Discover the hidden charm of Cat Ba Island

1. About Cat Ba Island 

Cat Ba archipelago is famous for more than 367 islands, which Cat Ba Island is the main island with an area of over 100km2. Although not as renowned as Ha Long Bay, Cat Ba Island is always attractive to tourists because of the rich and diverse natural resources, including mountains, sea, forests, caves, and pristine beaches. 
If you want to discover a less-crowded place than the famous Halong Bay but as beautiful as Halong Bay, Cat Ba island is suitable for you. 

 
2. How to get to Cat Ba Island? 

From Hanoi, tourists go straight to Highway 5 to Hai Phong city, turn left to Chua Ve port, follow the direction of Chua Ve Port, turn right to go to the Dinh Vu ferry. From here, guests can buy tickets for the high-speed train from two companies, Hoang Yen hydrofoil or CatBa Island Resort & Spa. Train ticket price is about 200,000 - 250,000 VND/ person, only takes about 45 minutes to get to Cat Ba Island. 
 
3. Things to do in Cat Ba Island 
 
Sunbathing on the beaches

From the center of Cat Ba town, you can hire a motorbike or take a taxi to Cat Co 1, Cat Co 2, and Cat Co 3 beaches nearby. 
The mountain surrounds all the beaches here, so it would not be too large but private and provided clean water. Moreover, these beaches have a long sandy coastal line with sunshine, which is suitable for tourists who love sunbathing and stroll around. 
It's worth getting up early, walking along the beaches and enjoy the beautiful sunrise on the beaches. 

 
Exploring caves
Cat Ba has a lot of large and small caves, in which Hospital Cave and Trung Trang Cave are the most visited. It is because they are near the Cat Ba National Park headquarters, making it an ideal combination for exploring both forests and caves.
Besides, Hoa Cuong Cave and Thien Long Cave are also attractive destinations in Cat Ba. The reason why passengers enamored of exploring the caves is the feeling after crossing over the rugged and steep mountain, tourists staggered by the amazing stalactites and the history of the cavern. 

One of the must-visit destinations in Cat Ba island is Cai Beo Floating Village, an ancient fishing village with the most enormous scale currently known in Vietnam.  Nowadays, Cai Beo Fishing Village has about 300 households living mainly by fishing and aquaculture. Not as vibrant as the pier to Lan Ha Bay, Ben Beo is quite diverse in types of ships, boats, boats ready to take guests to explore the peaceful beauty of Vietnam's oldest fishing village - Cai Beo.

Cai Beo is magnificent with green water, rocky mountains mixed with blue sky. The poetic beauty of nature and the bustling life of the fishing village create a rare beauty. On the floating water, the fishing village consists of many boat houses linked together in groups. Not only boats, on Cai Beo bay, but there are also floating houses close together with fish cages. 
Explore Cat Ba National Park

Cat Ba National Park is located on the axis of tourists' transportation to the center of Cat Ba with an adult price: VND 80,000/person, children VND 40,000/child. Visitors can choose ecotourism routes, admire the botanical landscape inside the national forest, or visit some caves.  This park is a paradise for those who love to explore nature and challenge themselves. When trekking in Cat Ba National Park, tourists can see countless endemic species, and if lucky, they can see the Cat Ba langur – the symbol of the archipelago. 

Enjoy fresh seafood 
There are a lot of places in which you can savor the flavors of fresh seafood, such as local restaurants or buy fresh catches from the floating village. No matter where you buy, the seafood is fresh and tasty. So give it a try! 
 
4. Tips for traveling in Cat Ba Island 

• Pick comfortable outfits because Cat Ba has a lot of mountains so visitors may easily trek.
• Bring the camera to capture the beauty of Cat Ba island.
• Remember to bring sunscreen because of the high temperature in the North of Vietnam during the summer. 
• Add more accessorize on your vacations such as a hat, sunglasses 

It is sporadic where natural landscapes are associated and harmonized with cultural relics like here. Along with busy life bustling, Cat Ba always attracts visitors with two beauty blends between dreaming and reality.