Ha Long (Quang Ninh Province) is not only a well-known tourist attraction, but also becomes a busy shopping area at night. Although this type of tourism is quite new and not really well developed, night tours in the city will give tourists a good impression.
We arrived at Ha Long after three hours by bus. This wasn’t the first time we arrived at Ha Long, however, we had some new impressions. The fresh atmosphere of salty sea air pervaded everywhere so you could taste it when first stepping into the landscape.
Right at the hotel reception we could see many special features of the landscape, for instance, a wooden boat on the wall, pictures of all kind of materials about Ha Long and some furniture made from sea materials.
The dinner was prepared featuring many kinds of seafood: shrimps, crabs, fish, cuttlefish and oysters. Every big city has its seafood, but this is tastier and the style is very different, especially the grilled food. The typical smell of seafood, the smell of spices, of burning charcoal and of the sea combined with each other to tickle the palate.
After dining on a special dish of grilled chopped cuttlefish, we were eager to go out on the streets. Ha Long night market was the first place we went to. It was located on the beach. There were some cafes where customers could perform songs on stage like professional singers.
Ha Long night market included hundreds of booths selling souvenirs. Most of the souvenirs were made of wood and keratin. Ladies tended to be interested in pearl bracelets and necklaces. Ha Long scenery pictures, Vietnam traditional “ao dai”, hats and bags were preferable to foreigners. Most tourists came from Asian countries, especially China. Going around the market you can choose gifts for friends and family. Leaving the market, we continued our trip walking on the streets. The fresh air helped tourists relax after stressful working days.
Horse – drawn carriages were driven leisurely in the streets. Of all provinces in the North, Ha Long is the only place that this sort of carriage is used. We quickly decided to have a ride around the city. Although motorbikes and cars sometimes passed by us, night in Ha Long is quiet and peaceful. The driver was also the tour guide. A small amount of money paid for a fascinating night trip around the city. Along the streets were hotels, restaurants, shops, cafes sparkling at night.
We stopped at Hoang Gia Recreation Centre, a new place with fun games. We were impressed by the water-puppet show. Because it was a weekday, not many people were there except for foreigners. They were shouting at the water puppet theatre. How exciting the show was!
After the show, we went to the beach. From our vantage point, the whole sea was shining with the lights from the boats. Ha Long night tours have great potential but are unexploited. Ms Nhu Thi Hong Lien, vice president of Quang Ninh People’s committee stated: “Ha Long night tours attract our attention and concern. We plan to hold seminars to discuss them so companies will know what they should do to develop tourism here. We believe that in the near future Ha Long tourism will have attractive products for cruise tourists; they can come ashore to take part in recreation activities and discover the culture of Quang Ninh and Vietnam in general.
Vietnam tourism is attracting more and more international customers. We should have some strategies to encourage them to stay here longer. Ha Long is no exception. Night tours need new direction and more recreation centres. The trip at night brought unforgettable memories. I hope that in the near future Ha Long will offer even better recreation.
Giang Tu
Vietnamese
