Cat Ba National Park: Ngu Lam peak, Trung Trang cave and the right ticket

Cat Ba National Park covers the forested hills in the north and center of Cat Ba Island, the largest island of the archipelago that encloses Lan Ha Bay. It was Vietnam's first national park to protect both forest and sea, and it is the core of the Cat Ba Biosphere Reserve. You can walk its main trail in half a day from Cat Ba town, see it from the window of a cruise excursion, or cross it on foot to Viet Hai village. This guide covers which ticket to buy, how to get there, the hike, the langurs and when a tour is worth it.

What the park protects

The park was created on 31 March 1986 with 15,200 ha and has since grown to 17,362.96 ha: 10,912.51 ha of forest and limestone mountains and 6,450.65 ha of sea. It is run by the Hai Phong People's Committee, and in 2023 the whole Cat Ba archipelago joined the Ha Long Bay World Heritage property, now named "Ha Long Bay – Cat Ba Archipelago".

The park lists 1,595 plant species, 63 mammals, 209 birds, 58 reptiles and 27 amphibians. The plant most visitors meet is kim giao (Nageia), a native conifer whose stand gives its name to the forest on the main trail. The animal everyone hopes for is the Cat Ba langur, covered below.

Park information and the official ticket board: https://vuonquocgiacatba.com.vn/gioi-thieu-vqg-cat-ba

Cat Ba National Park fees and opening hours

The park is open 07:00–17:00. Fees follow Hai Phong Resolution 47/2025, in force since 1 January 2026:

Children pay the child rate from 6 to 14 years old, or when taller than 1.2 m; under 6 is free. The 50% senior discount applies only to Vietnamese citizens aged 60 or more, so foreign seniors pay the full rate. Travellers only passing through the park, not sightseeing, do not pay.

Hiking to Ngu Lam peak

The central route starts at the park headquarters, runs through the kim giao forest and climbs to Ngu Lam peak, with a pavilion at the top and views over the forest. It is the standard Cat Ba hike, short enough for a morning, and from May to September it is hot and wet. Wear shoes with grip, carry water, and start at 07:00, when the park opens: it is cooler, and early morning is when wildlife is most active.

Trung Trang cave is on the same ticket and is usually visited on the way back. It is a dry cave on land, reached by steps; the same cave is the day-2 stop on several cruises (more below).

A local climbing operator suggests a cycling loop of town → national park → Hospital Cave → Trung Trang cave → Gia Luan harbour → coast road. Bike deposits are a licence, passport, ID or cash equal to the bike's value. For the bike-and-boat combinations, see activities and Cat Ba Island.

Guided hikes

The central route is sold as a plain ticket at the gate, so many visitors walk it on their own. A guide adds most on the longer trails and for spotting wildlife. On GetYourGuide the half-day guided hike to Ngu Lam peak is from $27 (4.7 from 422 reviews). The full-day hike, cycle, kayak and swim is from $36 (4.9 from 150 reviews), and the full-day trek to Viet Hai village is from $46. Cat Ba Expedition sells a one-day trek directly for 1,400,000 VND per person, plus 4% when booked online (see our Cat Ba Expedition review).

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

The trek to Viet Hai village

The longer classic is the forest trek of about 9–12 km from the park to Viet Hai village, a community of around 90 households in the park's core zone with no road access. On foot it takes six to seven hours. The village is also linked by boat to Ben Beo pier near Cat Ba town (about 30 minutes), so you do not have to walk back. Hikers get a briefing on the forest-protection rules before setting out. Book it with a guide: the trail is long, and you need the boat back arranged.

The Cat Ba langur: can you see it?

The Cat Ba langur (voọc Cát Bà, also called the golden-headed langur) lives only in the Cat Ba archipelago and is listed as Critically Endangered. The population fell from about 2,500–2,700 in the 1960s to fewer than 40 around 2000. It counted "over 80" in January 2025 and about 90 by November 2025, thanks to protection work.

Be realistic: tourists rarely see it. The langurs live in troops of 10–20 on sea-facing cliffs and in caves 100–150 m up, and are active in the early morning and late afternoon. No official langur-viewing tour has been confirmed. Any listing that promises sightings is overselling. Background: https://dtinews.dantri.com.vn/environment/endangered-langurs-on-cat-ba-20250131141902562.htm

The monkeys on Monkey Island are macaques, not langurs, and they are a different story: they snatch bags and phones.

Seeing the park from a cruise

Several cruises touch the park without a hike:

• Peony and Mon Chéri land at Gia Luan pier on day 2 and drive about 30 minutes to Trung Trang cave. See the Peony review.
• Heritage Line Ylang spends part of day 2 on a bus ride and hike in the park (see Heritage Line Ylang).
• The Tropical day cruise from Tuan Chau lands at Gia Luan, takes an electric car to Trung Trang cave and the park museum, then sails to Tra Bau.

The Tropical day cruise is from $38 on Klook (4.9 from 1,916 reviews) and from $41 on Trip.com today; check what each includes. It is a good way to see a corner of the park and the bay in one day from Ha Long; see day cruises.

A cruise stop at Trung Trang is a cave visit, not a hike. If the forest and the peak are what you came for, stay a night in Cat Ba town.

When to go

October and November are the best months: the driest and sunniest of the year. May to September is hot and wet, with more than 200 mm of rain each month; trails get slippery, so start early and expect showers. February and March bring drizzle and low cloud, which can hide the view from Ngu Lam. December and January are cool and dry, good for walking. The storm season runs June to November, and the ferries to Cat Ba can stop on short notice. More in best time to visit.

Getting to the park

There is no road bridge to Cat Ba. From Hanoi, the combined bus and ferry via the Dong Bai crossing reaches Cat Ba town in about 3–3.5 hours; see how to get there. From town, use a bicycle, e-bike, motorbike taxi or the eco-taxi listed on GetYourGuide (from $8). If you arrive on the Tuan Chau ferry, you land at Gia Luan in the north, closer to Trung Trang cave than town is.

Cat Ba National Park FAQ