Top 4 Worth-visiting Floating Villages in Halong Bay

Halong does not only have marvelous and mysterious caves and islands, it also consists of a long-standing culture, which is hidden deep inside every monument, every traditional festival and every generation of people. Among these unique features, the traditional beauty of the floating villages in Halong Bay has left a long-lasting impression on both domestic and international tourists, making those who have had the opportunity to explore the culture remember forever.

In our discovery today, we will explore the top 4 most impressive floating villages in Halong Bay, which are typical for the custom as well as the daily life of the fisherman living in the middle of this world heritage site.

1. Cua Van Fishing Village

Highlights:

Cua Van fishing village is voted as one of the 16 most beautiful villages in the world. The former area of Cua Van village used to be the area of the two antique fishing villages, Giang Vong and Truc Vong. These two villages, together with the surrounding islands, become an important part in the core of Halong Bay heritage. At present, Cua Van fishing village is inhabited by 176 families, with over 750 inhabitants, most of whom live mainly on fishing.

This fishing village is located in a calm sea wave on Halong Bay and surrounded by rocky mountains called Vo Gia – Cua Van. This area is an ideal location for anchoring vessels.

Coming to Cua Van fishing village, you can not only immerse yourself in the tranquil, peaceful and charming space but also gain more experience about the cultural life of the hospitable fishermen. You will be immediately fascinated by the beauty of the blue wooden fishing boats, the brown bamboo coracles parked in front of each house, the rafters tied together bobbing on the waves. Not only that, you will have a chance to communicate with the innocent but hospitable fishermen, the dark-skinned children sailing boats on the sea, the housewives washing clothes on the rafts and so on.

When night falls in Cua Van fishing village, you will have a chance to take a boat tour around the village with the fishermen, experience dragging nets, fishing night squid, enjoying the shimmering scenery of Halong Bay at night. It is most exciting when you catch the fish, shrimps, squids and put them into the baskets then reap the fruit of your labour. On the special occasions of Cua Van village, such as village festivals or weddings, there are art performances on boats, with teaser-singing and traditional operetta (a form of performance with many typical folk songs of Halong Bay).

In addition, a cruise trip to Cua Van fishing village will take you to enjoy more new and unique forms of tourism in the nearby areas, such as visiting Tien Ong cave, to Ba Ham lake area, climbing limestone mountains, fishing on Halong sea with the fishermen. Enjoying the picturesque scenery of Halong Bay and experiencing life as a fisherman are so extremely attractive that you cannot have anywhere else.

Location: Cua Van, Hung Thang Ward, Halong City.

2. Vung Vieng Floating Village

Highlights:

Even though Vung Vieng floating village does not have as much population as Cua Van fishing village, it is still one of the villages that you should pay a visit when coming to Halong Bay. The name Vung Vieng was originally due to the geological features of this area. A long time ago, Vung Vieng used to be on the trading way of Vietnamese and Chinese. When the boats of the merchants went through this village at lunchtime, the sea breeze blew off the lid of the pot. From then on, this place has been democratically called “Vung Venh”, or “Vung Vieng”.

In order to reach Vung Vieng floating village, you will need to go on the small bamboo craft, the main vehicles of the villagers there. On the way to this floating village, you will go through Cao Cave, a famous cross-water cave of Bai Tu Long Bay. This cave is considered as a natural gate of Vung Vieng floating village, which marks a stopover for tourists on Halong bay.

Vung Vieng fishing village turns up in front of your eyes as a small and simple village. There are only about 50 families with 300 people living in this village, one-third of which are children. The image of Vung Vieng floating village is adorned with the crafts appearing vaguely, the fishing boat leaning against mountains, and the water surrounded by the towering limestone islets. The deeper you enter the village, the more open the space is.

Similar to other fishing villages in Halong Bay, Vung Vieng floating village is a main area for growing seafood, which provides the ingredients to the restaurants of Halong bay and other provinces in North Vietnam. Coming to this village, you will have a chance to enjoy the mouth-watering dishes made of the fresh seafood grown in the local water. No one can deny that this is such a  memorable experience when visiting Halong Bay.

Vung Vieng floating village is quite close to the Cua Ong – Hon Gai – Cam Pha coal mines and the old Van Don port trade and Tra Co beach. From this floating village, you can take a visit to Devil Face Island, Seven Wells area, the primeval forests in Tra Ban and Van Don Island, and many other small caves in Halong Bay. Also from Vung Vieng village, it takes you a couple of hours on boat to reach Quan lan Island, which comprises a famous temple for its architecture. Here, many archaeological remains were found proving the golden age of the commercial port of Van Don.

Location:

About 25km from the land, in the northeast of Halong bay

3. Ba Hang Floating Village

Highlights:

The same as Vung Vieng floating village, Ba Hang fishing village does not have a wide area. In this fishing village, there are only about 50 households mainly engaged in fishing. However, recently, due to the development of tourism in floating villages in Halong Bay, many families have also gradually turned to tourism in order to improve the economy of their families.

Visiting Halong Bay in general and Ba Hang fishing village in particular, you will surely be extremely surprised to witness a fishing village with such a simple life. The members of a family in this fishing village live only in houses that are only about 5-10 square meters wide with equipment and tools for very simple living. In contrast with the simple life, you can still catch the optimistic and friendly smiles of Ba Hang fishing villagers when visiting this place.

Ba Hang fishing village is located close to one of the most beautiful caves in the tourist area of ​​Halong – Thien Cung cave. As a small, simple but beautiful fishing village, Ba Hang fishing village has attracted a lot of tourists who come to visit Halong Bay.

Ba Hang fishing village attracts tourists to travel to Halong not only by the peaceful atmosphere here but also by the charming mountain scenery. In this village, you will have a chance to  experience the idyllic life of the fishermen, who have a strong attachment to the fishing boats all year round.

When the night falls, you can join the fishermen of Ba Hang fishing village to go fishing. You will have an enjoyable experience dropping the fishing net then catching the fish by yourself. Besides the exciting fishing experience, you can also participate in boating activities to visit the surrounding bay and islands to explore more about the beauty of Halong Bay.

Location:

At the foot of the high mountains of Dau Go Island, quite close to Thien Cung cave

4. Cong Dam Fishing Village

Highlights:

Cong Dam is an area with many mysterious bays surrounded by volcanic mountains and the most unspoiled beaches on Bai Tu Long Bay.

Since its location far away from the mainland, it still preserves all the primitive beauty as well as the clean water environment.

Coming to Cong Dam fishing village, you will be overwhelmed by the natural beauty that is both majestic and poetic. This is an outdoor geological museum that has been preserved for 340 million years with a prominent stone park.

The reason why this area is called “stacking park” is that there are dozens of rocky islands with a horizontal structure, different from the vertical stones in Thien Cung and Dau Go caves. Each mountain here consists of hundreds of thousands stones stacked directly on top of each other. It seems that the mother of nature used her magic hands to create such a meticulous and incredible natural construction like that!

Although Cong Dam fishing village is a small ancient village with only about 120 inhabitants, it still retains most intact traditional fishing culture. You will have the opportunity to fish with the fishermen, be delighted in chatting and listening to their sharing about the happy and sad memories, the ups and downs in their life or sit on a bamboo boat sailed by a lovely girl rowing you to explore the beautiful small houses or soaring mountains.

Located separatedly from the life on the shore and the usual tourist routes, the landscape in Cong Dam retains the wild appearance and fresh air. The fishing village is a great place for you to explore and admire the coral reefs, underwater caves and lakes in the limestone mountains. In addition, this place also has many natural beaches with crystal-clear water, white sand beaches and a tranquil atmosphere.

Location:

Bai Tu Long Bay, far away from mainland

>> Check Out Our Tour To Discover Secrets of Ha Long Bay and Bai Tu Long Bay!

II. Extra Tips to Visit Floating Villages in Halong Bay

• In order to visit these fishing villages, you can choose a lot of tour packages of tourism companies, which include almost all the activities in these villages.
• There is another option for you, which is a cruise to explore the whole Halong Bay, through many other well-known destinations such as Sung Sot Cave, Trong Mai Islets, Thien Cung Carven and Poem Mountain.
• During the cruise, you will have a short break in a fishing village, which is a wonderful chance for you to contemplate and experience the daily life of fishermen here.
• If you have any questions, you can ask the tour guide or the local fishermen, who are extremely friendly and helpful.
• While going on a boat, don’t forget to wear a life-jacket to ensure your safety. In addition, you should protect the environment of Halong Bay in general and the floating villages in particular.

Fishing villages in Halong Bay is one of the most attractive features in the culture of this world heritage, with the values that are preserved by generations to generations. During the trip to Ha Long, if you want to discover the typical fishing village culture, do not forget to visit the beautiful rendezvous of the bay here such as Cua Van, Vung Vieng, Ba Hang and Cong Dam fishing villages.