Ha Long Bay, a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site, is known not only for its limestone islands and magical caves, but also for a precious treasure nurtured by the sea — pearls.
Ha Long Bay is blessed with an ideal environment for pearl cultivation, featuring sheltered waters, gentle currents, deep waters and abundant plankton. Pearls cultivated there are of high quality, and combined with the skill and patience of local artisans, they have become precious souvenirs from the sea.
More than 30 years ago, pearl cultivation and implantation in Ha Long was developed based on Japan’s pearl farming technology, pioneered by scientist Kokichi Mikimoto, who revolutionised the pearl industry. Ha Long Pearl Joint Stock Company was the first local enterprise to master the entire closed-loop process, from breeding and raising pearl oysters to pearl implantation and jewellery making.
Building on this foundation through research and development, the company successfully established an artificial breeding process and developed hybrids of valuable pearl oyster species, including Martensi, Maxima, Pinctada fucata martensi (Akoya), Tahiti and South Sea oysters. These varieties adapt well to Ha Long’s environment, allowing pearls to develop their nacre coating quickly while retaining natural colours.
If Ha Long’s waters are where the pearls are nurtured, artisans are the ones who continue to bring out their beauty. From a natural product formed within the sea, pearls are transformed by human hands into exquisite jewellery, carrying with them the story of the heritage region where they originate.
With pearl farms on Ha Long Bay combined with hands-on visitor experiences, Ha Long pearls have become a distinctive tourism product, allowing visitors not only to shop but also to experience the different stages involved in creating a precious pearl. In response to the growing demand for Ha Long tourism, Ha Long Pearl Joint Stock Company began turning its farms into attractive destinations in 2010.
At the Ha Long Pearl Farm Centre on Bo Hon Island and Pearl Farm 2 in Vung Vieng, visitors can learn about the history and processes of pearl cultivation, implantation and jewellery making. They can also try opening an oyster to retrieve a pearl, select a raw pearl and ask artisans to create a piece of jewellery according to their preferences. Other products available include cosmetics made from natural pearl powder and distinctive mother-of-pearl inlaid handicrafts.
Ha Long pearls are not merely luxury gifts, but also distinctive keepsakes that encourage visitors to spend more time exploring the natural and cultural beauty of Ha Long Bay. Each pearl purchased as a piece of jewellery represents a connection between the wonders of nature and human craftsmanship, telling the story of a remarkable journey from the painstaking process of pearl cultivation to the creation of exquisite jewellery inspired by the waters of Ha Long.
By Pham Hoc
