Rough Guide to Vietnam - Jan Dodd [295]
Ha Long Bay and the northern seaboard | Cat Ba Island |
Getting there
The most popular way of getting to Cat Ba is on a tour from Hanoi – many companies offer three-day tours of Ha Long Bay with one night on board and the second on Cat Ba (See "Organized tours of Ha Long Bay"). If you’d rather travel independently, the quickest and most convenient option is a combined bus and high-speed ferry service from Hanoi run by Hoang Long Tourist Company (4–7 daily; 4hr; 120,000đ; (See "Travel to China and Laos")). Alternatively, hop on one of the hydrofoils that depart from Haiphong’s Ben Binh ferry pier (1–4 daily; 1hr–1hr 30min; 130,000đ). Ordinary ferries also sail from Haiphong (2hr 30min; 80,000đ), calling in at Cat Hai on route; weather permitting, it’s more comfortable to travel on the roof of these overladen antique vessels. Ferries and hydrofoils from Haiphong take you down the Cua Cam River through a procession of wallowing coal barges, picking their way through a maze of sandbanks and shifting channels. They then cross the Bach Dang Estuary, one of the most famous battle sites in Vietnamese history (See "The battles of Bach Dang River"), before turning south across open sea to the west coast of Cat Ba Island. It’s this second half of the voyage that offers the most spectacular scenery as you sail in the shadow of increasingly dramatic cliffs towards Cat Ba Town, tucked into a fold on the island’s southern tip.
From Ha Long City, the easiest option is to get the tourist boat leaving around noon from Bai Chay tourist wharf; the most direct boats take around four hours (see "Boat tours and charters" for details). Alternatively, there’s a daily hydrofoil from Hong Gai to Cat Ba at 3.45pm (25min; 120,000đ); the ticket price including a 40-minute minibus ride from the pier to Cat Ba Town.
Ha Long Bay and the northern seaboard | Cat Ba Island |
Organized tours
Most hotels in Cat Ba Town arrange boat tours, with little to choose between them on price ($12–20 per person per day), though the quality varies considerably; My Ngoc runs reliable tours, but it pays to ask fellow travellers for up-to-date advice on the best choices. One of the most picturesque trips from Cat Ba is to sail north into Lan Ha Bay, perhaps pay a visit to a floating village, and then either walk into the national park (See "Cat Ba National Park") or take a half-day cruise around the maze of limestone islands, stopping at one of the coral-sand beaches for a spot of swimming or kayaking. You can also explore Ha Long Bay(See "Ha Long Bay") from here, either as a one- or two-day trip, with the option of returning to Cat Ba or being dropped off in Bai Chay. Another possibility is to camp overnight on deserted beaches.
In addition to boat tours, hotels also arrange trekking in the national park. There are two standard excursions: a half-day “short trek” ($7–9 per person) to Yen Ngua peak, perhaps stopping off for a swim on the way back, and a full-day “long trek” ($12–15 per person) through the national park to Viet Hai village for lunch, then back by boat through fjord-like Lan Ha Bay with a stop for swimming and snorkelling or kayaking through cave tunnels to find secret lagoons.
Ha Long Bay and the northern seaboard | Cat Ba Island |
Cat Ba Town
Caught between green hills and a horseshoe bay alive with coracles scurrying among multicoloured fishing boats, CAT BA TOWN’s west-facing location makes it perfect for sunsets over outlying islands. Outside the summer peak, it retains a pretty laidback ambience despite the recent onslaught of tourism which has seen a slew of new hotels and restaurants