Cat Ba – An alternative to Ha Long Bay

Introduction

Ha Long Bay is a natural wonder of emerald waters and limestone pillars rising up in islets topped up with small forests and ecosystems, incredible caves and scattered with traditional boats. Yes, Ha Long Bay is the most popular tourist hotspot in Vietnam, if there was only one thing you could see in the country, debatably this would probably be it. But what if there was a way to avoid the masses and crowds and experience this limestone wonder in a more quiet way?

Welcome to Lan Ha Bay!

Lan Ha Bay is as beautiful as her big sister and (when we visited, back in 2019) much less crowded. 

Our arrival in Cat Ba was a bit different, after a bus to the ferry port and then a ferry across to the island, a bus was meant to take us to Cat Ba town, however, falling rocks from the cliff meant we had to wait for ages in the aircon freezer bus. But once we arrived, we were taken aback by the cute little town.

This was our experience in Cat Ba and Lan Ha Bay!

How to get to Lan Ha Bay from Hanoi

Get a bus from Hanoi to Cat Ba:

We always use 12go Asia to book our buses. The one we booked for this trip took us from Hanoi to a ferry port in Haiphong and then, when we crossed the water we got on another bus to Cat Ba town where there is plenty of accommodation, yummy food and beaches around.

Get a train from Hanoi to Haiphong and then a ferry across to Cat Ba town:

For this option, you need to seek transport from the train station in Haiphong to the ferry port. We always used Grab (Vietnam’s version of Uber) for this as we already know the rate and does not require negotiation, if you prefer to negotiate, there are lots of xe ôm (shared motorbikes) normally available in Vietnamese cities.

What to do in Cat Ba

Lan Ha Bay

Because of our time constraint we actually booked one of the boat tours in Cat Ba town to take us to the main places we wanted to visit within Lan Ha Bay. These were:

Cua Van Fishing Village: This village is completely set in the water, here traditional fishing structures are laid over the turquoise waters and life just goes on as normal. Our guide explained to us that normally, people who were casted out of the society in the cities were sent to live here and generations have just stayed living the traditional way.

Monkey Island: Gorgeous limestone island with an scary ass climb (see relevant post) 

Van Boi Beach: This was an incredible beach only reachable by swimming from the boat. I personally didn’t swim there as I am not great at swimming but my friend who I travelled with did and seemed very happy with the experience. They also swam under a cave to reach an opening. 

Limestone caves and openings: This was a bit random, but our guide took us to this amazing cave we had to kayak under, which was incredible. But it got even better when we arose in this circle of limestone surrounded by a forest, opened from the top. It was one of the most tranquil spots I ever experienced. 

Lan Ha Bay Overnight Cruise

Lots of visitors opt for the overnight cruises to experience Lan Ha Bay, there are plenty of options within Cat Ba town so it is worth shopping around to get the best deal.

Hike Cat Ba National Park

Cat Ba’s National Park, which holds the most endangered primate on earth, the golden-headed langur is definitely worth a visit. There are lots of hiking trails to follow but they recommend following a guide to not get lost. One of the most incredible hikes is the one to Viet Hai village across the island.

Walk along the coastline in Cat Ba town

For a less strenuous walk, we followed a trail along the coastline from Cat Ba town to the beaches nearby, the beaches were empty when we visited as it was low season (and a bit chilly) but that made the experience even more beautiful, the sunset on our way back was just gorgeous. Also, there are lots of seafood restaurants by the sea on the way to stop and have great food!

Map of walk along coast in Cat Ba town

Overview

We really didn’t know what to expect when we arrived at Hanoi, it was our very first contact with Vietnam so it was a double surprise. We loved the city so much we actually decided to extend our stay there and we are planning to come back soon after the pandemic has relaxed and travel restrictions are lifted.

Hanoi left a lasting impression, it is busy, noisy, full of fumes and the weather can be quite moody but it is also vibrant, colourful, and very tasty. We look forward to visiting you again, Hanoi!