Halong Bay - Geographical location

Located in the North - East of Vietnam, Halong Bay is considered to be a part of the Gulf of Tonkin, including the territorial waters of Halong city, the township of Cam Pha, and a part of the island district of Van Don Quang ninh province. Halong Bay borders Catba island in the southwest, the East Sea in the east; and the rest is bounded by 120 kilometers of mainland coastline. The limits of the Halong bay area stretch form E106o58′ to E107o22′ and form N20o45′ to N20o50′.

Halong bay itself, consisting of the territories of Ha Long Bay and Bai Tu Long Bay, has a total area of 1,553 square kilometers. All 1,969 islands of various sizes gather in Halong Bay; 989 of which have been given names and the rest have not been named. These islands include both limestone and schist ones, situated in two main zones: the southeast (Bai Tu Long Bay area), and the southwest (Ha Long bay area), created, according to the geologists, from 250 to 280 million years ago. This area features a dense collection of stone islands creating spectacular scenery of unique shapes and grottoes, forming the center of the natural heritage of Ha Long, including Ha Long Bay and a part of Bai Tu Long Bay. The World Natural Heritage site, with a total number of 775 islands, has an area of 434 square kilometers, forming a triangle with the corners at Dau Go Island (Driftwood Grotto) to the west, Ba Ham Lake (Three Shelter Lake) to the Southm and Cong Tay Island to the east. Bounding this area si the buffer territory and the national vestige and beauty of nature area, recognized by the ministry of Culture and Information 1962.