The Best things to do in Lan Ha Bay

Lan Ha Bay features the magnificence of the small and large islands with many interesting shapes in Cat Ba Island. Not being well-known to tourists like Halong Bay, but Lan Ha Bay is also one of the most beautiful bays in Vietnam. This promised to be an attraction for tourists who want to discover beautiful Vietnam.

Lan Ha Bay

I. Some Attractions In Lan Ha Bay

1. Nam Cat Island

Nam Cat Island is an ideal destination for those who adventurous travelers. Nam Cat Island attracts tourists by four surfaces of nature, exotically charming forests and sea surroundings.

The beach’s length is about 500m with white sand and calm water, which is suitable for swimming, kayaking, fishing, and scuba diving safely. In addition, there are 3 large wooden stilt houses and 6 bamboo motels allowing you to immerse yourself with nature here.

You can have an opportunity to enjoy the seafood of Cat Ba and also explore the serene waters with small fishing villages here. Nowadays, tourism in Nam Cat Island is developing, which contribute to preserve and honor the hidden beauty of the island.

Nam Cat Island Resort

2. Monkey Island

Taking a boat from Ben Beo for 10 minutes, you can reach Monkey Island (also called Cat Dua Island in the past). At present, there are more than 30 monkeys here under the range of Cat Ba National Park. Tourists can play with them, feed them with bananas, apples, or candies. The monkeys are very funny to climb and play with those who visiting Monkey Island.

Monkey island

3. Van Boi Beach

Van Boi is one of the great places to relax with white sand and clear water you can see to the bottom. The waves are rather quiet, which is good to dive the coral and swimming. Also, you can relax by bathing on the beach and watching the beauty of the coral. You may feel impressed by this natural landscape and the surrounding cliffs. The beach seems to be escaped from the modern life with noise and bustle.

Van Boi Beach

4. Rua Island (Turtle Island)

Opposite to Van Boi Beach, there is a small island with the shape like the turtle swimming on the water surface. It is like a masterpiece in the “forgotten paradise”.

Rua Island – Cat Ba

5. Cannon Fort

Built from 1942 as a look-out point, Cannon Fort is at a 177-meter high hilltop overlooking Lan Ha Bay. It is an ideal place for trekking up to see the panorama view of Lan Ha Bay. From Cannon Fort, you will have a chance to see the scenic views of the bay in particular, and of Cat Ba Island in general with tiny houses and fishing boats.

Opening time: 8.00 am – 5.00 pm daily

Services in Cannon Fort:

+ Entrance fee: for adults: VND 40,000/person; for children: VND 20,000/person

+ Electric car fee: VND 40,000/person

+ Sightseeing fee by the observatory: VND 5,000/person

Canon Fort

II. Things to do in Lan Ha Bay

1. Kayaking

With hundreds of small sandy beaches and islets, Lan Ha Bay is one of the paradises for kayaking. Those who love kayak will be interested in clean and calm water and the wild nature of Cat Ba Island. Some popular places for kayaking in Lan Ha Bay are Cai Beo Floating Village, Van Boi Beach, or Monkey Island… Discover the wild nature here and have the best experiences in the bay.

Kayaking in Lan Ha Bay

2. Swimming in Lan Ha Bay

When visiting Lan Ha Bay, swimming is one of the best activities that you should not miss. There are a lot of small lovely beaches such as Van Boi Beach and Monkey Island for you to enjoy swimming. Clear and warm water will bring you comfortable feelings in the beautiful bay.

Swimming in Lan Ha Bay

3. Rock climbing in Lan Ha Bay

Touching the limestone by rocky climbing is an interesting experience when visiting Lan Ha Bay and Cat Ba Island. Even you are a beginner or intermediate and advanced climbers, the guides will set up the rope and all protective equipment, and follow you on the routes to ensure that it is safe. You will get the most adventurous experience during your wonderful trip in Vietnam.

Rock climbing in Lan Ha Bay

4. Visiting fishing village and floating market

Located on Cat Ba Island, Viet Hai Fishing Village has about 80 households, which is surrounded by mountains. The villagers mainly live on fishing, farming and breeding. It is developed to become an eco-tourism and cultural tourism for both Vietnamese and foreign tourists coming to visit. Visiting the village, you will have a chance to experience the fishing life in Lan Ha Bay.
Move to Cai Beo Floating Village, near Ben Beo Harbor, it is the oldest and the most remarkable floating village in Lan Ha Bay. The village consists of about 300 floating houses living mainly by fishing and seafood farming. You can get there by a small boat or kayaking. Taking a closer look and experiencing the local life here is very interesting and memorable in your trip to Lan Ha Bay.

Visiting fishing village

5. Playing and staying at a private beach

If you prefer relaxing to discovering the bay, you can choose for yourself one of a few private beaches including bungalows to stay overnight. You can book a tour package on a cruise or just book a room to have much more time for relaxing activities such as sunbathing, playing beach football, playing beach volleyball, swimming, or kayaking.

Van Boi Beach

Cat Ba National – Discover the Untouched Nature

Cat Ba National Park is a favorite place of many local and foreign tourists coming to Vietnam. This park not only leads you to majestically untouched beauty but also offers accommodation and food services in Cat Ba Town.

You will not regret trekking across the landscape when visiting Cat Ba National Park, which brings you to the perfect sceneries of mother nature. You can also enjoy the feeling of conquering one of the peaks of Cat Ba islands, Ngu Lam Peak; or you can go rock climbing and deep water soloing above the emerald waters.

An Overview of Cat Ba National Park

Cat Ba National Park is an archipelago located in the north of the Vietnamese seacoast and administered by the city of Hai Phong. It consists of 367 islands in Lan Ha Bay, which adjoins Ha Long Bay, and the largest island is also named Cat Ba with the area of 100 square kilometers. In total, Cat Ba National Park has 17,040 hectares of land and 9,200 hectares of sea. This park has many different ecosystems: mangrove forests, limestone forests, and coral reef.

There is a diverse fauna and flora system in Cat Ba archipelago with 2,320 fauna and flora species, in which there are 60 especially rare species on the endangered Vietnamese Red List. The Cat Ba langur resident in the park is listed as a critically endangered primate and only resides in Vietnam. Cat Ba National Park is also renowned because of the archeological research that revealed that maybe humans have lived in these islands for more than 6,000 years.

How and When to Visit Cat Ba National Park

How to get to Cat Ba Island?

Hai Phong city to Cat Ba island: You can take a high-speed ship located in Ben Binh Harbor. The price is roughly 200,000 to 250,000 Vietnamese Dong per person and it takes about 45 minutes to travel.

Getting to Cat Ba Island by bus is relatively easy, as there are plenty of Cat Ba tours agencies in Hanoi that offer one-way trips to the island as Cat Ba Express bus, Goodmorning Cat Ba, Daiichi… Priced at US$15 upwards per person, it’s inclusive of hotel pickup in Hanoi by bus to Cat Ba and a speedboat trip to Cat Ba Town.

When to Visit Cat Ba Island?

You can visit Cat Ba Island anytime, but the ideal time is around June and July to hide from the heat of summer.

Pro tips: Local tourists usually come to Cat Ba on weekends and holidays, so you should take your trip on weekdays to avoid crowds, the possibility of running out of accommodations, and increasing price.

Accommodation in Cat Ba Island

Recently, numerous hostels, hotels, and resorts from low to high quality have been built due to the sharp increase in tourism. Here are some recommendations:

Catba Island Resort and Spa

Address: Cat Co 1, Cat Ba Island, District Cat Hai, Hai Phong city

This resort possesses a four-star hotel system built according to Vietnamese and French architecture. It’s a perfect place to enjoy your time in Cat Ba and relax with the spa.

Monkey Island Resort

Address: Monkey Island, Lan Ha Bay, Cat Ba Islands, District Cat Hai, Hai Phong city

This three-star resort is favored by tourists because of its beautiful outside view, tasty food, and friendly employees.

Catba Sandy Beach Resort

Address: Nam Cat Island, Lan Ha Bay, Cat ba Islands, District Cat Hai, Hai Phong city

This resort has many interesting entertainment activities like fishing, traveling on a cruise ship, and water sports.

Hung Long Harbour Hotel

Address: 268, 1 thang 4 Street, Cat Ba Town, District Cat Hai, Hai Phong city

This hotel is near Cat Ba Town center, so it’s easy for you to get around, trying food, and shopping.

Food in Cat Ba Town

With the advantage of having many ecosystems, Cat Ba’s seafood is very diverse and ample. There are some species that only Cat Ba can provide. Below are a few famous indispensable dishes to try when visiting Cat Ba.

Geoduck Clam

Geoduck clam is a rare seafood so its price is quite high and is sold depending on its size. These can be grilled, steamed, prepared with a salad, and eaten with porridge.

Horseshoe crab

Horseshoe crab has a hard outer shell like most other crabs, but it’s flat and is as large as a hand. There are many delicious ways to eat horseshoe crab: soup, salad, noodles, porridge, and fried with lemongrass. Horse crab meat is tough and sweet, and its shell is used to make beautiful souvenirs.

Cuttlefish

In Cat Ba, cuttlefish is also cooked in many ways: boiling, steaming, soaking in boiling vinegar, and fried. The most famous cuttlefish dish in Cat Ba is grilled cuttlefish.

Bun Tom (noodle soup with shrimp)

Bun tom is one of the special dishes of Cat Ba that attracts many tourists. The main ingredient of bun tom is fresh shrimp from the Hai Phong’s sea. Bun tom is a perfect combination of the sweetness of grilled fish, shrimp, and the broth.

In addition, Cat Ba also has many kinds of dishes using seafood. Here are some restaurants to try and discover these unique foods:

Bamboo Café RestaurantAddress: 199, 1 thang 4 Street, Cat Ba Town
Contact: (+84) 0225 3887 552

Vien Duong RestaurantAddress: 12 Nui Ngoc Street, Cat Ba Town
Contact: (+84) 0225 3888 839

Family Bakery
Address: 196, 1 thang 4 Street, Cat Ba Town

Pro tip: You can also visit Cat Ba Market (on 1 thang 4 Street) to find food stalls that serve cheap seafood!

Recommended Trekking Route: Ao Ech – Viet Hai

This route is around eight kilometers long across the lush forest of Cat Ba National Park.

The first section, lasting 100 meters, is the most difficult section because you have to navigate high rising stones. Along the trail stands a lot of big trees. Don’t let the fatigue distract you from enjoying the beauty of the forest. After trekking uphill, you will see a large mass of water stretching out before your eyes under the trees: you are at Ao Ech (literally means frog pond).

Ao Ech is the only flooded forest highland in northern Vietnam. Ao Ech has an area of 3.2 hectares and is 80 meters above the sea level. The water in the pond is so clear that you can see to the bottom! As its name suggests, you can also hear the buzzing sound of frogs.

The next section of trail will be around the limestone mountains cliffs. This is the limestone forest, and you will see many vines interwoven along the ground. After eight kilometers across Cat Ba National Park, you will reach Viet Hai fishing village. Mountains surround this village on all sides and to reach it you can only travel across the sea or go across Cat Ba National Part forest via the trekking route.

When your journey ends, you can take the boats to return to your accommodation to relax and be ready for the next journey.

You will start at Cat Ba National Park main gate and have to provide your personal information (name, ID, passport, and phone number).

Address: Xuyen dao Cat Ba Street, Ward Tran Chau, District Cat Hai

Discover Kim Giao Forest and Ngu Lam Peak

It will take you about 15 to 20 minutes to walk from Cat Ba National Park to Kim Giao forest. The first 500 meters from the garden to the foot of the mountain is quite flat and easy to navigate. Observe the botanical garden with more than 1,500 species in Cat Ba National Park.

From the bottom of the mountain, you start to climb 500 meters along sections of rugged limestone stairs. Exploring Kim Giao may take three to four hours to walk only three kilometers. You will rest in the shade of green foliage, listen to the sound of the wind and the summer choir of cicadas, enjoy listening to the guides detailing the origin of the name Kim Giao: the love story of a boy, Kim and a girl, Giao.

After that, you will continue trekking to conquer Ngu Lam Peak with the height of 210 meters above sea level. The higher you climb, the more difficult the road is, with narrow and slippery paths just enough for one person to walk through. After nearly two hours of climbing, you can reach Ngu Lam Peak. Now, you can take an expansive picture of Cat Ba National Park from above and immerse in majestic nature.

Kim Giao Forest with the untouched beauty and various kinds of flora and fauna will bring you to a peaceful atmosphere with interesting experiences for those who loves adventures.

The route also starts at Ca Ba National Part main gate. The address is above.

Challenge Yourself with Deep Water Soloing

This is an extreme sport executed on the side of dangerous cliffs over the sea, you can fall back into the water if your hand or foot slips. Cat Ba Islands are considered the heaven of deep water soloing because it’s not too hard to climb the cliffs with bare hands and the sea is deep enough to be safe. This is a sport of strength and nimbleness, just a second of inattentiveness will cause you to fall right away. You have to be clever to coordinate your hands and legs, and most importantly your mind!

For beginners, the common height is 10 meters above the sea level, but it’s 30 meters for professionals. While climbing requires calculations, cleverness, and strength, falling to the sea brings a feeling of freedom and comfort: a new experience of free fall from the height of dozens of meters.

For many people, deep water soloing is a sport that helps them find their limits and try to break their own mental and physical barriers. It’s not only an extreme sport, it’s a challenge to your psyche.

You can experience deep water soloing with Mr. Zoom Company:

Mr. Zoom Backpacker Hostel
Address: 25 Nui Ngoc Street, Cat Ba Town
Contact: (+84) 0225 36 96 230

Cat Ba National Park is really for those travelers who admire the full beauty of the wild mountains and forests. You can immerse yourself in the amazing scenery of nature which is hard to find in any place on the planet.

How To Get To Cat Ba Island

How To Get To Cat Ba Island Vietnam

There are many ways to get to Cat Ba Island.  All the routes suffer seasonal (and sometimes random) changes in departure times so we keep this page updated.

The easiest, cheapest and most reliable route to Cat Ba Island is the public bus from Hanoi City but it is also relatively easy to arrive from Haiphong or Halong City

It is very easy to get to Cat Ba Eco-Lodge from Cat Ba town, or anywhere on the island. 

We have two free daily shuttles that go to Cat Ba town and return to the lodge.

If you are using the shuttles to arrive at the lodge, please call or email us 1 day in advance to confirm your spot.

How to get to Cat Ba From Hanoi

Bus Cat Ba Express from Hanoi (recommended)

More infomation Bus from Hanoi to Cat Ba Island and Bus Cat ba to Hanoi

• Departure: Daily guarantee
• Time from Hanoi : 07:30 , 10h30, 13:30 From Hanoi to Cat ba ,
• Time from Cat ba : 9h00, 12h30 , 16h00 From Cat ba to Hanoi
• Duration: 3,0 –  3,5 hours
• Cost:   28 USD/person/round trip

Hotline/ Whatsapp: +84 84 824 4999
Email: info@catbaexpress.com

Bus Hanoi to Cat Ba Island

Private van – hydrofoil package (recommended if travel with children)

This route from Hanoi to Cat Ba Island is more scenic, more comfortable, faster and it avoids the need to find the bus station since the van will pick you up at your hotel.

Hotel Pick Up

Departure times:   6:30 AM;   7:30 AM

Duration:   3,5 hours

Cost:   $80 USD for the van (max 10 people)  +  $10 USD per person for the hydrofoil

Notes:   Purchase tickets in advance – this route can sell out.  The easiest way to buy the ticket in advanced  We can help to purchase your tickets and have them delivered to your hotel for a charge of $2.00 USD per ticket.

Return from Cat Ba to Hanoi:   7:15 AM;   9:15 AM;   1:15 PM;   3:15 PM

How to get to Cat Ba From Hai Phong

Hydrofoil

There are several companies that offer a hydrofoil boat service between Hai Phong and Cat Ba Town.  They all go from Ben Binh Pier in Hai Phong to the center of Cat Ba Town and offer a similar service.  This trip is a bit more scenic than the speed boat from Hai Phong.  All tickets can be purchases at the Ben Bihn Pier or in Cat Ba.

Hadeco Speedboat

Hydrofoil Schedule from Hai Phong to Cat Ba

Departure Time	Duration	Cost	Transportation Company
9:00	0:45	200,000  VND	Cat Ba Island Resort and Spa
9:15	1:00	200,000  VND	Mekong Hoang Yen
N/A	0:45	200,000  VND	Cat Ba Island Resort and Spa
N/A	1:45	120,000  VND	Thong Nhat 05
13:00	1:00	130,000  VND	Thong Nhat 05
N/A	0:45	200,000  VND	Cat Ba Island Resort and Spa

Hydrofoil Schedule from Cat Ba to Hai Phong

Departure Time	Duration	Cost	Transportation Company
08:00	0:45	200,000  VND	Cat Ba Island Resort and Spa
N/A	1:45	120,000  VND	Thong Nhat 05
13:00	1:45	120,000  VND	Thong Nhat 05
14:00	0:45	200,000  VND	Cat Ba Island Resort and Spa
N/A	1:00	200,000  VND	Mekong Hoang Yen
16:00	0:45	200,000  VND	Cat Ba Island Resort and Spa

Alternative Routes from Hai Phong to Cat Ba

There are additional bus/speedboat options that go between Hai Phong and Cat Ba Town.  This route is slower than the hydrofoil and not as scenic.  The advantage is that it departs more frequently.  Tickets cost between 140,000 and 150,000 VND and can be bought at the point of departure for all companies.

Hadeco Speed Boat – Bus Schedule

How to get to Cat Ba From Halong City

Halong city is not highly recommended as it is filled with tourist scams and mafia.   There are two routes from Halong City to Cat Ba Island.  The first is a Tourist Junk to Shuttle bus.  It leavesHalong city at noon every day and costs 250,000 VND.  Tickets can be bought at Bai Chay Departure Pier.  Beware of scams.

The second route leaves from Tuan Chau Island and Resort (7 Km away). The ferry departs Halong City to Cat Ba at 7:00 AM and 3:00 PM, (return Cat Ba to Halong City 9:00 AM and 4:00 PM) but is sometimes cancelled. 

The ferry costs only 50,000 VND, but transportation from Halong City to the depature point costs extra.

Also this ferry goes to the isolated northern tip of the island where there are no hotels (or anything).

A public bus is supposed to pass every 90 minutes (30,000 VND) but most tourists get scammed into taking a heavily over priced private van into town.

So please contact us to book the private pick up which costs you 400.000 VND/car/one way

Hadeco is our recommended transport company because there is only one transfer instead of two.

These tickets cost 150,000 VND and depart from Ben Binh Pier.  The journey takes 1 hour and 45 minutes.

Hai Phong to Cat Ba

7:00;  8:00;  10:00;  13:00;  15:00;  16:00

Cat Ba to Hai Phong

7:00;  8:00;  10:00;  13:00;  15:00;  16:00

Cat Ba Transportation Service Bus – Speed Boat – Bus Schedule

Cat Ba Transportation Service will pick you up at Ben Bihn Pier in bus to take you to another ferry port.  Bus > Boat > Bus.

These tickets cost 140,000 VND and depart from Ben Binh Pier.  The journey takes 1 hour and 45 minutes.

Hai Phong to Cat Ba

6:30;  8:20;  9:30;  13:20;  15:10;  16:25

Cat Ba to Hai Phong

6:00;  8:00;  9:00;  12:30;  14:30;  16:00

Hoang Long Bus – Speed Boat – Bus Schedule

Hoang Long Bus > Boat > Bus service departs from #4 Le Thanh Tong st. in Hai Phong. 

These tickets cost 150,000 VND and the journey takes 1 hour and 45 minutes.

Hai Phong to Cat Ba

9:20;  10:20;  14:20;  16:20

Cat Ba to Hai Phong

7:15;  9:15;  13:15;  15:15