Cat Ba Island: Base for Lan Ha Bay

Cat Ba is the biggest island in the Halong area. Most people use it as a base for boat trips into Lan Ha Bay, but the island itself has a national park, small beaches and good roads for a motorbike.

What you can do

• Boat trip to Lan Ha Bay The main reason people come. Boats leave every morning.
• Walk in the national park Paths through forest, including a climb to a viewpoint.
• Ride around the island Quiet roads through villages and past the harbour.
• Rock climbing There are climbing routes on the cliffs, with schools in town.

Good to know

• Cat Ba town is built up and busy in summer. The rest of the island is quiet.
• July and August are peak season for Vietnamese holidaymakers.
• The ferry or the cable car from Hai Phong are both easy ways in.

Where it is

• Region: Hai Phong
• From Hanoi: about 3 hours
• From Ninh Binh: about 4 hours
• From Halong city: about 1.5 hours
• Coordinates: 20.72396, 107.04978
• Map: Open in Google Maps

How to fit it into your trip

Two nights lets you do one boat day and one island day. Easy to combine with Halong or Bai Tu Long.

Travelling around North Vietnam is easiest with your own driver. We arrange cars and drivers for trips like this.

Getting there: see Ninh Binh to Halong Bay and Cat Ba, or let us plan your whole trip, airport to airport.

Photo: Jakub Hałun, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.