Lan Ha Bay among most beautiful places to visit: U.S. travel site

Lan Ha Bay, around 30 km from downtown Hai Phong City in northern Vietnam, has been listed among the most beautiful places to visit in Southeast Asia by U.S. travel site Thrillist.

"The floating village of Cat Ba Island, which contains around 200 homes, dates back thousands of years. The bay itself is home to several hundred islands, of which Cat Ba is the largest (you can rent a boat to explore, or spend the day swimming)," says Kastalia Medrano, Thrillist's travel writer.

"There are well over 100 hotels in the immediate vicinity, so you can take your time if you (understandably) want to stay in the area a while."

Other places in the region recommended by Medrano are: the Kelimutu National Park (Indonesia); Kampong Ayer (Brunei); Kuang Si Falls (Laos); Tun Sakaran Marine Park (Borneo, Malaysia); Banaue Rice Terraces (Philippines); Atauro Island (Timor-Leste); Gardens by the Bay (Singapore); Angkor Wat (Cambodia); Bagan (Myanmar); and Chiang Mai (Thailand).

Lan Ha Bay, adjacent to Ha Long Bay, is shaped like an arc adorned by 400 different large and small islands and 139 fine white sand beaches at the foot of mountains.

It was singled out for its beauty by the Association of the Most Beautiful Bays in the World in 2020.

The same year, Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio, praised the natural beauty of Lan Ha Bay’s fishing village and called for it to be protected from tourism impacts.

On his Instagram page, the actor wrote: “This traditional fishing village in Lan Ha Bay, floats atop emerald waters among lush limestone karst formations. Villagers depend on the sea for survival and make a living from fishing, aquaculture, and tourism.”

DiCaprio warned that their unique way of life was being threatened by wastewater, plastic pollution, unsustainable tourist activities and climate change.