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It would really be a pity
if you go to Halong city without paying a visit to
Bai
Tho mountain. In Ha Long Bay, people often think about
Halong Bay ??? one of the world???s natural wonders full of
white sand beach and delicious seafood, travelers can
kayak, travel by bamboo boats or cruise ships to explore
the beauty of the
islands, caves and unspoiled
beaches,
yet to have a panoramic view of this world heritage
site, one should not miss Bai Tho Mountain (Poem
Mountain)
Bai Tho Mountain is a hill. The path leading to the only
200-metre-high mount is located in Hang Noi Street of Ha
Long City. The trek, which may take half an hour, is
pretty easy.
On reaching the top, the scenic view of Ha Long City and
the bay are breathtaking. One sees small islands dotting
the bay. Rocks come in a range of shapes and sizes, some
looking like dragons descending to the bay. A resident
told me that it is from here that one understands why
this bay was named Ha Long (Descending Dragon).
"There are not many places where we can take such a good
panoramic view of the whole of
Ha Long city like this.
This is one of the beautiful and attractive scenes, the
destination for those who prefer a little bit adventure
and exploring the Halong city by the bay from a very
different vision, to admire the fullest immense
majestic
beauty of Halong Bay"
The ideal time to climb the mountain is early morning or
late afternoon, 4.30am or 4pm. Ha Long City is at its
best in the dawn or twilight that color the city. While
Bai Tho Mountain attracts travelers for its scenic view,
its name also reveals interesting stories.
Bai Tho (Poem) Mountain was once named Roi Den
(Illuminating) or Truyen Dang (Light Transmitting
Mountain). It is said that in old times, when the guards
on the mountain saw enemies nearing, they would burn a
torch to signal the royal palace - hence the name Truyen
Dang.
In 1468, when King Le Thanh Tong led a patrol in the
northeastern region, they stopped at the foot of the
mountain to have a rest and discuss literature and
poems. Moved by the poetic scenery, the king carved a
poem in a mountain rock to praise the beauty of this
area.
The carving is now faded, yet it was fortunate that the
poem was recorded in old books and subsequently gave the
mountain the current name, "Poem Mountain".
To get there, one catches a bus to the crossroad of Cao
Xanh and Loong Toong streets near Bai Chay Bridge and
takes a taxi or motorbike taxi to the foot of Bai Tho
Mountain
The path leading up starts at 104A Le Thanh Tong Street
and is open from 5.30am to 7pm. One can also trek to the
top by a path on Long Tien Street, near Long Tien
Pagoda.
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