Cat Ba island, in Lan Ha bay adjacent to world heritage site of Ha Long bay, is a popular tourist destination near Hai Phong city. Cat Ba, which has been called the “Pearl of Tonkin”, offers a wonderful blend of sea, islands, and mountains.
Cat Co beach in Cat Ba island (photo: Le Phuong)
Just 30 km from Hai Phong city, Cat Ba island is seen as a “huge green carpet” hiding various mysteries. Travelling from Hanoi to Cat Ba has been very convenient and fast since the Tan Vu sea bridge was put into operation in 2017. It connects the Ha Noi - Hai Phong Expressing with Lach Huyen international sea port in Hai Phong. Then tourists get on a ferry at Got port to travel about 20km to Cat Ba island. Cat Ba island is most crowded on weekends, with people having fun, sunbathing, and swimming.
Nguyen Thi Huyen, a tourist from Hanoi, said this is the first time she and her family have visited Cat Ba. “Cat Ba’s scenery is beautiful. It has preserved the natural landscape. The local people are friendly and hospitable.”
The cool and fresh climate in Cat Ba is suitable for resort tourism. It attracts not only Vietnamese but also many foreign tourists to swim and sunbath on the white sandy beaches, go scuba diving, and kayaking, and go by boat to visit other islands and caves in Lan Ha bay.
Thomas, a tourist from Netherlands, said: “Cat Ba is peaceful. We’ll come here more with my family. We like the tranquility and the nature. It’s totally different from the nature in Europe. We can feel so close to the nature. The mountain on an island is something we’ve never seen before.”
People camp in Cat Ba National Park (photo: Le Phuong)
Cat Ba National Park is an interesting stop on the journey to discover Cat Ba island. People can walk, drive a motorbike, or take an electric car to travel 14 km to the northeast of Cat Ba town. The Park has many archaeological relics of the Neolithic period, relics of the Ha Long culture, and traces of the ancient Vietnamese.
Dense forests, deep ravines, unusual peaks, caves, and pillar-like rock formations can be found throughout the park.
It’s one of the world's biosphere reserves and a special-use forest, with the richest biodiversity in Vietnam.
The marine part of the national park has corals and hundreds of species of sponges, mollusks, and sea and river fish. Cat Ba National Park is the habitat of over 4,000 species of animals and plants, of which 150 species are listed in the Vietnam Red Book. Tourists are allowed to camp and trek through the forests.
Dominik, a German tourist, said: “It’s the first time I’m here. Cat Ba is a very nice island and it has beautiful sea. I’ll definitely come back here if I have the opportunity.”
Cat Ba archipelago was recognized by UNESCO as a World Biosphere Reserve in 2004. In September, UNESCO will consider Vietnam's application to register Cat Ba archipelago as a world natural heritage. The recognition will help preserve and increase Cat Ba’s endemic biodiversity for future generations.