Cat Ba Island, Vietnam: A Short Travel Guide

Updated: 3 days ago

Cat Ba is the largest island in Lan Ha Bay and Ha Long Bay, located in northeastern Vietnam. The island is known for its stunning limestone mountains, lush green jungle, and pristine beaches. You can find a range of outdoor activities which make a great alternative to the more expensive Ha Long Bay cruises. The central hub is Cat Ba Town, which is framed by a range of hotels, travel agencies, and restaurants. And while this is the most touristic part of the island, the rest is largely untouched and wild with the scenic Lan Ha Bay just offshore. In this travel guide, we share our top things to do on Cat Ba Island as well as great places to stay, eat, and drink.

Cai Beo Fishing Village cat ba island — Cai Beo Fishing Village

Check out our video about Cat Ba Island to see the best things to do through our camera!

Best Things To Do On Cat Ba Island

Watch sunset from Cannon Fort
Visit Hospital Cave
Relax at the beaches (Cat Co 1, 2 & 3)
See Cai Beo Fishing Village
Explore Trung Trang Cave
Hike in Cat Ba National Park (Ngu Lam Peak or Viet Hai Village)
Explore Lan Ha Bay by kayak (or boat tour)

Download our Google Map with all the places to go, eat, drink, and stay here.

Cat Ba National Park hiking — Ngu Lam peak - Cat Ba National Park

Places To Stay On Cat Ba Island

Cat Ba Eco Hotel ($ - where we stayed): clean, spacious, and bright rooms in the heart of Cat Ba Town. Breakfast buffet is included!
Hôtel Perle d'Orient Cat Ba ($$$): luxury hotel right at Cat Co 3 beach with amazing pool!

cannon fort lookout cat ba island — View from Cannon Fort

Places To Eat And Drink On Cat Ba Island

Casa Bonita: good mix of western and local food
Lepont bungalow: great sunset bar and restaurant
Napoli Pizza – café: delicous pizza's and pasta's
Start up café & restaurant: great local cuisine

Map Cat Ba Island

Find all the places to go, eat, drink, and stay on Cat Ba Island on Google Maps. To follow and save the list, do the following:

Tap on the link to open it (click button below)
Tap Follow. This list will now be added to the group of lists you follow.
Optional: To unfollow a list someone shared with you, tap the list Saved.

If you follow the list we made, all our saved places of Cat Ba Island will show up in Your Places. The places will also appear as suggested locations in Google Maps.

Save Google Maps Places