Bãi Cháy is a large, beautiful, artificial beach, closed to the coast of Hạ Long Bay.
The 100-meter-wide-sandy beach spans over 500 m. Early in the morning
or in late afternoon, thousands of people liven up the atmosphere here. The
asphalt road winds its way through the white sandy beach and luxuriant
casuarinas. The Hoàng Gia Tourism Company has invested in diverse
services for tourists. The Bãi Cháy tourist site is fast changing into
one of the most captivating of this kind in Hạ Long City. It comprises
restaurants, water puppet and traditional music theatres,water-skiing, and sea motorcycling. The Hoang Gia Park lines along the Hạ Long road leading from the Bai Chay Tourist Wharf to the gate of the Ha Long Night Market.
There
are many legends associated with the name Bai Chay. According to one
legend, when the fleet carrying food for the Yuan-Mongolian invaders
led by Trương Văn Hổ came there, the Vietnamese troops and locals under
the leadership of Tran Khanh Du set fire to it. The whole fleet was
engulfed in fire. Meanwhile, the northeast wind blew hard and further
added fuel to it. Fire was so fierce it burned down the forest in the
western side of Cua Luc. Hence the name Bai Chay. Another
legend has it that the western side of Cua Luc used to be a wharf for
seagoing boats. Acorn-barnacles firmly attached to these boats’ sides
and underneath, and might wreck the boats. The local population had to
use casuarinas leaves to burn acorn-barnacles. From Hon Gai and other
neighboring places, people always see a blaze from there, so they
called it Bai Chay.
