Cat Ba
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Cát Bà Island is located approximately 170 kilometers from Hanoi in Northern Vietnam’s Hai Phong region. The island is known for its proximity to Halong Bay, as well as for outdoor activities amongst scenic landscapes. Cát Bà is a great place to visit in Vietnam due to its beautiful places, friendly locals, and fantastic food.
Travel tip #1: Cát Bà’s pace is much more laidback than Hanoi, which is probably where you’ll come from to get to the island. Many of the shopkeepers and restaurant owners generally speak at least conversation-level English, making it easy to communicate and get around.
Places of Interest
Cát Bà Town: Most buses will take you to the town center, where you will find restaurants, guesthouses, hotels, and tour offices. There’s not much to do in Cát Bà Town other than relax and eat, but it’s perfect for just that.
Cannon Fort: A short walk from Cát Bà Town is Cannon Fort, a WWII fort set up by the Japanese and later utilize by the French and Vietnamese. A short hike will grant you beautiful panoramic views of Cát Bà Island’s jungles and rocky hills, as well as humble harbor fishing boats. It costs 40,000 VND (~$1.70 USD) to enter Cannon Fort and many people come here for the sunset.
Lan Ha Bay: Lying south and east of Cát Bà Town, Lan Ha Bay’s limestone formations and teal waters are just as beautiful as those of Halong Bay. The plus to exploring Lan Ha Bay from Cát Bà is that it’s less frequented by tourists, making most of its natural spots seemingly untouched. Additionally, there are many white-sand beaches to relax on in Lan Ha Bay.
Halong Bay: Halong Bay is a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for having over 1,600 scenic limestone island and gorgeous blue-green waters. The region is home to an impressive range of biodiversity and to outdoor activities like scuba diving, rock climbing, and hiking. It’s accessible from Cát Bà Island through tours and cruises.
Travel tip #2: Cát Bà National Park is one of the island’s main attractions with its numerous caves, trails, and peaks awaiting exploration. Ngu Lam Peak is one of the most popular places in the park for stellar island views. It takes about 30-40 minutes to reach Cát Bà National Park via motorbike from Cát Bà Town.
Food
Coffee: Cát Bà serves just as much delicious, thick, black Vietnamese coffee as any other city in Vietnam. There are several small coffee cafes conveniently located along the main street of the town. In addition, most hotels offer breakfast with coffee, tea, or fruit juice.
Guna Tea: A local coffee, tea, and boba spot located on the main road in Cát Bà Town. Their iced coffee with sweetened condensed milk is quite tasty, as is the boba. More locals frequent this spot, but it’s great if you’re craving a milk tea or iced drink.
Fruit juice and shakes: Mango, coconut, pineapple, and avocado juices and shakes are sold at many restaurants throughout the island. The quality and flavor is amazing, but for the best taste do some research beforehand to figure out what’s in season. Most places will not sell certain fruit due to the region’s reliance on seasonality, but if they’re offered during off-season times don’t expect too much.
Spring rolls: Coming in “fresh” and “fried” options, spring rolls are the perfect accompaniment to any meal in Vietnam. While the fresh kind usually include herbs, greens, and veggies, the fried versions are typically stuffed with a mix of veggies, herbs, seafood, and/or meat. Although I didn’t have a problem, I recommend going for the fried spring rolls rather than fresh rolls if you’re eating street food or have a sensitive stomach.
Seafood: The seafood on Cát Bà Island is phenomenal. Similar to the fruit on the island, most seafood dishes rely on seasonal catch. This makes the seafood incredibly fresh tasting. In late March, rockfish was the fish in season; it was prepared absolutely perfectly everywhere we ate it. We were told by a restaurant owner that it was caught fresh in the morning, too!
Vietnamese Soul Food: Past the fishing port along a more local-feeling road is Vietnamese Soul Food—a large restaurant serving up delicious, homestyle meals. The owner, Mrs. Blue, is welcoming and very friendly. She cooks up some amazing dishes using her family’s recipes, including flaky coconut-battered fried chicken, savory pork and veggie stir fry, and fresh spring rolls. The food takes some time, as she cooks it herself from scratch, but is definitely worth the wait for a magical meal.
Thai Bao Restaurant: Another great restaurant in Cát Bà Town is Thai Bao, which is also a hotel. The owner is very friendly and he’ll warmly welcome you to his place. Their bún chả plate with mixed meat spring rolls is drool-worthy, as is the fried fish in sweet and sour sauce. They are known for their hot pot, too.
Anh Nguyet Restaurant: Anh Nguyet’s is similar in set-up to Thai Bao, with the restaurant open to the street. The menu is quite extensive, but their lemon and garlic fried fish was my personal favorite. An appetizer and two main dishes plus fresh fruit juices shared between two people makes for an inexpensive yet filling meal.
The Bigman Restaurant and Bar: Offering more of a Western-flair, The Bigman is a popular nighttime spot for cocktails and drinks. Their modern restaurant front gives off a completely different vibe than the rest of the street and is one of the more heavily frequented places in town. The restaurant part of the The Bigman is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Their bánh mì and fried spring rolls were my favorite.
Travel tip #3: When eating in Cát Bà Town, don’t be afraid to ask about the server’s favorite dish or what they recommend eating. It’s a great way to taste something authentic and delicious!
Transportation & Accommodation
Getting to Cát Bà Island is relatively easy, but requires a little extra planning to ensure you get all the way to the island. From Hanoi, you can take a highway bus to Hai Phong. Once at the port, you can catch a speedboat to the island followed by another bus that takes you into Cát Bà Town. For those who prefer a cheaper and more adventurous route, the train from Hanoi will get you to Hai Phong Station for a fraction of the price of the bus. However, you will need to coordinate the speedboat to the island and bus ride into town.
I took the Cát Bà Express, which included the highway transportation, speedboat, and connecting bus transportation services to the island. Rather than booking with a tour office the day-of or before, I chose to book on baolau.com ahead of time and paid with card. (Roundtrip cost from Hanoi to Cát Bà was about $32 USD per person.) They provided bottled water and snacks on the highway bus service as well as English speaking guides. In addition, Cát Bà Express dropped us off at our accommodation when we returned to Hanoi, which was really nice.
Motorbike is the most convenient way to explore Cát Bà Island. They can be rented from numerous locations for just dollars a day. If motorbikes aren’t your thing, walking is a good alternative to exploring some of the places closer to Cát Bà Town. There are also small open-air “buses” that circle around the town center, connecting the more local roads to the main hub.
Hotels and guesthouses can be found in Cát Bà Town and on other parts of the island. It’s easiest and most convenient to stay near the main road of Cát Bà Town, as that’s where many restaurants and tour offices are located. There are many accommodation places to choose from on booking.com, including some with stellar ocean views and secluded white-sand beaches.
Travel tip #4: Rent a motorbike in town and then fill it up yourself at a local gas/ petrol station to save some money. Although they can fill the tank up for you, it is cheaper to do it yourself on the outskirts of the town center.
Climate
Cát Bà Island experiences four seasons, like Hanoi. However, the island is characterized by slightly warmer winters and cooler summers than that of the mainland. Peak tourist season is between August and September, causing accommodation prices and crowds to increase. Cool season in Cát Bà is October to March while hot, humid summer weather is from April to September. January is relatively dry and August is the wettest month. I recommend visiting in late March if you prefer cooler weather, as it was really nice for enjoying all of the island’s natural beauty without being uncomfortably hot or needing to wear warmer layers.