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Things to Do in Cat Ba

Things to Do in Cat Ba, Vietnam - Cat Ba Attractions

Things to Do in Cat Ba

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What travelers are saying

  • Paul R
    Brisbane, Australia26 contributions
    Review of: Cat Ba Island
    Moto Hires
    Cat Ba is very tourist orientated and English is comparatively wide spread - which is a bit of a rarity in many places in VN. January is off season and prices are pretty cheap but it is really a bit chill for any sort of water sport bar cruising.

    There are plenty of moto hires from 80k and up. 80k will get you a battered old Yamaha Neuvo, a Honda will cost you more. But the opportunities for long distance motorbike trips are pretty limited so the 80k ones are alright. However ...

    The one we rented had barely enough petrol to get us 100 meters - literally, it conked out just around the corner from the bike rental! "Conveniently", there were an abundance of small stalls flogging off petrol at double the bowser cost on the side of the road.

    I have done thousands of k's on moto's in Vietnam including many hires so something smelt fishy. So instead of paying the inflated prices, we called the rental guy, who came within 5 minutes, which was good, and declared we were out of fuel, asking why we had not purchased any!

    Anyway, there is a Petrolimix public gas station about 200 meters up the port road. There is another on the way out to the ferry port. Going price at the time of writing is 20k a litre - not the 40k they ask on the roadside (and god knows the quality there).

    You do not need to fill to the brim. Put 50k (2.5 liters) and if you need more, there are at least several stations about the place.
    Written January 20, 2020
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Hulda
    Vietnam1 contribution
    Review of: Lan Ha Bay
    Better than Halong Bay
    Oh, it’s seem to be better than Halong bay. Less visitors, more clean and less cruisers. Cheaper than Halong bay because the tickets to visit the bay.
    Written July 8, 2022
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Alu-Poo
    Tissamaharama, Sri Lanka514 contributions
    Review of: Cat Ba National Park
    Beautiful forest
    If you are staying on Cat Ba Island for a couple of days this is definitely worth a visit to get an impression of the forest on the steep rocks. We took a taxi to the park. We chose the path to climb Ngu Lam peak - which is what most people do. The path is excellent, all done with rocks and concrete. There were no leeches. However, it is going up quite a bit, involving many stairs. I would not recommend sandals, but huge hiking boots are not necessary. There is a small building on top from which you have a phantastic 360 degree view. The path goes a little bit further from there to another peak where you also have a nice view. Then it goes back down more or less the same way. Just follow the arrows, no map needed. We didn't see many animals, certainly not the famous monkeys. The forest is too dense and the birds to shy. The few birds we saw were at the bottom near the houses - the ones that used to people. The park entrance ticket is also valid for a cave 1 km down the road. Tell your taxi (if it is also taking you back) in advance that you will also see the cave. Ours tried to get more money for that. The cave has some nice spots in it and is worth a visit. It won't take long at all. The entire trip tooks us about 4.5 hours.
    Written July 27, 2022
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • yvonne405
    14 contributions
    Review of: Cannon Fort
    Closed but there is another route to get the view
    Cannon fort was closed when we were there. It looks as though there is a big hotel being built at the location.
    Our hotel gave us directions to see a similar view which was really good if a little steep at times. The route we took was full of beautiful butterflies and very scenic. Well worth the,walk out from cat ba town
    Written December 16, 2019
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • zaodeo
    21 contributions
    Review of: Monkey Island
    Monkeys are Jerks!
    Although this place is crawling with tourists, I enjoyed the “hike” to the summit (more of a treacherous free climb on alternatively slippery and razor sharp rocks). It is challenging but fun. Wear good shoes, not flip flops! I wore flip flops and it made the journey way more sketchy. There’s a nice open air bar where you can relax, have a cold drink and watch the monkeys. But do NOT mess with the monkeys!! The day we were there, two people got bitten. They also steal cell phones, sunglasses, and will swipe and drink your beer. They’ll take anything that’s not nailed down, and bite you if you try to stop ‘em. Keep a healthy distance, though, and they’re highly entertaining!
    Written March 6, 2020
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • JSTrip_77
    Pine, CO1,101 contributions
    Review of: Hospital Cave
    Fascinating Legacy of War
    Hospital Cave is really interesting to see. But, it would be nice if there was some additional signage or information about the site. Since we were not traveling with a tour guide, we really just observed the cave and tried to imagine what it was all about from the short description in the online guidebook. We were even traveling with Vietnamese friends so the issue was language but lack of a sense of value in telling the story of the cave.

    But, even without a great deal of explanation, it's totally worth visiting the cave just to see the scale and the organization of this hospital. It's in three levels and even has a swimming pool! There are some mannequins set up that bring some life to the place even without signage.

    Of note, this place is accessible at the top of some very steep steps!
    Written June 9, 2020
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Arvind
    Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates812 contributions
    Review of: Trung Trang Cave
    NIce Cave
    There seems to be a lot of beautiful caves to explore throughout Halong Bay, but perhaps the most easiest one would be Thien Cung Cave as its just around 4km from the harbor.
    Thien Cung cave offers a special insight of Vietnamese culture and is a popular stop for all cruises.
    I understood that due to narrow cave door and the development of the plants, the entrance of Thien Cung cave was hidden. The cave was discovered around early 1990 when a big storm hit the halong bay, fishermen came here to avoid the storm and accidentally explored a large cave

    They say it’s the ancient home of a Dragon King and his Queen. You may have to climb up a set of slippery stairs, and the jungle. Worth the effort and this will be a beautifully unique cave, lit up in mystical lights and colors that give it an glow.

    As you exit the cave there will be a beautiful view point that overlooks the whole of the bay, and then a short trek will take you back down a set of stairs to return to your cruise. There are multiple caves and Each cave has something different to offer, from unique formations to their own bits of culture.
    Written January 23, 2020
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • ochassot
    Santa Ana, Costa Rica952 contributions
    Review of: Viet Hai Village
    Quiet countryside in Cat Ba island
    We enjoyed ourselves visiting Viet hai Village in Cat Ba Island, especially with our bike ride. This is countryside and country life at its best! Lovely. If you plan to go to Ha Long Bay, please do not make the mistakes of either choosing a day trip (not worth the time, effort and money) or one of the cheap 2 days / 1 night at USD 85 or so. These are bad options. Miracles do not occur in extremely busy ha Long (up to 20,000 visitors per day), and for USD85, you will sure be crammed on a boat, and will not see much of Ha Long and will not even go to Lan Ha or Cat Ba.
    Written November 29, 2019
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • InMi_atw
    Singapore, Singapore25 contributions
    Review of: Vu Nguyen Family Massage
    Excellent massage
    The place is a bit tricky to find but I totally recommend it. My boyfriend and I went for a shoulders massage, however when we got there and heard the previous clients giving them really good feedback, we decided to go for full body massage. We did not regret this. Mr Vu and the other massage therapist were very professional. He knew exactly where to focus and he was gentle in terms of pressure.
    Written January 11, 2020
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Taika G
    Hanoi, Vietnam6 contributions
    Review of: Butterfly Valley
    AMAZING
    I lovveeeeddd this place so so so much. I brought my dog and he loved sploshing around in water. The locals were nice. Perfect place for a picnic or just a relaxed morning of some sort.
    Bring your dog here if you want them to be able to roam off leash :)
    Written July 1, 2020
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Daitim
    2 contributions
    Review of: Cat Co 1 Beach
    Nice beach
    We went to catba island for a day tour, after visiting national parks and cave and town we went here for swimming. The beach is nice and quiet . Good place for relaxing and enjoy some cocktails.
    Written February 22, 2020
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Kat
    5 contributions
    Review of: Langur's Adventures
    The best experience in Vietnam so far - Langur is great!
    My boyfriend and I walked into the Langur office with a few ideas about what we wanted to do since we have some experience climbing and they built us a custom tour package making sure we got to do everything we wanted! 1 night, 1.5 days - we spent the afternoon climbing on our own on Moody Beach, spent the night on a boat in the middle of the bay, did deep water solo and kayaking. The guides, Steven and Ben, were helpful and informative. Everyone went above and beyond, like helping me track down a bag I had left on another boat and keeping it safe until the end of the trip. They even let me use their laptop to reformat a faulty SD card a day after, when I popped in to ask where I could find a computer!

    Such a great experience! Would highly recommend!
    Written January 4, 2020
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • GT1490
    Handforth, UK9 contributions
    Review of: Cat Ba Green Trail Travel
    A brilliant tour of Lan Ha Bay
    We had a fantastic one day tour of Lan Ha Bay provided by Cat Ba Green Trail Travel.

    The tour visits a local fishing village, all the major sights of Lan Ha and parts of Halong, a brilliant 1 hour 30 kayaking tour through the most beautiful and scenic of lagoons & caves and finishes with a truly memorable swimming experience in Cam Lagoon.

    What made this tour extra special was both the quality of the lunch (platters of various seafood, rice, soups and for any vegetarians- tofu, salads) and also the brilliance of the tour guide Kong- with a very personable character, excellent spoken English and a great ability to convey detail of the area extremely professionally!

    A must book when in Cat Ba.
    Written August 5, 2022
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Wyman Wai Meng L
    2 contributions
    Review of: Rosy Cruise
    Great tour guide
    The tour guide Frank is very helpful and always there to assist in any queries. He shared lotsa of information about Vietnamese places and food.
    Written February 15, 2020
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • David C
    Ljubljana, Slovenia3 contributions
    Review of: Cat Ba Smile Tours
    Great day out on the boat
    We had a great day out on the boat trip with our guide, Tar. The karst mountains were absolutely beautiful - everywhere you looked you saw a new amazing view. The activities were great fun - we went kayaking for about an hour and a half; went for a swim; and cycled to a village. Seeing the floating fishing villages as we went was also really cool.

    The day was well organized (we were picked up by car from our hotel) and the boat was very nice. The lunch was also great!
    Written August 8, 2022
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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