Typhoon Narra Shuts Ha Long Bay as Storm Stalls Over Gulf of Tonkin

Typhoon Narra stalled over the Gulf of Tonkin this week, forcing the suspension of all cruise and tourism services at Ha Long Bay, Lan Ha Bay, and Trang An starting August 22.

Quang Ninh provincial authorities ordered vessels to port as the storm brought sustained heavy rain and strong winds to the region. Tourist boats moved to designated shelters, and authorities recorded 38 landslides across the province. More than 400 residents were evacuated from exposed low-lying areas.

The storm's slow movement extended the disruption well beyond what a faster-moving system would cause. With the typhoon still stalled on August 24, operators had no clear timeline for resuming services. Ha Long Bay receives millions of visitors annually and is one of Vietnam's busiest maritime tourism corridors.

Vietnam's meteorological agencies were tracking Narra through the weekend as the system held position over the Gulf, keeping the bay closed to cruise traffic and cutting vessel movement across the area.