Lan Ha Bay activities: boats, climbing, plankton, cycling and hikes

Lan Ha Bay activities split into two worlds. On an overnight cruise from Tuan Chau you get one or two short excursions: a bamboo boat, a swim, a cave or a bike ride to a village. Stay on Cat Ba Island instead and you can fill several days: a full day on a local boat, a climbing session over the water, a hike to Ngu Lam peak, a ride to the beaches and a night out looking for glowing plankton. This page sorts what actually runs, what it costs when booked direct, and where the catches are.

Lan Ha Bay activities at a glance

Prices are direct from Cat Ba operators; platform prices for similar trips appear on the product cards further down.

On the water: day boats, swims and floating villages

The core Lan Ha day is a local boat from Ben Beo, the harbor 2 km east of Cat Ba town. A typical shared day leaves around 08:00–09:00, passes the Cai Beo fishing village (over 500 households living from fishing and floating fish cages, and a national relic site since 2009 for its prehistoric finds), stops for a swim, serves lunch on board, visits a fish farm and is back by 16:00–17:00.

Cat Ba Expedition sells this day for 900,000 VND including entrance fees, lunch and a town pickup, with 4% added for online booking. Beka Travel's wooden day boat (up to 25 guests) costs USD 35 per adult, with a USD 10 surcharge on Vietnamese public holidays, and can include a 05:15 pickup from Hanoi, which makes for a 15-hour day. Larger day ships such as Serenity Grandeur add pools and slides. The full comparison is on Lan Ha day cruises.

Swimming. Day boats swim off the deck and at beaches. Ba Trai Dao ("Three Peaches") is often a swim stop when access, tide and weather allow; its access status is disputed. Van Boi beach is another calm-water stop. Since June 2026 everyone on a passenger boat must wear a certified life jacket from boarding to the end of the trip.

Sunset boats and cooking. Cat Ba Expedition runs a sunset tour for 600,000 VND; other sunset and party boats are resold in town for 450,000–650,000 VND, often without a published itinerary. Cooking classes cost about 1,400,000 VND at Cat Ba Expedition, and Beka's day tour includes one at a fish farm.

Kayaking: suspended, still advertised

Kayaking is in nearly every Lan Ha listing, but kayak services on the Cat Ba bays have been officially suspended since 15 November 2024, re-confirmed by the Cat Hai Special Zone in late 2025. No lifting notice exists (VnExpress report). Some ships offer kayaking only in a designated area (reported: Ao Ech lagoon); others replace it with a bamboo boat, tender ride or swim.

Cat Ba operators still list kayak sessions on day boats, half-day trips (750,000 VND at Cat Ba Climbing) and guided full days (USD 48–69 per person at Blue Swimmer, cheaper in larger groups). Ask in writing whether it runs on your date. The rules, spots and alternatives are on kayaking in Lan Ha Bay.

Bioluminescent plankton at night

In the warm months, roughly May to October, tiny marine organisms in Lan Ha's lagoons glow blue-green when the water moves. It works best on dark, moonless and calm nights, away from town lights, big cruise ships and squid-boat lamps. It is never guaranteed: some nights the glow is strong, some nights faint, and phone cameras rarely capture it.

Tours leave late afternoon from Ben Beo or Cai Beo, usually with dinner at a floating house and a guided night paddle or swim. Cat Ba Climbing combines a day kayak with a night plankton trip for 1,500,000 VND; Blue Swimmer and Cat Ba Ventures run evening trips without published prices. Every plankton product relies on night kayaking or swimming, so the kayak suspension applies here too.

Book in the new-moon week, and check the moon calendar and tour list before choosing a night.

Rock climbing and deep-water soloing

Lan Ha has a long-established climbing scene: around 200 sport routes on Cat Ba and nearby crags, and more than 230 deep-water solo lines on 24 sea cliffs, graded 4a to 7c+. Deep-water soloing (DWS) means climbing above the sea without a rope and dropping into the water.

Two things decide your day. First, tide: Lan Ha has one high tide a day with a range of up to about 3 m, and DWS needs high water, so operators swap morning and afternoon sessions to match it. Second, season: DWS works best from June to November, with April–May and September–November the best compromise; winter suits sport climbing on land.

Operators in town:

• Cat Ba Climbing (Nui Ngoc street): half-day DWS 1,150,000 VND, half-day DWS plus kayak 1,580,000 VND, half-day sport climbing 1,150,000 VND, full day on the main island 2,585,000 VND. Insurance is included on its tours.
• Cat Ba Ventures (Mot Thang Tu street): multi-day climbing boat trips priced in USD per person, cheaper in bigger groups; no sport-climbing gear provided.
• Cliff jumping: Cat Ba Climbing's full day combines jumps of up to 8 m with Viet Hai village, for 2,216,000 VND.

Asia Outdoors, named in many older guides and crag notes, closed in 2019; ignore advice to buy access passes there. Full detail is on rock climbing and deep-water soloing.

Cycling and Viet Hai village

Viet Hai is a village of about 90 households inside the national park, with no road in. You reach it by boat from Ben Beo (about 30 minutes) and then ride from the wharf: a bicycle costs about 50,000 VND a day and an electric car about 150,000 VND one way. Visitors also walk in on a 9–12 km forest trail. Most 3-day cruises and many Cat Ba day boats include the ride. See the Viet Hai village guide.

On Cat Ba itself, Cat Ba Climbing rents bicycles for 150,000 VND and e-bikes for 300,000 VND a day, against a licence, ID or cash deposit. Two easy loops: town to Tung Thu beach, Cannon Fort and the Cat Co beaches; or town to the national park, Hospital Cave, Trung Trang cave, Gia Luan harbor and back along the coast road.

Hiking in Cat Ba National Park

The park covers 17,362.96 ha of forest and sea and is open 07:00–17:00. The usual ticket is 120,000 VND for the central route: park headquarters, Kim Giao forest, the climb to Ngu Lam peak and Trung Trang cave. The whole park costs 160,000 VND; children aged 6–14 (or taller than 1.2 m) pay half, under-6s go free (official fee board). Older figures of 40,000 or 80,000 VND online are out of date.

The park is the only home of the Cat Ba langur, a critically endangered monkey numbering around 90. They live on sea-facing cliffs and visitors rarely see them; no tour can promise a sighting. For a guided day, GetYourGuide sells half-day Ngu Lam hikes and a full day combining a hike, cycling and swimming. Trails, tickets and tips are on the Cat Ba National Park guide.

Monkey Island and Cat Ba town

Monkey Island (Cat Dua) is about 10 minutes by boat from Ben Beo, and many day boats stop there. The monkeys are macaques, not langurs, and they snatch bags, sunglasses and phones; do not feed them. There is no state entrance fee and no pier or rescue service. Details on Monkey Island.

In town, Cannon Fort and Hospital Cave cost about 80,000 VND each, and the Cat Co beaches are a short walk or ride away. A new night-market and entertainment area, Vui-Fest Cat Ba, opened in spring. Everything else to see and do is on things to do in Lan Ha Bay and the Cat Ba Island guide.

Lan Ha Bay activities by month

From June to November storms can close the sea at short notice: Hai Phong declares a sea ban (cấm biển) and stops boats and ferries. Keep a free day in your plan. More on the best time to visit.

GetYourGuideDay trip

Cat Ba: Lan Ha, HaLong bay full day- biking, kayaking, lunch

4.8 (1,672)

from $28Check dates

GetYourGuideDay trip

Hanoi:Halong Bay–Lan Ha Bay-Kayak,Swimming Luxury Day Cruise

4.9 (311)

from $53Check dates

GetYourGuide2D1N

Hanoi: 2-Day Ha Long and Lan Ha Bay Cruise with Kayaking

4.6 (412)

from $129Check dates

GetYourGuide8.5 hours

Cat Ba National Park: Full-Day Hike, Cycle, Kayak & Swim

4.9 (150)

from $36Check dates

GetYourGuide2D1N

Ha Noi: 2 days Lan Ha Bay - hiking, biking, kayaking

4.6 (184)

from $109Check dates

GetYourGuide2D1N

Lan Ha Bay Cruise with private balcony: biking, kayak, meals

4.8 (142)

from $113Check dates

See everything on GetYourGuide →See everything on Klook →Prices checked on October 16, 2026

Lan Ha Bay activities FAQ