Unmissable experiences when traveling to Cat Ba Island

The Cat Ba Archipelago is composed of 388 large and small limestone islands rising from the sea (including the Long Chau Archipelago), with an area of 345 km2, located east of Hai Phong city, about 150 km southeast of Hanoi capital. The archipelago belongs to Cat Hai island district, Hai Phong city. It has been recognized by UNESCO as a World Biosphere Reserve.

As the largest and most beautiful island among the total 1,969 islands in Lan Ha Bay, Cat Ba is nicknamed the “pearl island” of the North Bay. With its “mountain-backed, sea-facing” terrain, offering panoramic views of mountains and the ocean, Cat Ba Island boasts captivating and enchanting scenery. It is fortunate to have both the general climate characteristics of the Northern Delta and the climate of a coastal limestone island, with a pleasant, temperate climate year-round.

If you plan to travel to Cat Ba Island, don't miss these wonderful experiences.

Swimming at Cat Ba

The beaches on Cat Ba Island are famous for their clear blue waters, fine, clean sand, and are ideal swimming spots in Northern Vietnam. Cat Ba has hundreds of large and small beaches, but the Cat Co beach cluster, including Cat Co 1, Cat Co 2, Cat Co 3, is the most visited by tourists due to its rich natural scenery.

Cat Co 1 is the widest beach, nestled along the mountains with clear blue water, waves lapping year-round. Cat Co 2 exudes a quiet, serene atmosphere and is renowned as one of the most beautiful beaches in Southeast Asia (as voted by Thrillist). Cat Co 3 offers a modern, vibrant vibe with luxurious, fully-equipped hotels and resorts.

Cat Dua Beach on Monkey Island is also one of the extremely beautiful pristine beaches in Cat Ba, an ideal destination for nature lovers. Cat Dua Beach is located far from the main island, so the water is very clear, and the wide sandy beach is suitable for families to enjoy swimming and beach activities.

Experience the world's most modern 3-wire cable car

One of the unmissable experiences when traveling to Cat Ba is the world's most modern three-wire cable car system with a modernly designed station system, carrying the breath of the port land, belonging to Sun World Cat Ba Cable Car Tourist Area.

The Cat Hai – Phu Long three-rope cable car line has a total length of 3,955m, connecting from the center of Cat Hai island to near the Cai Vieng pier area on Cat Ba island, comprising 60 cabins with a capacity of 30 passengers/hour. The cable car line was implemented under the consultation and design of the world's number 1 cable car company, Doppelmayr, with a capacity of up to 4,500 passengers/hour, shortening travel time by half, while also contributing to reducing overcrowding of Cat Ba tourism during holidays and Tet.

Experience the Cat Hai – Phu Long Cable Car Route

Cable cars are a modern "high-altitude transport" that not only protect the environment and save time but also bring you incredibly wonderful experiences. Traveling on the world's longest cable car route, you can freely enjoy the scenery, admire the pristine natural beauty of Cat Ba from above, and capture the charming beauty of the Gulf of Tonkin's emerald island.

Admire the beauty of Lan Ha Bay

Located to the east of Cat Ba Island and serving as a connecting bridge between Cat Ba Island and the world wonder Ha Long Bay, Lan Ha Bay is likened to an elegant silk ribbon woven by clear blue seawater and lush green vegetation.

Admire the beauty of Lan Ha Bay

Unlike Ha Long Bay, Lan Ha Bay boasts 139 small, charming golden sand beaches with many safe and ideal swimming spots for tourists. Here, visitors can also immerse themselves in the clear, calm blue waters, or dive to admire the vibrant, colorful coral reefs at Sen Island, Cu Island, Monkey Island... Thanks to its natural, wild, and tranquil beauty, Lan Ha Bay is now exploited as an attractive resort tourist destination for domestic and international visitors. Although not yet widely known to tourists, Lan Ha Bay is considered one of the most beautiful bays in Vietnam.

Kayaking to Explore Caves

For those who love outdoor activities, especially kayaking, Cat Ba is a paradise destination. In Lan Ha Bay, you can kayak and swim wherever you want. The Sang Cave and Toi Cave area is the most interesting spot for this sport. Besides, there are many wild islands with caves and beaches formed from coral skeletons, and mysterious lagoons waiting for you to explore.

Kayak paddling to explore Cat Ba Island

Explore Monkey Island

On the bay tour journey, visitors will visit Monkey Island. Monkey Island has two sides, one side is a resort area for foreign guests to stay, and the other side is a beach for everyone (including Cat Dua 1 and Cat Dua 2). The water at Monkey Island is very clean and clear, making it an ideal place for swimming and relaxing for visitors.

Arriving at Monkey Island, adventurous visitors can climb to the mountaintop to take in panoramic views of Lan Ha Bay with hundreds of large and small islands dotted on the clear blue water, interspersed with long, white sandy beaches.
Particularly, this island will be a favorite destination for children because there is a troop of several dozen monkeys here. As they frequently encounter tourists, they boldly tease visitors. Please note not to hit or chase them away, as monkeys are vigilant animals and highly protective of their troop.

Visiting Cat Ba National Park

Cat Ba National Park has been recognized by UNESCO as a World Biosphere Reserve with a rich and unique biodiversity, suitable for tourists to visit, relax, and explore. Cat Ba National Park is considered one of the places with the highest biodiversity in Vietnam, a convergence of many different ecosystems such as mangrove ecosystems, limestone mountain forest ecosystems, and marine forest ecosystems with coral reefs…

This is an unmissable trekking spot for adventure enthusiasts. The best time to visit Cat Ba National Park is from April to October, when you can experience exciting mountain climbing activities or explore the diverse natural ecosystem. Especially, in Cat Ba National Park, there is Ngu Lam Peak, from which you can observe the rolling mountains, one of the most beautiful viewpoints on Cat Ba Island. The experience of walking under the canopy of the tropical forest, climbing limestone mountains can sometimes be challenging, but brings wonderful emotions.

Watching the Sunset at Than Cong Fortress

Than Cong Fortress is located at an altitude of 177 meters. This is a historical relic site built by the Vietnamese army in the 1940s, currently preserving two large cannons, each weighing up to tens of tons.
From Than Cong Fortress, visitors will have the opportunity to admire the scenic spots of Cat Ba archipelago from many angles, enjoying the breathtaking wild beauty that captivates the heart of pristine islands, poetic beaches, etc. At this altitude, Cat Ba island also appears vibrant and bustling with hundreds of fishing boats anchored and floating houses on the sea.

Especially, as sunset descends, the sunlight, like a glowing red ember, peeks from behind the mountains, visitors will enjoy the tranquil, romantic atmosphere of the twilight by the sea. You will be truly amazed by the exquisite lines that creation and nature have drawn on the blue sea, creating a picture that is hard to match anywhere.

Enjoy Cuisine and Specialties of Cat Ba

Seafood in Cat Ba in particular, and the North in general, is famous for being the sweetest, firmest, and chewiest in the country because this area has high mountainous terrain with many river mouths and streams flowing into the sea, where seawater mixes with river water to form brackish water. Seafood is tastier the closer it is to the river mouth. The tastiest in Cat Ba is the area of Phu Long commune, right at Cai Vieng ferry.

Nutritious and delicious fresh seafood dishes such as lobster, steamed squid, razor clam, grilled oysters with scallions, grouper, steamed fish with fragrant herbs… to rustic dishes with hometown flavors like shrimp noodle soup, Cat Hai fish sauce, Cat Ba forest honey…