Discover Ha Long Bay during a full-day shore excursion from Ha Long Port.
You'll be picked up at the cruise dockside and start your day with a visit to the vibrant fish market where you can find all kinds of fresh seafood. Outside of the market, walk along the wharf and watch the colorful fishing ships unload their morning catch. Continue visiting Quang Ninh Provincial Museum (closed on Mondays), exhibiting the early cultures of Ha Long, the Ly and Tran Dynasties, the peculiarities of Quang Ninh's ethnic groups, times of wars, the history of the region's coal industry, the revolutionary tradition of working. Over the last 40 years, the museum has found and preserved over 10,000 artifacts.
The next stop is at the largest pagoda at the base of Bai Tho Mountain in Ha Long City. Long Tien Pagoda was built in 1941 as a Buddhist Temple, but it also has altars dedicated to the warriors of the Tran Dynasty and to the Holy Mother of Three Palaces. Afterward, visit the Temple of Tran Quoc Nghien, which is situated at an elevation at the foot of Bai Tho Mountain, in the area of Ben Doan - Hon Gai, Ha Long City, Quang Ninh Province, looking to the sea. The temple is dedicated to Tran Quoc Nghien, one of Tran Hung Dao's sons, a brave and talented general in the resistance against the Yuan-Mongol invaders. The last visit of the day is to Hon Gai Church which is located on a high hilltop overlooking the city of Ha Long. Hon Gai Church was destroyed by the war in 1972 but rebuilt and expanded in 1998.