• Login
  • Cart Cart
  • English
    • Nederlands
  • Follow Us:
  • Facebook
  • Google Plus
  • :
    Guests
  • Subtotal
  • ( spots)
    ()

    Down payment: x

    Minimum down payment:
  • Activity Subtotal
  • Total Down Payment
  • Amount to pay now
    Apply
Shop Items

Go to Checkout >

  • Booking Fee
  • Package Discount
  • Voucher ""
  • Apply
  • Total amount
  • Down payment due now
  • Total Refunds
  • Paid amount
Included :

Checkout >

Login
Forgot your password? | Request Tickets

--- or ---

Facebook login
  • ⌂
  • Customized Tours
  • Tours
    • Bus & transport options
    • Easy Riders Tours ★ New ★
    • Sapa Homestays & Trekkings ✔
    • Our Premium Cruise Selections
    • Halong Bay Cruise options
      • Budget Cruises
      • Mid-Range Cruises
      • Luxury Cruises
      • Private Charter
      • Day Cruises
      • 2 & 3 Days Cruise options
      • Only for Young travellers ☯
    • Lan Ha Bay Cruises options
    • Cat Ba Island Tours options
      • Cat Ba Island Cruises ★ New ★
    • Bai Tu Long Bay Cruise options
    • Real Hanoi Street Food Experience
    • Real Hanoi Bicycle Experience
    • Hanoi Day Tours
      • Hanoi Walkie Talkie Tour
      • Hoa Lu-Tam Coc-Ninh Binh
      • Halong Bay Day Cruise
      • Real Free Hanoi City Tour Experience
      • Private Day Tours
      • Hanoi Cooking Class ★ New ★
      • Craft Day Tours
    • North Vietnam Tours & more...
      • Ba Be Lake & Ban Gioc Tours
      • Ha Giang Tours
      • Mai Chau Tours
      • Ninh Binh Tours
    • Central Vietnam Tours & more...
      • Phong Nha-Ke Bang Tours
      • Hue Tours
      • Hoi An Tours
    • South Vietnam Tours & more...
      • Classic Vespa Scooter Tours
      • Ho Chi Minh Tours
      • Mekong Delta Tours
    • Search Trips & Itineraries
    • Airport Pickup & Drop off Service
  • Vietnam Packages
    • Real VietnamExperience Package
    • Family & Kids Holidays
    • Complete Holiday Packages
    • Design & Puzzle your own Tour ✔
  • More Info
    • About Us
      • Contact Us
      • Why Travel with us
      • Recruitment
      • Free traineeship
      • Marketing and Communicatie stagiaires
      • International Tour Operator
      • Our Team
    • Overview
      • Fact File
      • Where to go in Vietnam
      • Getting there
      • Accommodation
      • Food & Drink
      • Health
      • About Money
      • The Media
      • Crime & Personal Safety
      • National holidays & festivals
      • Sports & outdoor activities
      • Shopping
      • Travel Essentials
    • Settle payment or deposit?
    • Best time to Visit Vietnam
    • Vietnam Travel Handbook
    • TripAdvisor Reviews
    • Terms & Conditions
    • Visa Requirements
      • Visa Application Form
      • FAQ Visa Vietnam
      • Visa Terms and Conditions
      • VOA Payment Link
    • Photo Gallery
      • Halong Bay Cruises Photo Gallery
    • Travel Insurance
    • Recipes
  • Vietnam
    • Destinations in Vietnam
      • Dien Bien Phu
      • Mai Chau
      • Son La
      • Moc Chau
      • Pu Luong
      • Sa Pa
      • Bac Ha
      • Fan Si Pan
      • Ta Van
      • Ba Be National Park
      • Cao Bang
      • Ha Giang
      • Dong Khe Pass
      • Lang Son
      • That Khe
      • Hai Phong
      • Ha Long Bay
      • Cat Ba Island
      • Ninh Binh
      • Hoa Lu
      • Tam Coc
      • Cuc Phuong National Park
      • Phong Nha
      • Song Doong
      • Tu Lan Cave
      • Hang En
      • Dong Hoi
      • Son Doong
      • Vinh
      • The Southern Central Highlands
      • The Northern Central Highlands
      • Kon Tum
      • Buon Ma Thuot
      • Da Lat
      • Lak Lake
      • The Con Dao Archipelago
      • Vung Tau
      • The Ba Ria Coast
      • The Southern Binh Thuan Coast
      • Phan Rang And Thap Cham
      • The Coast North Of Nha Trang
      • Quy Nhon
      • Quang Ngai
      • Nha Trang
      • Pleiku
      • Mui Ne
      • Ca Na
      • Around Hoi An
      • Hoi An To Da Nang
      • Around Hué
      • Son My
      • Demilitarized Zone DMZ
      • Hoi An
      • My Son
      • Da Nang
      • Hué
      • Mekong Delta
      • Can Tho
      • My Tho
      • Around My Tho
      • Bac Lieu
      • Ca Mau
      • Long Xuyen
      • Chau Doc
      • Ha Tien
      • Cai Be
      • Hon Chong Peninsula
      • Rach Gia
      • Phu Quoc Island
      • Soc Trang
      • Vinh Long
      • Sa Dec
      • Tra Vinh
      • Cao Lanh and around
      • Ben Tre Province
      • Dong Khoi
      • Along the waterfront
      • Around Nguyen Hué
      • Le Duan Boulevard
      • Cho Lon
      • North of Cho Lon
      • Around Ho Chi Minh City
    • Travel Styles
      • What’s a 'Local Living' Tour?
      • What’s a 'Private Groups'?
      • What’s a 'Family' Tour?
      • What's a 'Comfort' Tour?
      • What's a 'Classic' Tour?
      • What’s a 'Active' Tour?
      • What’s a 'Yolo' Tour?
    • Inspiration
      • Things not to miss
      • Itineraries
      • Image Gallery
    • Hanoi and Around
      • Hoan Kiem District
      • The Old Quarter
      • The French Quarter
      • Ba Dinh District
      • West Lake
      • Around Hanoi
      • When to visit
      • Traditional Entertainment
      • Hanoi’s Unusual Eats
      • Street Food
      • Rice Wine
    • The Far North
      • The Northwest
      • The Northeast
      • The Southeast
    • The Northern Coast
    • The Central Highlands
    • The Central Coast
    • The Southern Coast
    • Ho Chi Minh City and Around
      • Ho Chi Minh City
      • The Mekong Delta
      • Phu Quoc Island
Cancel Save
*required fields

THE FAR NORTH || THE NORTHERN COAST || CAT BA ISLAND

Dragon-back mountain ranges mass on the horizon 20km out of Hai Phong as you approach Cat Ba Island. The island, the largest member of an archipelago sitting on the west of Ha Long Bay, boasts only one settlement of any size – Cat Ba Town, a fishing village now redefining itself as a tourist centre. The rest of the island is largely unspoilt and mostly inaccessible, with just a handful of paved roads across a landscape of enclosed valleys and shaggily forested limestone peaks, occasionally descending to lush coastal plains. In 1986 almost half the island and its adjacent waters were declared a national park in an effort to protect its diverse ecosystems, which range from offshore coral reefs and coastal mangrove swamps to tropical evergreen forest. Its value was further recognized in 2004, when the Cat Ba Archipelago was approved as an UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. However, change is coming – at the time of writing, a huge resort was under construction outside Cat Ba Town, and may be the first of many.

Brief history

Archeological evidence shows that humans inhabited Cat Ba’s many limestone caves at least six thousand years ago. Centuries later these same caves provided the perfect wartime hideaway – the military presence on Cat Ba has always been strong, for obvious strategic reasons. When trouble with China flared up in 1979, hundreds of ethnic Chinese islanders felt compelled to flee and the exodus continued into the next decade as “boat people” sailed off in search of a better life, depleting the island’s population to fewer than fifteen thousand. Now that prosperity has come in the form of tourism, the population is growing rapidly.

Cat Ba Town

Rugged, craggy and jungle-clad Cat Ba, the largest island in Halong Bay, is emerging as Vietnam’s adventure sport and ecotourism hub. There’s an energetic roll-call of activities, including sailing, bird-watching, cycling, hiking and rock climbing.

Except for a few fertile pockets, Cat Ba’s terrain is too rocky for serious agriculture. Most residents earn their living from the sea, while others work in tourism.

In recent years, Cat Ba Town has experienced a hotel boom, and a chain of ugly concrete hotels now frames a once-lovely bay. But the rest of the island is largely untouched, and with idyllic Lan Ha Bay just offshore you’ll soon overlook Cat Ba Town’s overdevelopment.

Most of the year Cat Ba Town is a laid-back place, and an excellent base for activities around the island, or sailing and kayaking around Lan Ha Bay. On summer weekends Cat Ba turns into a roaring resort, filling up with vacationing Vietnamese. Hotel prices double or treble and there’s an excess of karaoke joints and hubbub. Cars are banned from the promenade, which is taken over by a sea of strolling holidaymakers. Weekdays are saner, but still busy between June and August.

Ho Chi Minh paid a visit to Cat Ba Island on April 1 1951 and there is an annual festival to commemorate the event. During this time, expect lots of waterfront karaoke and techno beats from 8am to midnight.

Almost half of Cat Ba Island (with a total area of 354 sq km) and 90 sq km of the adjacent waters were declared a national park in 1986 to protect the island’s diverse ecosystems: subtropical evergreen forests on the hills, freshwater swamp forests at the base of the hills, coastal mangrove forests, small freshwater lakes and coral reefs. Most of the coastline consists of rocky cliffs, but there are some sandy beaches and tiny fishing villages hidden away in small coves.

Lakes, waterfalls and grottoes dot the spectacular limestone hills, the highest rising 331m above sea level. The island’s largest body of water is Ech Lake, (3 hectares). Almost all of the surface streams are seasonal. Most of the island’s rainwater flows into caves and follows underground streams to the sea, creating a shortage of fresh water during the dry season.

Lan Ha Bay, encompassing the southern seas off Cat Ba, is dotted with hundreds of jungle-topped limestone islands with many deserted beaches.

Cat Ba’s best weather is from late September to November, when air and water temperatures are mild and the skies are mostly clear. December to February is cooler but pleasant. From February to April is still good, but you can expect some rain. Summer (June to August) is hot and humid with occasional thunderstorms. This is also peak season and the island is packed with Vietnamese tourists.

The rest of the island

One of Cat Ba’s main draws is its rugged unspoilt scenery. A recommended outing is to rent a motorbike or a car for the day and explore the island’s few paved roads and its isolated beaches.

Quan Y Cave

The main cross-island road climbs sharply out of Cat Ba Town, giving views over distant islands and glimpses of secluded coves, and then follows a series of high valleys. After 8km look out on the right for the distinctive Quan Y Cave, a gaping mouth embellished with concrete, not far from the road. During the American War the cave became an army hospital big enough to treat 150 patients at a time.

Cat Ba National Park

Taking up much of the island is Cat Ba National Park, established in 1986 and little changed in decades. Its most famous inhabitant is a sub-species of the critically endangered golden-headed langur, a monkey found only on Cat Ba and now probably numbering fewer than sixty individuals. Considerably more visible will be the rich diversity of plant species, including some 350 of medicinal value, as well as birds, snakes and plenty of mosquitoes.

One of the most rewarding ways to explore the area is by boat from Cat Ba Town, passing through the labyrinth of Lan Ha Bay, a miniature version of neighbouring Ha Long Bay but one which receives fewer visitors. There are floating villages and oyster farms in the area, which can be included in tour itineraries. Other options are kayaking, rock-climbing and visits to isolated beaches where the water is noticeably cleaner than elsewhere in the bay. Be warned, though: Cat Ba is by no means undiscovered and during the local summer holidays (June to mid-Aug) hotels and beaches in the area can be swamped.

How to get there?

More information will be update soon,
if you would like to receive more information about Transportation to Cat Ba Island or ready to go tours please send us an email.


 

Find an Activity / Explore Our Activities
Searching ...
All Destinations in Vietnam

The Far North | The Northwest

  Dien Bien Phu
  Mai Chau
  Son La 
  Moc Chau
  Pu Luong
  Sa Pa
  Bac Ha
  Fan Si Pan
  Ta Van

The Far North | The Northeast 

   Cao Bang 
   Ba Be National Park
   Ha Giang

The Far North |  The Southeast  

   Dong Khe Pass  
   That Khe
   Lang Son      

The Far North |  The Northern Coast  

   Hai Phong
  Cat Ba Island  
   Ha Long Bay
   Ninh Binh
   Hoa Lu   
   Tam Coc
   Cuc Phuong National Park
   Phong Nha    
   Dong Hoi 
   Son Doong
   Vinh

The Central Highlands

   Southern Central Highlands 
   Northern Central Highlands     
   Kon Tum
   Pleiku 
   Buon Ma Thuot    
   Da Lat
   Lak Lake   

The Southern Coast

   The Con Dao Archipelago    
   Vung Tau
   The Ba Ria Coast
   Southern Binh Thuan Coast  
   Phan Rang & Thap Cham    
   Coast North Of Nha Trang     
   Quy Nhon   
   Quang Ngai     
   Nha Trang
   Mui Ne 

The Central Coast

   Around Hoi An
   Hoi An To Da Nang   
   Around Hué  
   De militarized Zone DMZ     
   Hué
   Da Nang   
   My Son    
   Hoi An
   Son My   

The Mekong Delta

   Mekong Delta    
   My Tho   
   Around My Tho 
   Ben Tre Province
   Cao Lanh and around  
   Vinh Long
   Tra Vinh   
   Sa Dec     
   Can Tho
   Soc Trang     
   Bac Lieu
   Ca Mau     
   Long Xuyen    
   Chau Doc     
   Ha Tien   
   Cai Be    
   Hon Chong Peninsula    
   Rach Gia     
   Phu Quoc Island    

Phu Quoc Island

 

Ho Chi Minh City and Around

   Dong Khoi     
   Along the waterfront  
   Around Nguyen Hué 
   Le Duan Boulevard 
   Cho Lon   
   North of Cho Lon  
   Around Ho Chi Minh City 

 

⌂
Customized Tours
Tours
  • Bus & transport options
  • Easy Riders Tours ★ New ★
  • Sapa Homestays & Trekkings ✔
  • Our Premium Cruise Selections
  • Halong Bay Cruise options
  • Lan Ha Bay Cruises options
  • Cat Ba Island Tours options
  • Bai Tu Long Bay Cruise options
  • Real Hanoi Street Food Experience
  • Real Hanoi Bicycle Experience
  • Hanoi Day Tours
  • North Vietnam Tours & more...
  • Central Vietnam Tours & more...
  • South Vietnam Tours & more...
  • Search Trips & Itineraries
  • Airport Pickup & Drop off Service
Vietnam Packages
  • Real VietnamExperience Package
  • Family & Kids Holidays
  • Complete Holiday Packages
  • Design & Puzzle your own Tour ✔
More Info
  • About Us
  • Overview
  • Settle payment or deposit?
  • Best time to Visit Vietnam
  • Vietnam Travel Handbook
  • TripAdvisor Reviews
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Visa Requirements
  • Photo Gallery
  • Travel Insurance
  • Recipes
Vietnam
  • Destinations in Vietnam
  • Travel Styles
  • Inspiration
  • Hanoi and Around
  • The Far North
  • The Northern Coast
  • The Central Highlands
  • The Central Coast
  • The Southern Coast
  • Ho Chi Minh City and Around
© 2019 Friends Travel Vietnam. All rights reserved. Terms of Use. Powered by TrekkSoft, the online booking solution company.

Switch to mobile view