Ba Mùn Island, a small island in Minh Châu commune, preserves many rare and precious animals such as deer, monkeys, langurs, sea birds and other migratory birds to the island. In 1997, Ba Mùn was recognised as Bái Tử Long national forest.

Cô Tô

Sunrise on Cô Tô island Photo courtesy of Ivivu

Cô Tô is an archipelago of about 50 islands located in the east of Quảng Ninh Province with an area of 46.2 square kilometres. It is famous for Big Cô Tô, Little Cô Tô and Thanh Lan Island. Big Cô Tô is the main tourist center, with two famous beaches Vàn Chảy beach and Hồng Vàn beach, while Little Cô Tô island is still wild, with a gentle beach connected to a primeval forest carpet. The peak tourist season usually starts from the end of April to the end of August, when the weather is at its best, without storms.