Cat Ba Island (Cát Bà) Guide: Getting There, Lan Ha Bay and Where to Stay
From Hanoi (Hà Nội), the simplest way to Cat Ba is a bus-and-boat ticket with an Old Quarter pickup. From Hai Phong (Hải Phòng), take the daytime cable car (closed on Tuesdays) or, with a bike, the ferry. Lan Ha Bay (vịnh Lan Hạ) works as a day trip; a night on the island adds time for the beaches.
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Boats moored in the bay at Cat Ba town, August 2018.
On a summer weekend the motorbikes are queuing at Dong Bai (Đồng Bài) pier before the first ferry leaves. Behind you stand the container cranes of Lach Huyen (Lạch Huyện) port; ahead, across a strip of silver water, the limestone hills of Cat Ba. In daylight, cable car cabins slide over the same stretch of sea.
Cat Ba is the largest island of an archipelago that borders Ha Long (Hạ Long) Bay to the north, and the base for boat trips into Lan Ha Bay. The scenery is the same limestone and sheltered water as Ha Long, usually with fewer boats, although the few stops still open to visitors can get busy. There is no bridge to the island, so how smoothly your trip goes comes down to bus, ferry and cable car times.
Hanoi to Cat Ba
The simplest option from Hanoi is a bus-and-boat ticket: a coach or limousine van from the Old Quarter, a boat or the cable car across, and a shuttle into Cat Ba town, about three and a half to four and a half hours in all. Driving, the train, the last departures and the trip back are compared in our guide to getting from Hanoi to Cat Ba.
You can also go down to Hai Phong city first by train, bus or limousine van and cross on one of the three routes below, which suits anyone who wants a night in Hai Phong for the food.
Three ways across from Hai Phong
Two routes start at Dong Bai pier on Cat Hai island, about 27 km by road from the Hai Phong Opera House; the cable car station sits right next to the ferry. The third is a speedboat from Ben Binh (Bến Bính) pier in the city centre.
| Route | Crossing times, fares | Into Cat Ba town | Best for, what to watch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cat Hai - Phu Long cable car | 70,000 VND per ride, under 1 m free. From 19 Oct 2026, Monday-Friday operating windows start at 9am, 10am, 11am and 1:30pm, with a final window of 2:30-2:45pm; Saturday-Sunday add 3:30-3:45pm; closed on Tuesdays. The two directions are not listed separately, so confirm the last departure from Phu Long | The Plus ticket bundles the cable car and the shuttle into town; confirm the current price when booking. Or a taxi from outside the station | Daytime, no vehicle; one hand-carried bag per person, up to 80 x 60 x 30 cm and 30 kg. Stops in bad weather as announced by the operator |
| Dong Bai - Cai Vieng ferry | From 5am; last boat 6pm from Dong Bai, 5:30pm from Cai Vieng. On foot 10,000 VND, with a bicycle 12,000, motorbike 45,000, car under 9 seats 190,000 per crossing | Your own vehicle or a taxi; agree the fare first | Bikes, cars, early or late crossings. Sails only when permitted; stops for storms and sea bans |
| Ben Binh speedboat | About 200,000-300,000 VND per person each way depending on the company; each company keeps its own times, and some tickets include a road transfer to Dong Bai | Some dock at Cai Vieng with a shuttle, others closer to town; ask if the transfer is included | Staying in central Hai Phong. Cancelled in rough seas |
The cable car is nearly 4 km long and takes 10-15 minutes. From 19 October 2026 it is closed every Tuesday, and on weekdays there are only five operating windows, the last at 2:30-2:45pm. Times change from season to season, so check the operator's timetable page (in Vietnamese, with a bilingual timetable image) before you go. The timetable does not give separate times for each direction, so confirm the last departure from Phu Long separately before you fix your return day. The Plus ticket bundles the cable car and the shuttle into town; confirm the current price when booking. With it, you do not need to find transport at the station. Without a vehicle, this is the crossing we would pick, for the view back over the port and for skipping the weekend ferry queue.
Take the ferry if you are bringing a motorbike or car. The ferry times in the table apply from 1 September to 31 December 2026, with no more than 40 minutes between crossings; tickets are sold at the pier. The city's ferry timetable page is in Vietnamese.
The speedboat costs three to four times the cable car fare, but you board in central Hai Phong and do not have to arrange the nearly 30 km ride out to Dong Bai yourself. Check whether your Ben Binh ticket is a direct sailing or includes a road transfer to Dong Bai, and confirm the total time to Cat Ba town. When you buy, also ask for the times both ways and exactly where you land.
Ha Long and Ninh Binh from Cat Ba
For Ha Long, the Tuan Chau - Gia Luan (Tuần Châu - Gia Luận) car ferry leaves from the north of the island. It runs only three to five times each way a day depending on the season and takes about 50-80 minutes; fares are around 60,000 VND on foot and 300,000-450,000 VND for a small car, depending on the source. Check sailing times at the pier the day before. For Ninh Binh (Ninh Bình), limousine vans combined with the ferry are sold in town and on booking platforms at roughly 300,000-390,000 VND. They are advertised at four to five hours, but some passengers report six, so do not plan anything tight on arrival. Pickup points in Tam Coc (Tam Cốc), departure times and how each ticket crosses the sea are compared in our guide to travelling between Ninh Binh and Cat Ba.
Cat Ba town and the Cat Co beaches
The town wraps around a small harbour: hotels shoulder to shoulder, fishing boats packed into the water, and in the evening seafood restaurants with their tanks out on the pavement. Sun Group runs a beach and a night market on the central bay.
Cat Co (Cát Cò) 1, 2 and 3 sit in limestone coves just over the hill, about 1 km from town on foot. Cat Co 1 is the widest and busiest. The water is clearer than at Do Son (Đồ Sơn) on the mainland, but conditions still change with the wind.
Cannon Fort (Pháo đài Thần Công) above town used to be the sunset spot. Some 2026 travel sites say it is temporarily closed, though it is unclear whether there is an official notice: ask your hotel before you walk up, and do not take back trails into a fenced-off site.
Lan Ha Bay: picking a boat
Boats leave from Ben Beo (Bến Bèo) pier, about 2.5 km from town. First you pass Cai Beo (Cái Bèo) fishing village, with its green-painted floating houses, then the boat threads between forested karst islands where the water goes glassy. Trips run from a few hours to most of the day; the longer ones include lunch on board and a swim stop. To compare Lan Ha with Ha Long, or to see which stops a typical boat makes, read more about visiting Lan Ha Bay.
Shared boats are the cheapest option. A two- to three-hour trip runs about 350,000-380,000 VND per person and a full day with lunch about 650,000-750,000 VND; many sellers include the bay fee and a hotel pickup. Groups who want their own schedule can hire a private boat: roughly 2-3.5 million VND per boat for two to three hours and 4-8 million for six hours, and some quotes leave the 120,000 VND bay fee per adult on top. Overnight cruises run about 3-6 million VND per person. With a night on board, the bay fee is the sightseeing-plus-one-night rate (400,000 VND per adult, 300,000 VND per child), which already covers the day fee, so the 120,000 VND is not added on top; ask whether the cruise price includes it. Prices are as of Jan-Apr 2026 and move with the season; if an offer is much cheaper, ask whether lunch, the bay fee and the transfer to the pier are included. Since 20 April 2026, some overnight cruises also board at Tuan Chau and Ha Long ports and sail into Lan Ha; this connecting route is for overnight cruises only, not day trips.
Kayaking availability depends on permission for the specific area. Confirm your itinerary and the replacement activity before booking, usually a bamboo rowing boat paddled by villagers.
Since mid-June 2026 the Cat Hai special zone has required every passenger on tourist boats in the Cat Ba bays to wear a properly fastened life jacket from boarding until the end of the trip. At swim stops, get in only when the crew says so and stay in the marked area. Non-swimmers should stay on board, and skip alcohol before and during the trip. Near the cliffs around Viet Hai (Việt Hải) you may spot the Cat Ba langur; ask the crew to keep their distance and the noise down, and never throw food.
Where to stay and getting around
For a first visit, stay in town: it is close to Ben Beo, a walk from the beaches and full of places to eat, though noisy in summer. The Cat Co resorts put the beach at your door. A few homestays in Viet Hai, inside the national park, are wonderfully quiet but have no road link to town: you get there by boat from Ben Beo to Viet Hai pier and then about 5 km on to the village, or on foot through the forest. Little is open after dark. Guesthouses and hotels in town cost about 500,000-1,000,000 VND a night, homestays from around 300,000 VND and resorts from 1.5-2 million VND. Prices climb in June to August and on summer weekends, so book early and pick a rate you can cancel.
Town is walkable and has electric buggies. Further out, use a taxi or rent a motorbike: it is about 13 km to the national park headquarters and about 22-23 km to Cai Vieng (measured on the map, rounded). The cross-island road is steep and twisting. Ride only if you hold a licence valid in Vietnam (and check your travel insurance covers it), wear a helmet, go slowly and stay off the road in heavy rain. Coming in from the ferry side, you can stop at Cat Ba National Park: two hours is enough for Ngu Lam (Ngự Lâm) peak, while the cross-forest hike to Viet Hai needs a full day.
Two days on Cat Ba
- D1 · 7am
Leave Hai Phong
Cross the sea bridge for an early ferry or the 9am or 10am cable car (closed on Tuesdays), allowing for the transfer into town. - D1 · 10am
National park stop
The short Kim Giao - Ngu Lam - Trung Trang Cave route, 1-2 hours; skip the summit in rain. - D1 · 1pm
Check in, lunch in town
Sit out the midday heat. - D1 · 3:30pm
Cat Co beaches
Swim where lifeguards are on duty and be out of the water before dark. - D1 · 7pm
Evening on the central bay
Seafood (ask the price per kilo before ordering) and the night market. - D2 · 8am
Lan Ha Bay from Ben Beo
Choose a half or full day depending on how you leave; boats sail only when permitted. - D2 · afternoon
Back to the mainland
To return by cable car, pick a half-day tour. From 19 Oct 2026 the final operating window is 2:30-2:45pm Monday-Friday and 3:30-3:45pm at weekends, with no service on Tuesdays; confirm the last departure from Phu Long separately. Phu Long is about 22-23 km from town. A full-day cruise may finish too late for the last ferry, which leaves Cai Vieng at 5:30pm (1 Sep-31 Dec 2026). Confirm the docking time and transfer to Cai Vieng before booking; otherwise stay another night or choose a shorter trip.
Under your own steam, a day trip from Hai Phong covers the beaches or the national park, rarely both. Lan Ha Bay is possible on a day trip: tours run from Hai Phong and Hanoi, so check pickup times and whether transfers and the crossing are included. Stay overnight if you also want time for the beaches or national park.
What two days cost
This follows the plan above in its simplest form: cable car both ways, a short shared boat on Lan Ha in the morning and two people sharing a room in town.
| Item | Guide price | Charged per |
|---|---|---|
| Cable car, both ways | 140,000 VND | Person 1 m and taller |
| National park, short route | 120,000 VND | Adult |
| Shared Lan Ha boat, 2-3 hours | 350,000-380,000 VND, usually including bay fee and pickup | Person |
| Hotel or guesthouse, one night | 500,000-1,000,000 VND | Room, split between guests |
| Total, two sharing a room | About 860,000-1,140,000 VND | Person |
A full-day boat with lunch (650,000-750,000 VND) adds about 270,000-400,000 VND to the short-tour price in the table. Recalculate the return crossing once you have confirmed the connection: if switching from cable car to a foot-passenger ferry, subtract 70,000 VND and add 10,000 VND, using the guide fares above. With a motorbike, swap the cable car for the ferry: the motorbike fare is 45,000 VND per crossing, so 90,000 VND both ways; a pillion passenger should ask at the pier whether the 10,000 VND foot fare applies too. Rooms and boats swing most with the season, so get quotes for your dates.
Good to know
Carry cash in small notes for ferries, buggies and pavement food, and bring your passport for hotel check-in.
October and November are the months we would pick: softer sun and much less rain than summer, and October still has days warm enough for a swim. June to August is the busy, pricey swimming season and also typhoon season, and August is the wettest month of the year in Hai Phong. From December to February it is cool and the beaches are empty, better for a bay cruise than a swim.
Frequently asked questions
Is Lan Ha Bay better than Ha Long Bay?
It is the same kind of limestone seascape, reached from Cat Ba rather than Ha Long city. It usually has fewer boats, but the few stops open to visitors can still be busy at peak times. If you are staying on Cat Ba anyway, a Lan Ha trip saves the long transfer to Ha Long.
Do I need to book the cable car or ferry in advance?
Ferry tickets are sold at the pier. Cable car tickets are sold at the station and online through Sun World; on holidays and summer weekends, book ahead or arrive early, as operating windows are few (five on weekdays, six at weekends) and the cable car is closed on Tuesdays (timetable from 19 Oct 2026).
Can children ride the cable car free?
Children under 1 m ride free. The bay fee from 1 Jan 2026 is 60,000 VND for children aged 6 and over, and free for children under 6. Tour prices for children vary by boat. On board, children wear a life jacket for the whole trip, like every passenger, with an adult beside them.
