Ha Long Bay and Lan Ha Bay is a collection of karst limestone islands, scattered across the Gulf of Tonkin. You probably already heard of the Ha Long Bay, and it’s very likely to be on your travel itinerary long before you even set off on your travels to Vietnam.
Well, exploring Ha Long Bay can be quite costly. But there is a much better and cheaper alternative! Most travellers don’t know about Cat Ba, a budget-friendly substitute to Ha Long City.
Cat Ba is the largest island around Lan Ha Bay, with easy access to Ha Long Bay. In fact Lan Ha Bay is merely an extension to Ha Long Bay which happens to sit under another province of Vietnam, although geographically they are side by side. This only means that Lan Ha Bay is closer to the Cat-Ba Island and otherwise it’s the same as Ha Long Bay.
Ha Long City is also significantly more touristy and day tours are quite overpriced. I went there 1 and a half years ago, and except for a single viewpoint hike, it was really not worth the trip.
I went to Cat Ba twice, once in February 2018 and another time in September 2018. February was freezing! It rained most of the time and I don’t recall ever leaving the hostel without at least 3 layers of clothes. When I came back in September, it was very sunny and hot! Perfect weather for the beach and exploring.
How to Get There
Cat Ba is very easy to get to, from most towns or tourist destinations you can take a bus. I found the best way to book my busses in South East Asia is through the Easy Book website.
Hanoi: Multiple buses depart between 7:30 am and 2 pm. Prices range between USD $12 – $15.
Ninh Binh: Buses depart at 7 am and at 1 pm only. Price for the bus is USD $15.
Closest Airport to Cat Ba is in Hai Phong. You can also take a bus from Hai Phong to Cat Ba.
Where to stay
Budget Option: Cat-Ba Hostel
Cat-Ba hostel located very conveniently in the town centre. Few minutes walk away from the food street, waterfront and the bus stop. I stayed here when I went to Cat-Ba for the first time, the rooms and bathrooms are very basic but it’s a bargain accommodation, only USD $4 for a dorm bed on Booking.com. Dorms and Private Rooms available.
Location on GoogleMaps.
Mid Range Option: Mountain View
A little bit out of town, but nothing a rental motorbike can’t fix! Cat-Ba Mountain View is definitely a more comfortable accommodation option. Make sure to go up to the swimming pool to watch a sunset. This was the prettiest sunset I’ve watched in Cat Ba.
Mountain View accommodation comes with free breakfast, which is usually coffee/tea and eggs with toast. USD $8 for a dorm bed or USD $19 for a private room from Booking.com.
As we travelled in a bigger group, on the second day of our stay, we were able to negotiate a lower price for a 4-bed private room. You can also try your luck!
Location on GoogleMaps.
Where to eat
Yummy’s in the town centre is probably one of the best restaurant’s I’ve been to in the WHOLE of Vietnam. They have a huge variety of local and western foods, I love their seafood! Feel free to ask for recommendations.
Yummy’s have two restaurants in Cat Ba, my favourite was located here on GoogleMaps.
Where to Rent a Scooter
You can rent a scooter from the Mountain View or in the city centre. Most scooter rental companies are set up along the promenade of Cat Ba town. You can look around in this area on GoogleMaps.
The average price of renting a scooter in Cat Ba is approximately USD $3-$5.
Ha Long Bay Daytour
The cheapest tour I’ve found was with the Central Cat Ba Hostel, for $13 you get a whole day tour on the boat including a pick-up, lunch, all the activities and a kayak trip. This tour runs with Cat Ba Eco-Tour company.
Once you get on the boat, head for the top deck and enjoy the beautiful views from the outside, as the boat takes you around the Lan Ha Bay and into the Ha Long Bay.
The boat will stop in a few places along the way, you will have a stop for kayaking, swimming and Monkey Island. All stops are approximately 1 hour each. On the way back the boat will take you through the fishermen’s village.
When you arrive at the Monkey Island you have a choice between hiking to a viewpoint or relaxing on the beach with monkeys. The hike is quite tough, it’s better to have appropriate footwear. A significant part of the train involves climbing through the steep limestone karst rocks. Panoramic views from the top however, are absolutely worth it! Round trip should take approximately 30 minutes if it’s not crowded.
To be very honest, I was disappointed with the amount of rubbish in the water. For one of the most beautiful and recognised UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Ha Long Bay sure has tons of rubbish floating around. An incredibly sad sight, I tried picking up the rubbish into my kayak, but it was an endless mission.
After speaking to the guide by the name of Ten, he explained that the rubbish comes from the fishermen villages. As it works out, the villagers find it difficult to take the rubbish back on land so instead, they just throw it into the sea. I can’t confirm how truthful is this fact, however, the rubbish is still there, and no one does anything about it (not yet at least!).
Tour price: USD $13
Cat Ba National Park
Cat-Ba National Park is a tropical forest and is one of the biggest National Parks of Vietnam.
There is a viewpoint hike, it will take approximately 1.5 hours to get to the top. There you will get stunning views of the hills surrounding the Cat Ba National Park.
This national park is home to some of the rarest animal species such as hornbills and golden-headed langurs ( world’s most endangered primate species). see if you can spot it when you’re there.
Entrance Fee: VND 40, 000
How to get there
The easiest way to get there is with a scooter. One of the two main roads of the island will take you to the entrance of National Park. Park entrance on GoogleMaps.
Hospital Cave
The first time I went to Cat Ba I went to see the hospital cave. The history is very interesting, in war the Vietnamese hid inside the cave, building hospitals and living there throughout the war times.
There are not many artefacts left behind, this is more about the infrastructure of building a ‘town’ inside the cave. You can walk through the corridors and visit rooms to see how everything looked previously.
For me the history was more interesting than seeing the cave, it’s something I believe is important to be aware of, however the cave itself I wouldn’t say it’s a ‘must see’.
I would, however, recommend hiring a tour guide to tell you more about the cave. Otherwise, there’s not a lot of information inside.
Entrance Fee: VND 40,000 (If you choose to hire a guide, it’s additional VND 30,000)
How to get there
The easiest way to get there is with a scooter. One of the two main roads of the island will take you to the Hospital Cave, in fact, it’s the same way as if you go to the National Park. Hospital Cave entrance on GoogleMaps.
Cannon Fort
Cannon Fort is the best spot on Cat Ba island to get the panoramic views of the Lan Ha Bay. I visited here twice, and the second time I came back just for the views.
You can explore canons, tunnels, trenches and other objects remaining from the military outpost from the Jepanese invasion in the WWll as well as used by Vietnamese during the French and American Wars. There is a lot of interesting history to discover on your visit to Cannon Fort.
You can easily spend 1 hour just strolling around and enjoying panoramic views. There is a cafe where you can get some (overpriced..) snacks and drinks.
Entrance fee: VND 40,000
How to get there
If you’re in Cat Ba centre, you can walk to the top of the hill in approximately 30 minutes. However, the easiest and fastest way to get there is with a scooter. Cannon Fort entrance on GoogleMaps.
Cat Co 3 Beach
There are several beaches in Cat Ba, however, my favourite was Cat Co 3. It was clean and not too busy, the perfect place to relax on the sandy beach and swim in the ocean. The beach itself is fairly small, surrounded by the karst limestone formations leading from inland and into the sea.
From the other side of the beach, you can go up some steps which will take you on a path leading all along the cliff to the Cat Co 1 Beach. This walking trail is very scenic and I highly recommend to explore it.
The second time I went there we arrived fairly late, the sun was setting and the skies turned deep pink. What made the view extra special was the moon. We observed a moon rising over the karst rocks while swimming in the famous Lan Ha Bay, such a special moment.
Entrance fee: free
How to get there
If you’re in Cat Ba centre, you can walk to the Cat Co 3 beach in approximately 20 minutes.
However, the easiest and fastest way to get there is with a scooter. Cat Co 3 Beach entrance on GoogleMaps.
Trung Trang Cave
The first time I went to Cat Ba, we accidentally stumbled across a Trung Trang Cave. On that day it was closed but my travel buddy wanted to check it out, so we did.
Stairs up lead to the cave entrance, from there you can follow through the cave and come out on the other side. Bring a torch with you.
If this still hasn’t been opened to the public, I would practise caution while going inside and only do what you feel is safe.
Entrance Fee: free if you save your Cat Ba National Park entrance ticket
How to get there
The easiest way to get there is with a scooter. One of the two main roads of the island will take you to the Trung Trang Cave, in fact, it’s the same way as if you go to the National Park. Trung Trang Cave entrance on GoogleMaps.
Roni on the Run 