Cat Ba Island

Cat Ba is the largest island in Halong Bay. The island has a few fishing villages and a small town. On the east side of the island you will find Lan Ha Bay which has numerous beaches and excellent scenery. There are two white sand beaches (Cat Co 1 and Cat Co 2) located 1km from Cat Ba town. The two beaches are connected by a wooden walkway about 700 metres long. Cat Ba National Park occupies a large area of the island and is well worth a visit especially if you enjoy hiking.

The best time to visit Cat Ba is during October and November. Temperatures are a littlecool from December to February, and you can expect rain during March and April. June through to August is hot and humid.

Getting There

The best way to organise a trip to Cat Ba Island is to book a tour with one of the agents, hotels or cafes in Hanoi. Costs vary but all are reasonably priced and usually include accommodation as well as transportation to and from Hanoi.

There is a chartered helicopter service from Hanoi to Halong Bay if you feel like spending a bit of extra cash. From Halong you can take a boat to Cat Ba.

Hotels in Cat Ba Island

Below is a list of hotels in Cat Ba Island sorted by price range (highest first). If you wish to telephone a hotel the area code for Cat Ba is 031 (+8431 from outside Vietnam). There are also numerous hotels in Halong Bay

• Nam Duong Hotel
  Price Range: Up to $50 per night
  Cat Ba New Port (Tel: 888 586/ 888 818)
• Thuy Linh Hotel
  Price Range: Up to $25 per night
  Cat Ba New Port (Tel: 888 040/ 888 201)
• Tien Thang Hotel
  Price Range: Up to $25 per night
  Fishing Port, Cat Ba (Tel: 888 568)
• Van Anh Hotel
  Price Range: Up to $25 per night
  Cat Ba New Port (Tel: 888 201/ 888 282)
• Far Eastern Hotel
  Price Range: Up to $25 per night
  Group 19, Cat Ba (Tel: 888 555/ 888 325)
• Princes Hotel
  Price Range: Up to $25 per night
  Zone 4, Cat Ba (Tel: 888 892/ 888 899)
• Song Bien Hotel
  Price Range: Up to $25 per night
  Mountain Number 1, Cat Ba (Tel: 888 671)
• Thu Huyen Hotel
  Price Range: Up to $25 per night
  Fishing Port, Cat Ba (Tel: 888 559)