Cat Ba Island: the base for Lan Ha Bay

Cat Ba Island is the largest island of the Cat Ba archipelago and the land side of Lan Ha Bay. It sits in Cat Hai Special Zone (đặc khu Cát Hải, a special zone of Hai Phong city since the 2025 reform). The national park covers most of its forested interior, and Cat Ba town on the south coast is where the hotels, restaurants and day-boat operators are. Lan Ha Bay begins just east of town.

If you want to see Lan Ha on a budget, sleep in Cat Ba town and take a day boat. If you prefer a cruise ship, you will probably check in at Tuan Chau in Ha Long instead, and see Cat Ba only on a short land excursion. This page explains both, plus what to do on the island itself.

Cat Ba or a cruise from Ha Long?

Most branded overnight cruises to Lan Ha check in at Tuan Chau in Ha Long and sail 1–1.5 hours through Ha Long waters to reach the bay. From Cat Ba, Ben Beo pier (bến Bèo, the harbor 2 km from town) puts you inside Lan Ha within minutes. That is why the cheapest Lan Ha trips start here.

Choose Cat Ba if you have two or three days and want to hike, climb, cycle or kayak where it is allowed. Choose a cruise if you have one night and want the ship experience; our budget cruises page compares the cheapest overnight options.

Getting to Cat Ba Island

There is no road bridge to Cat Ba. From Hanoi you take the expressway to Hai Phong, cross the Tan Vu–Lach Huyen sea bridge to Cat Hai island, and then cross to Cat Ba by car ferry, speedboat or cable car. Combo buses sell the whole trip on one ticket and drop you at your hotel.

• Combo bus: Good Morning Cat Ba charges $11 ($15 by limousine van, xe limousine, a minivan with large seats) and Cat Ba Express $13. Both take about 3–3.5 hours (goodmorningcatba.com).
• Car ferry: the old Got ferry pier closed on 1 March 2024. The ferry now runs between the Cat Hai piers (Dong Bai, formerly Got) and Cai Vieng on Cat Ba: 1.86 km, about 25–35 minutes. It runs from about 05:00 to 18:30. Since 1 September 2026 the last boat leaves Cat Ba at 17:30 and the mainland at 18:00.
• Cable car: the Cat Hai–Phu Long cable car is about 3,955 m long, an 8–10 minute ride. The station on Cat Ba is about 17 km (20–30 minutes) from town. Fares and opening days are quoted differently by different sources: expect about 100,000 VND one way and check at the ticket office.
• Speedboat from Hai Phong: from Ben Binh in Hai Phong city, about 45–60 minutes, 200,000–300,000 VND. The operator and timetable are not published officially, so check locally.
• From Ha Long: the Tuan Chau–Gia Luan ferry lands on north Cat Ba, about 30 minutes by road from town. It sails only with at least 30 passengers, and the last boat leaves Tuan Chau at 15:30 in summer and 15:00 in winter.

The Hoang Long bus and speedboat combo is suspended, so do not plan on it. Self-drivers: in summer, cars may not board the ferry toward Cat Ba from 09:00 to 13:00 on weekends and holidays. Full details in how to get to Lan Ha Bay.

Lan Ha Bay day boats from Cat Ba

The day boats leave from Ben Beo, next to Cai Beo fishing village, and the operators collect you from your hotel in town. A typical day: a pass through Cai Beo, a swim and (where allowed) a kayak, lunch on board, a swim at Ba Trai Dao beach when the tide and access allow, a fish farm, and back at 16:00–17:00.

The prices are the operators' own; the product cards below show today's platform prices. For reviews, see Cat Ba Expedition and the Beka day boat, and for every option, our day cruises guide.

GetYourGuideDay trip

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

4.8 (1,672)

from $28Check dates

KlookDay trip

Lan Ha Bay and Cat Ba Day Tour by Serenity Grandeur Cruise

5.0 (390) · 3K+ booked

from $41Check dates

GetYourGuide4 hours

Cat Ba National Park: Half-Day Guided Hike to Ngu Lam Peak

4.7 (422)

from $27Check dates

GetYourGuideDay trip

Cat Ba/Ha Noi: Lan Ha and Monkey Island Full Day Boat Trip

4.7 (360)

from $29Check dates

GetYourGuide8.5 hours

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

4.9 (150)

from $36Check dates

Klook

Sun World Cat Ba Cable Car Ticket in Hai Phong

4.7 (118) · 20K+ booked

from $3Check dates

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

Since June 2026 every passenger on a Lan Ha boat must wear a certified life jacket from boarding and throughout the trip. The rule followed a fatal collision of two day boats near Van Boi. Many Cat Ba day boats are wooden; it is fair to ask the operator about the boat before you book.

Other trips from Ben Beo: a short boat to Monkey Island, about 10 minutes away, and plankton nights on dark, calm evenings from roughly May to October (bioluminescent plankton).

Things to do on Cat Ba Island

Cat Ba National Park

The park was founded on 31 March 1986 and covers 17,362.96 ha of forest and sea. It is open 07:00–17:00. The usual ticket is the central route at 120,000 VND (children 60,000 VND): Kim Giao forest, the climb to Ngu Lam peak and Trung Trang cave. The whole-park ticket costs 160,000 VND. Go at opening time, before the heat. Prices are on the park's own fee board; our national park guide covers the trails.

The Cat Ba langur, a Critically Endangered monkey found only in this archipelago, numbers about 90. Tourists rarely see it, and no official viewing tour exists. Do not book a tour that promises one.

Viet Hai village

Viet Hai is a village of about 90 households inside the park's core zone, with no road. You reach it by boat from Ben Beo (about 30 minutes) and then by bicycle (about 50,000 VND a day) or electric car (about 150,000 VND one way) from the wharf, or on a 9–12 km forest trek. It is a different place from Cai Beo, the fishing village at Ben Beo. See Viet Hai village.

Town sights

• Cannon Fort: two large cannons and tunnels on a hill above town, 80,000 VND, plus 50,000 VND for the electric car up.
• Hospital Cave: a wartime hospital built inside a cave, 80,000 VND.
• Beaches: Cat Co 1, 2 and 3 and Tung Thu are the town beaches. Resort building on the cliffs affects Cat Co 1 and 2, so check access locally. Do not swim after 18:00, when the tide rises.
• Evenings: the Vui-Fest Cat Ba night complex and Sun Bavaria beer venue opened around 25 April 2026.

Climbing and cycling

Cat Ba has limestone crags such as Butterfly Valley and deep-water soloing above the sea at high tide. Cat Ba Climbing in town rents bicycles for 150,000 VND a day and e-bikes for 300,000 VND, which is the easy way to reach the beaches and Cannon Fort. See rock climbing.

Joining a cruise from Cat Ba

If you are already on the island, you do not have to go back to Ha Long for a cruise:

• Venezia boards its small 5- and 10-cabin boats at Ben Beo. The 2D1N costs $125 per person with Cat Ba hotel pickup.
• Peony and Mon Chéri pick up Cat Ba guests at Gia Luan pier between 12:30 and 13:00 by speedboat, for a surcharge. That saves the long round trip to Tuan Chau.
• Ships from Tuan Chau often land at Gia Luan on day 2 for a road trip to Trung Trang cave. That is a short Cat Ba land excursion, not extra time on the bay.

The Cozy Bay Tropical day cruise from Tuan Chau also lands at Gia Luan and visits Trung Trang cave, a way to see a little of Cat Ba from the Ha Long side:

Where to stay and what it costs

Cat Ba town is small enough to walk, and most hotels are on or near the seafront. Prices in town: budget hotels about 500,000–1,000,000 VND a night, homestays about 300,000 VND. Seafood costs more: a pair of horseshoe crabs, a local specialty, costs 500,000–700,000 VND. Viet Hai has a few homestays in stilt and wooden houses for a quieter night inside the park.

Prices and crowds rise sharply on Vietnamese holidays. About 70,000 visitors came to Cat Ba on 30 April and 1 May 2026, and car queues for the ferry stretched for 2 km. Summer weekends are also busy; book ahead or come midweek.

When to visit Cat Ba Island

October and November are the driest and sunniest months, with sea temperatures of about 28 and 25 °C. December and January are cool and dry, with lows of 14–16 °C. February to April brings drizzle and fog. May to September is hot and wet, and August is the wettest month. The storm season runs from June to November. Details in best time to visit.

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