Can You Swim In Halong Bay Vietnam?

Halong Bay is one of the best-known destinations in Vietnam. It is also known as Ha Long Bay and is located in the northern Province of Quảng Ninh. Halong Bay is also listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is often on the list of seven natural wonders chosen by people. Can you swim In Halong Bay?

Yes, you can swim in Halong Bay. Halong Bay has thousands of islands and islets which means there are hundreds of beaches that offer plenty of opportunities to go swimming. Generally, the water in Halong Bay is calm, clean, and green. The beaches around Halong Bay are not a bad place if you want to go sunbathing.

In this post, we will go through whether you can swim in Halong Bay Vietnam. Let’s get started!

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Can You Swim In Halong Bay?

Yes, you can swim in Halong Bay but you shouldn’t swim in the open water because of strong currents and boat traffic. Halong Bay is blessed with thousands of islands and islets a lot of them are home to sandy beaches that offer plenty of places to go swimming.

Is It Safe To Swim In Halong Bay Vietnam?

Generally speaking, it is safe to swim in Halong Bay. Shore swimming is safe but there can be strong currents in and around the bay. Therefore is a chance you can get caught in a strong current so it is not safe to swim in the open water.

Unfortunately, there is pollution around Halong Bay which is mainly rubbish but this does not seem to overly affect any of the beaches.

Are There Sharks In Halong Bay?

No there is no record of sharks being found in Halong Bay. As far as I’m aware there are no dangerous species in the waters.

Is Halong Bay Safe?

Halong is generally safe to visit. This is as long as you use common sense. Pickpocketing and violent crimes toward tourists are rare but they do happen. There is some street crime, but much less than in major cities.

Do People Live In Halong Bay?

Yes, people live in Halong Bay. It has a population of over 1,500. They mainly live in the floating fishing villages of Cua Van, Ba Hang, Vung Vieng, and Cặp Dè. This means that there are around 1,600 islands most of them uninhabited.

Why Is Halong Bay Famous?

Halong Bay is known as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, this is because of its stunning limestone mountains rising up from emerald waters that were formed thousand years ago. You also can have a chance to explore caves.

Things To Do In Halong Bay Vietnam

If you are lucky enough to be planning on visiting Halong Bay, there are wonderful things to do in Halong Bay Vietnam.

Here are some of the best things to do in Halong Bay Vietnam.

Visit Cat Ba National Park.
Explore Hang Sung Sot Cave.
Visit The Ho Chi Minh Monument.
Relax On Monkey Island.
You can read more on things to do in Halong Bay Vietnam.

Visit Cat Ba National Park

There are huge types of mammals in Cat Ba, more than 25 different animals. It has langurs which are the most endangered primates in the world. There are amazing hiking trails which include an 18 km climb to the summit of the main peak in the national park.

If you are a nature lover and enjoy hiking, we recommend visiting Cat Ba National Park.

Explore Hang Sung Sot Cave

Hang Sung Sot Cave is located on Bon Hon Island. It requires extra effort as you need to hike up a steep path to get here. However, it is worth the effort for the views. Inside the cave, there are two different chambers.

Their height is around 30 meters. The inner one is known for having a number of stone formations. People say it looks like sentries lining up.

Hang Sung Sot Cave in Halong Bay Vietnam

There is a stone in the center of the cave, which looks like a general talking to his soldiers. With the perfect light and good positioning, when the light streams across the water, it makes the formations come to life.

Visit The Ho Chi Minh Monument

Ho Chi Minh Monument is a monument to Ho Chi Minh as the founding father of modern Vietnam. When you go around Vietnam, you will see that every town in the country has a statue of this formidable leader.

As well as seeing the statue, because it is located on a hillside which is known as mountain number, you can take a walk and check out the views from the hill.

Relax On Monkey Island

Also known as Cat Dua in Vietnamese, Monkey Island is a site if you are looking to take a boat trip in Halong Bay. There is a private beach where you can spend time topping up your tan on the white sand.

You can also go swimming and snorkeling. If you want to try bold things, try kayaking or hiking across the island.

USEFUL TRAVEL RESOURCES

Book Accommodation

Booking.com has a large range of properties from hotels, hostels, guesthouses, and resorts where you will find the best deals. Airbnb and Hostelworld also have a good range of places to stay at good prices.

Booking Flight

Skyscanner is a flight search comparison website that searches millions of flights all at once. Ultimately it is the best flight comparison website online at the moment.

Booking Transportation & Things To Do

Rome2rio and 12Go are useful to plan how to get anywhere by searching train, bus, car, and ferry routes. Especially useful in countries like Vietnam or Thailand. While Klook is great for exploring things to do in each place.

Travel Insurance

Travel insurance is cheap and more than likely you will never need to use it but you will have peace of mind if something does happen, you are covered in case of an emergency. World Nomads have great customer service and competitive prices.

Check out our resource page for the best companies to use when you travel.

Wrapping Up

Finally, you can swim in Halong Bay. Halong Bay has thousands of islands and islets that are home to beaches that offer plenty of opportunities to go swimming. In Halong Bay, the water is generally calm, clean, and green. There can be rubbish around Halong Bay, particularly near the floating villages.

And that’s it for now! I’d love to know if this guide on whether you can swim in Halong Bay has helped you. Let me know if you have any questions and let me know if there is more to add.