|
|
Sung Sot
Grotto
Situated in
the centre
of the
UNESCO-declared
World
Heritage
area, the
Sửng Sôt or
Surprise
Grotto is on
Bồ Hòn
Island, and
is one of
the finest
and widest
grottoes of
Hạ Long Bay.
Ascending to
the grotto,
the way is
covered by
trees and
foliage, and
consists of
great paved
stone
blocks.
 Inside,
it is
partitioned
into two
chambers;
the first
one being
similar to a
wide theatre
hall. Many
stalactites
hang from
the high
ceiling,
with
numerous
possible
forms and
shapes.
A narrow
passage
leads to the
second
rooms, where
a flow of
light meets
visitors.
The chamber
is so
immense it
could
contain
thousands of
people at
one time.
At the
deepest
point of the
grotto, a
"royal
garden"
appears with
a clear pond
and a
seemingly
fascinating
landscape of
mountains.
Many birds
and plants (benjamin
figs, cycads
and
centenary
banyan
trees) live
here. On
nice days
groups of
monkeys
might arrive
in search of
fruit.
It is
situated in
the central
tourism
centre of
the bay, as
well as Ti
Tốp Beach,
Bô Nâu
Grotto, Mê
Cung Grotto
and Luồn
Grotto.
French named
it "grotte
des
surprises"
(grotto of
surprise)
From
the wharf,
you climb 50
steep stone
stairs to
the mouth of
the grotto,
which lies
25 m above
the sea
level. Going
down some 10
stone
stairs, you
reach the
mouth of a
grotto. The
grotto
covers some
10,000 m2.
Inside the
grotto there
have
thousands of
stalactites
and
stalagmites
along the
500-meter
paved
passage.
Light posts
line the
passage and
serve as
signposts
and
ornaments.
The lighting
system with
elegant
styles adds
more charm
to the
beauty of
the grotto.
Up in the
30-meter
roof of the
grotto, one
can figure
out small,
soft and
even concave
spots, which
look like
patterns in
the ceiling
of a
theater. A
huge piece
of stone
stands up to
the ceiling
by the
grotto’s
mouth. This
evidences
one of the
typical
karst-style
grottoes
with high
scientific
values.
At the side
of the
entrance,
the rock
seems to
form the
shape of a
horse with a
long sword.
Legend has
it, that
after having
defeated the
Ân
aggressors,
Thánh Gióng
(the Saint
Gióng)
helped the
population
to chase
away evil
spirits and
demons.
After this
feat, Saint
Gióng flew
to heaven,
leaving a
stone horse
and sword to
continue to
keep the
demons away.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Halong Bay
Beauty of
Nature |
|
 |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
Halong Bay
Userful
Information |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Ha
Long Bay is located in the
northeastern part of Vietnam and
constitutes part of the western bank
of Bac Bo Gulf, including the sea
area of
Ha Long Bay City and Cam Pha
Town and part of Vân Don island
district. It abuts Cat Ba Island in
the southwest. Toward the west is
the shore with a 120 km-long
coastline. It is located within
106o58’-107o22’ east longitude and
within 20o45’- 20o50’ north
latitude. The site is 1553 sq. km
with 1969 islands of various sizes,
of which 989 have been named.
The islands in
Ha Long Bay are mainly limestone
and schist islands most lying in the
two main areas: the southeastern
part of Bái Tu Long Bay and
southwestern part of
Ha Long Bay . These islands
represent the most ancient images of
a geographical site having a
tectonic age of from 250 million to
280 million years. They are the
result of many times of rising and
lowering processes of the continent
to form a karst. The process of
nearly full erosion and weathering
of the karst created the unique
Ha Long Bay in the world. In a
not very large area, thousands of
islands with different forms look
like glittering emeralds attached to
the blue scarf of a virgin. The area
where many stone islands concentrate
has spectacular scenes and
world-famous caves and is the center
of
Ha Long Bay Natural Heritage,
including HaLong Bay and a part of
Bái Tu Long Bay.
The area is recognized as the World
Natural Heritage that is the area of
434 sq. km with 775 islands. It
looks like a giant triangle with Ðầu
Go Island (in the west), Ba Hom Lake
(in the south) and Cong Tây Island
(in the east) as its three angle
points. The nearby area is the
buffer area and areas classified as
national beauty spots in 1962 by the
Ministry of Culture and Information.
 Viewed
from above,
Ha Long Bay looks like an
extremely vivid huge drawing. This
is a wonderful and skilful
masterpiece of the Creation and of
nature that turns thousands of dumb
soulless stone islands into
fantastic sculptural and artistic
works of various graceful shapes,
both familiar and strange to human
beings. Thousands of islands
emerging uneven in the fanciful
waves look strong and magnificent
but also mild and vivid. Amidst
these islands we feel as if we were
astray in a petrified legendary
world. There are many names given to
islands according to their shapes
and forms. This one looks like
somebody heading toward the shore:
Hòn Ðuu Nguoi (Human Head Island);
that one looks like a dragon
hovering above the sea surface: Hòn
Rông (Dragon Island); another looks
like an old man sitting fishing: Hòn
Lã Vong; some look like big sails
struggling amidst the wind to set
off for the sea: Hòn Cánh Buom (Sail
Island); then two islands look like
a pair of chicken lovingly playing
with each other above the sea: Hòn
Trong Mái (Male and Female Chicken
Island); and amid the vast sea
stands an island like a big incense
burner like a ritual offering to
Heaven: Hòn Lo Huong (Incense Burner
Island). All are so real that people
are taken aback by them. Those stone
islands have experienced
unpredictable changes over time and
they take different shapes from
different angles of view. Here, we
come to realize that they are not
dumb inanimate things but are vivid
and soulful.
Inside the stone islands are various
breath-taking caves, such as Thiên
Cung, Ðau Go, Sung Sot, Trinh Nu,
Tam Cung and others. These are
really magnificent palaces of the
Creation on earth. Long ago,
Ha Long Bay has been called by
the great national poet Nguyễn Trãi:
“a wonder of the earth erected
towards the high sky”. Many men of
letters from all over the world have
been taken aback at the grandiose
scenery of Hạ Long. They seem to get
puzzled and incompetent as their
treasure of vocabulary is not rich
enough to depict the splendor of
this place.
 Ha
Long Bay is also attached to
glorious pages of Vietnamese
history, with famous sites such as
Vân Ðồn, a bustling trade port in
the 12th century, charming Bài Thơ
Mountain, and not very far away from
here is the Bạch Đằng River which
witnessed two famous naval battles
of the Viêt’s ancestors against
invaders. Also, Hạ Long is one of
the cradles of human kind with the
glorious Hạ Long culture in the late
Neolithic age, discovered at such
archeological sites as Ðộng Mang,
Xích Thổ, Soi Nhụ and Thoi Giếng.
Ha Long Bay is also home to
great biodiversity with typical
eco-systems like mangrove forest,
coral and tropical forest. It is
also home to thousands of plants and
animals of numerous species, for
example shrimp, fish and squid. Some
species are particularly rare and
can be found no where else.
With such special values, at the
18th Session of UNESCO’s Council of
World Heritage held on 17 December
1994 in Thailand, Hạ Long Bay was
officially placed on the list of the
World Natural Heritage. In 2000,
UNESCO recognized it as the World
Heritage for the second time for its
geographical and geomorphologic
values. This confirms the global
premier value of
Ha Long Bay .
|
