If you are planning to travel to Cat Ba island, please
refer to the following article to gain experience
traveling to Cat Ba in the peak time.
1. Transportation: Rent a car from home to the
cable car station or speedboat pier
+ take the cable car/speedboat to the island and then
rent a car/bus to take you to the hotel. Avoid taking
the Dong Bai ferry even on weekdays. If taking the
ferry, choose Tuan Chau ferry.
2. Hotels in the center of Tung Dinh, Nui Ngoc, 1/4
streets you can catch electric cars for 10.000 VND/person
each way, convenient for traveling to the beach,
restaurants. In other areas, you should rent a
motorbike, or call a taxi (electric car is more
expensive).
3. Cheap seafood: 2nd floor at the entrance to
the Cat Ba market (popular place, no air conditioning).
4. If you go in July, you should go from Tuesday to
Thursday, the weekend is very busy and even the
beginning of the week from Sunday to Tuesday is also
busy. If you want to avoid the crowds and have cheaper
services and more beautiful scenery, go in August to
October (you can still swim comfortably, book the
service 5-7 days in advance when you have checked the
weather is safe and there are no storms/low pressure).
5. If you are prone to motion sickness or
seasickness, choose the 3-hour Lan Ha Bay tour in the
morning or afternoon (with a beautiful sunset in the
afternoon). On the days with no rain or hot sun are
big waves (strong southwest wind).
6. Choose a reliable tour company who has and
knowledgeable about Cat Ba to arrange the trip.
7. Do not eat ice cream after eating seafood. You
should eat in the morning or afternoon, 2-3 hours after
the main meal. Eating cold/sweet food after eating
seafood can cause digestive disorders.
8. When booking a room via a booking application, you
should call the hotel to check, you should call the
hotel to check again before the departure date to ensure
your room is secured. If you book the meals at the hotel
you should discuss clearly with the hotel about number
of meals, how much the meal costs...
9. Do not take the offers to go squid fishing in the
wharf area. Squid is only available from early April
to mid-May (late May is still available but in small
quantities, difficult to catch on moonlight nights).
10. Be careful when listening to the electric car
drivers advising restaurants, shops selling dried
seafood or Cat Ba specialties or book a tour to Lan
Ha Bay. Not all electric car drivers are bad, it's just
that during peak season there are more worms in the
vegetables. Check the electric car driver, if invited to
eat seafood, buy a tour, say you have booked in advance
and if the attitude is still cheerful and polite, you
can trust them.
11. Swim in the early morning, the beach is
wider, the waves are calmer. In the afternoon, swim
between 15:00 - 16:30 at Cat Co 1 beach, where the
Flamingo building is shady. Children should swim at Cat
Co 1 and Tung Thu beaches. Change into bathing suit from
hotel (as the changing room, shower at the beach is
chargeable, long wait).
Ha Long Bay is also home to many exciting
recreational, entertainment and sightseeing activities.
Cruise Halong
bay provides tours and travel services to Halong bay
and Cat Ba island.
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