Cat Ba Island: What to See and How to Get There

Size, Town and National Park

The Cat Ba archipelago covers 262.41 square kilometres, of which 169.41 square kilometres is land and 93 square kilometres is sea, spread over 366 to 367 islands. The main island had 18,934 residents at the 2021 census and receives over 350,000 visitors a year by one count. Cat Ba Town, the old town, holds roughly 8,000 of the islanders. Electricity only reached the island in 1997 and mass tourism began in 2001.

Cat Ba National Park was established on 31 March 1986 and covers about 263 square kilometres, with 173 square kilometres of land and 90 square kilometres of inshore water. Wikipedia also records an older figure of 9,800 hectares at founding, revised to 109 square kilometres of land plus 52 square kilometres of sea after 2006. The park holds 1,595 higher plant species and 282 fauna species, including 32 mammals. Its limestone mountains are 250 to 280 million years old. UNESCO named the island a Biosphere Reserve in 2004.

The park's most famous resident is the Cat Ba langur, found nowhere else on Earth. It is critically endangered. Counts differ by source: about 40 animals in 2003, 67 plus or minus 5 in a 2016 count, and roughly 60 to 70 today. A conservation project running since 2000 stopped the hunting that had cut the population from about 2,600 in the 1990s. Two villages, Viet Hai with about 80 households and Xuan Dam, sit inside the park. Cao Vong mountain is the island's high point at 322 metres.

The Main Sights and What They Cost

The figures below come from guide sources and the Hai Phong fee plan announced for 2026, and several are disputed, which the table flags. Note that the Cat Ba bays admission for Lan Ha is set at VND 120,000 per adult and VND 60,000 per child from 1 January, with students, elderly and disabled visitors at half price and under-sixes free. Children under 6 enter free on Cat Ba routes.

Routes, Times and Fares

Hanoi to Cat Ba is about 150 to 160 km. A bus plus ferry takes about 3 to 3.5 hours by one guide and 3.5 to 5 hours by another. The cable car route from Hai Phong crosses Cat Hai to Phu Long, 3,955 m in about 10 minutes, then 17 km by bus or taxi to town.

The figures in the table come from ferry and transport guides, and where two guides disagree both numbers appear.

Which Way Suits Whom

Coming from Ha Long or Tuan Chau, the Tuan Chau to Gia Luan ferry is the direct link. It sails only in favourable weather and needs at least 30 passengers to run, so build slack into the day. Gia Luan sits on the north of the island, a drive from Cat Ba Town.

Coming from Hai Phong, the Dong Bai to Cai Vieng ferry runs roughly every 30 minutes from early morning to evening after the old Got pier closed to public ferries. It suits drivers, as the motorbike and car fares are low and the road to town is 30 to 45 minutes. The cable car is the fast and scenic Hai Phong option.

From Hanoi, a through bus and ferry ticket is the simplest choice if you do not want to change operators. A private car from about VND 1,800,000 suits groups who want door-to-door timing. Once on the island, most travellers stay in Cat Ba Town and take a boat from Ben Beo harbour. To see Lan Ha Bay on the water, read the Lan Ha Bay guide, and for the road leg from the capital see Hanoi to Ha Long Bay.

Day Cruises That Pick Up in Cat Ba Town

You do not need to start in Hanoi to see the bay. The Serenity Lan Ha Bay Day Cruise runs 12 to 13 hours and sells nine pickup and drop-off combinations between Hanoi, Hai Phong and Cat Ba Town, so you can sleep on the island and cruise from there. The price is $43.20 per person, and that includes the transfer you book, entrance and sightseeing tickets, kayaking and lunch on board. Groups run to 99 guests. It holds a 5.0 rating from 1,284 reviews.

Shorter local boats also sail from Ben Beo harbour. A shared boat to Monkey Island costs about 80,000 to 100,000 VND and a private boat 500,000 to 1,500,000 VND, with the crossing about 30 minutes. A boat trip to the Cai Beo floating village costs about 200,000 VND. Cai Beo sits 1.5 km from town, about 5 minutes by boat, and holds about 300 households in floating wooden houses of 15 to 30 square metres.

The overnight options are compared on the page for Ha Long Bay junk boat cruises.

What You See on the Water

Lan Ha Bay has about 400 karst islands and more than 100 small beaches under the limestone walls. From Cat Ba, boats reach Dark and Bright Cave, where Dark Cave runs about 100 m and needs a torch while daylight shows at the far end of Light Cave. The three Ba Trai Dao islets rise 23 m, and tide rules mean their beach is open only 2 to 3 hours a day. Ba Ham lake on Dau Be island is 45 to 55 minutes by boat from town and holds three saltwater lakes of 4.2, 23.2 and 1.05 hectares joined by tunnels of about 120 m, 40 m and 50 m that flood at high tide.

Kayaking here needs a caution. Sources disagree on current kayaking rules in Lan Ha, so confirm the day's spots with the operator. Sessions on the bay commonly run 45 to 60 minutes and life jackets are mandatory.

After dark, Lan Ha is the better bay for bioluminescent plankton, microscopic dinoflagellates that glow when disturbed. The glow is faint and not guaranteed, best on dark moonless nights from May to October, with peak brightness usually 20:00 to 22:00. Central Ha Long Bay has too many boats and lights for good viewing.

• Shared boats leave Ben Beo harbour
• Lan Ha best months are May to August for warm, calm water
• The bay fee for Lan Ha is VND 120,000 per adult and VND 60,000 per child from 1 January
• Students, elderly and people with disabilities get 50 percent off, children under 6 enter free

Overnight in Lan Ha Without Camping on Cat Ba

If one day is not enough, the overnight options that include Lan Ha Bay on this site board at Tuan Chau Marina in Ha Long. The 2-Day Lan Ha Balcony Cruise costs $126 per person over 2 days with all entry fees included. The 3-Day Lan Ha Bay Cruise costs $301 per person over 3 days, adds a bike ride into Viet Hai village inside the national park, and carries a $35 per person government VAT on top. Lan Ha overnight bay stays carry a government fee of VND 400,000 to VND 650,000 depending on nights.

Back on land, the Cat Ba archipelago holds 366 to 367 islands, and the Long Chau group of about 30 islands lies 15 km southeast of town. Its lighthouse was built in 1894 and counts among the three oldest in Vietnam.

Cat Ba National Park Trails

The park covers about 263 square kilometres, 173 on land and 90 inshore water, and opened on 31 March 1986. It sits about 14 km from Cat Ba town by road. UNESCO named the island a Biosphere Reserve in 2004. The park holds 1,595 higher plant species and 282 fauna species including 32 mammals, 78 birds and 20 reptiles and amphibians. Two villages, Viet Hai and Xuan Dam, sit inside it, and Viet Hai has about 80 households. The limestone mountains date back 250 to 280 million years.

The park opens 7:00 to 17:00 daily with ticket sales closing at 16:00. Fees differ by source. Haiphong authorities set park routes at VND 120,000 for adults from 2026, while older guides quote VND 60,000 or VND 80,000. Motorbike parking runs about 5,000 VND by one guide and 10,000 to 20,000 VND by another. From 2026 the Ninh Tiep to Tien Duc cave route costs VND 80,000.

The star resident is the Cat Ba langur, found nowhere else. It is critically endangered. Counts from the 2010s put the population at roughly 60 to 70 animals, with a 2016 survey at 67 plus or minus 5, down from about 2,600 in the 1990s and about 40 in 2003. A conservation project began in 2000 and hunting stopped by the end of 2001. Groups hold 4 to 18 animals and a female has one baby every 2 to 3 years.

Hospital Cave

Hospital Cave, also called Hung Son Cave after a Tran dynasty general, is a three-floor concrete bunker built from 1963 to 1965 with about 17 rooms. It could hold about 100 patients at a time. Local guides put it 13 km from Cat Ba town, Wikipedia says 10 km north of the old town, and about 100 steep steps lead from the ticket office to the entrance.

It opens roughly 8:00 to 17:00 and a visit takes 30 to 45 minutes. Tickets are quoted at about 50,000 VND by one source and 80,000 VND adult by others.

Cannon Fort

Cannon Fort, also known as Point 177, was built in the 1940s with artillery, tunnels and trenches and stands 177 m above sea level, the same height as its nickname. Two cannons survive, numbered 1 and 2, with No. 1 the more intact, along with a U-shaped tunnel and an observatory. The views take in Cat Co 1, Cat Co 2, Lan Ha Bay and the archipelago.

You can walk up, ride a motorbike or take a taxi. Entry is quoted at 40,000 VND by one guide and 50,000 VND adult with 20,000 VND child by another.

The Cat Co Beaches

Three sandy beaches sit near Cat Ba town: Cat Co 1, Cat Co 2 and Cat Co 3. Cat Co 1 is the largest, Cat Co 2 is divided by a rocky hill and Cat Co 3 is closest to town. Cat Co 1 is about a 15-minute walk from the centre, and a wooden walkway along the hillside links all three.

The best beach season is April to October, and swimming after 18:00 is not advised because of tides. Sea temperatures suit swimming from April to October at 23 to 30 degrees C, peaking at 28 to 30 degrees C from June to September.

Monkey Island and Trung Trang Cave

Monkey Island lies about 30 minutes by boat from Cat Ba Town in Lan Ha Bay, with boats leaving Ben Beo harbour. Its monkeys are macaques, not langurs, since the langurs live only in the national park. Mornings from 8:00 to 10:00 are quietest and crowds peak from 11:00 to 14:00. Visitors are told not to feed the macaques and to keep bags closed.

Trung Trang Cave sits in a 300-hectare valley about 15 km northwest of town, and the trail through it is 1.5 km and takes 1 to 2 hours. Cai Beo bay, near town, adds an archaeological layer, with finds dated to 5,000 to 3,000 BC and national relic status granted in 2009.