UNESCO heritage site Ha Long Bay featured in Hollywood movie

Limestone karst mountains in world heritage site Ha Long Bay has appeared in a trailer for the upcoming Hollywood blockbuster ‘The Creator,’ affirming the prestige of Vietnam’s tourism on global map.

During the official trailer for the American science-fiction action thriller film directed by Gareth Edwards, Vietnamese fans were surprised to see the thrilling scenes of Ha Long Bay with its towering karst mountains and crystal blue water.

Gareth Edwards said the crew came to Vietnam to film limestone cliffs in Ha Long Bay.

The film crew traveled 16,000 km to visit 80 different destinations, including Asian countries such as Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Nepal, Japan, and Indonesia.

Gareth said he used to visit Ha Long Bay and was impressed by its majestic beauty and that’s why he chose it as the setting for “The Creator.”

The Creator stars John David Washington, Gemma Chan, Ken Watanabe, Sturgill Simpson, Allison Janney, and Vietnamese actress Ngo Thanh Van, with the film being set in a dystopian world in which the human race is at war against artificial intelligence.

The movie is scheduled to premiere on September 26 and be released in cinemas on September 29.

Ha Long also appeared in many international films such as French-Indochina film (Indochine) directed by Resgis Wargnier in 1992; Pan and Neverland directed by Joe Wright in 2015 and Hollywood blockbuster "Kong: Skull Island" directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts in 2017.

Around two hours to the east of Hanoi, Ha Long Bay is famous for its cruise tours through the thousands of vegetation-covered islets and towering limestone karst mountains.

Located in the Gulf of Tonkin, Ha Long includes some 1,600 islands and islets, forming a spectacular seascape of limestone pillars.

Ha Long Bay was named by UNESCO as a world heritage site twice in 1994 and 2000. Since its recognition as a natural world heritage, it has received heap praise from international media.

Last February, American magazine Travel+Leisure named Ha Long Bay one of Asia's most stunning places to watch sunrise and sunset. The editors of American magazine Condé Nast Traveler then selected Ha Long Bay among world's 40 most colorful places "to brighten up winter days."

The ideal time to visit Ha Long Bay is March-April and September-November. In addition to cruise tours, seaplane tours that enable tourists to admire the world heritage site at the height of over 300 meters are also available. Each tour lasts 25 minutes and costs VND1.6 million ($68) for Vietnamese and VND2 million ($85) for foreigners.