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Ha Long Bay to cut entry fees for children
The Quang Ninh Provincial People’s Committee recently approved a decision on cutting entry fees for young visitors to its UNESCO World Heritage Site of Ha Long Bay and neighboring Bai Tu Long Bay. Visitors from 7 to 16 years old, who currently pay the same price as adults, will receive a 20 per cent discount from January 1, 2019. Children under six years old or under 1.2 meters tall currently receive a 50 per cent discount, which is also available to visitors over 60 years of age and those that are disabled, war invalids, or come from remote and disadvantaged areas.
Entry fees for visits to Ha Long Bay and Bai Tu Long Bay range from VND200,000 to 250,000 ($8.6 to 10.8) per person for day tours and between VND500,000 and 750,000 ($22 and 33) per person for overnight tours. This year’s entry fees to Ha Long Bay and Bai Tu Long Bay are expected to total VND1.17 trillion ($45.5 million), an increase of VND70 billion ($3 million) compared to last year, according to Ha Long Bay’s management board.
Covering an area of 43,400 ha and including over 1,600 islands and islets, most of Ha Long Bay is uninhabited and unaffected by humans and is a perfect example of a mature karst landscapes developed in a warm and wet tropical climate. The limestone in the bay has gone through 500 million years of formation in different conditions and environments. Meanwhile, located in the east of Ha Long Bay and close to the Chinese border, Bai Tu Long Bay is an off-the-beaten-track destination recently in high demand among international tourists. While possessing a similar landscape as Ha Long Bay, Bai Tu Long Bay features clearer water and less-crowded attractions.
Swimming and kayaking are popular activities among visitors to both bays, as are visits to floating fishing villages, where the entire population lives and works. Villagers are mainly fisherfolk and ply the waters around their villages, selling fresh produce to the passing tourist trade. Abundant fresh local seafood is another delight.
Ha Long Bay has twice been recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, in 1994 and 2000, and has also been named one of the seven natural wonders of the world. Earlier this year, it was placed 14th on a list of the Top 100 most beautiful UNESCO World Heritage Sites, by the US magazine Newsweek. Quang Ninh province has organized some 100 events within the Ha Long – Quang Ninh National Tourism Year of 2018; the first tourism year in the province and organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in cooperation with the provincial Department of Culture and Sports.
The province welcomed 10.7 million tourists in the first ten months of this year, including more than 4 million foreigners, up 25 per cent and 19 per cent, respectively, against the same period last year, according to figures from the city’s Department of Tourism. A total of 9.87 million tourists visited last year, including 4.28 million foreigners, for year-on-year increases 18 per cent and 23 per cent, respectively.
Update day: 17/12/2018
Update day: 17/12/2018
