Halong - an Area of Miraculous Grottoes

If you cruise among the thousands of stone islands in the Halong bay you would be unaware of many grottoes and caves of all sizes 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, Thien Cung, one of the largest, is arguably the most beautiful grotto in Halong. Although located on a large island just 4km away from Cai Dam tourist wharf, so close that 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 a 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 Halong.
The dozens of grottoes and caves that have been unearthed so far make Halong the largest concentration of grottoes and caves in Vietnam, mostly located within Halong’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 thundered of millions of years.

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