Cat Ba island can be easily reached by catching one of the many tourist boats down at the water front in Halong-City or in Haiphong.
There is also a ferry from Dao Tuan Chau, just outside of Halong city, running 3 times daily: 9:30,11:30 and 15:30 costing 50,000VND per person and takes just over an hour, nice scenic route but then all routes to Cat Ba are. Cars and bikes etc also takes this route. Be warned though, especially during off-peak season, that the ferry will only leave if there are more than 20 people using it. It also arrives into a lesser used port on the Northern edge of the island, about 25km from Cat Ba town. A local bus can be taken to town, costing about 10,000VND per person, or an array of motorbike taxis await. Be wary as enterprising local businessman may try to convince you the local bus is his personal taxi, and charge you extortionate rate to use it.
There is another government-run ferry leaving the tourist wharf at 12:00 daily costing 100,000 VND per person and takes 5 hours. This arrives into Cat Ba town.
From Hanoi, Hoang Long operates a bus and boat service that departs from Luong Yen Bus Station in Hanoi at 5:20, 7:20, 11:20 and 13:20. A single trip from Hanoi to Cat Ba town takes 4,5 hours and costs 190,000 - 220,000 VND (US$9-$11) depending on season. The staff from Hoang Long will guide you onto each bus and boat connection you need (bus-bus-boat-bus).
There are also a number of tourist operators offering overnight package trips from Hanoi for roughly US$50 (offpeak) per person, including the following:
Travel in a well appointed mini-van from Hanoi to Ha Long Bay.
Lunch on the mainland on arrival in Ha Long Bay.
Travel to Cat Ba island on a tourist boat via a number of the more spectacular caves that are dotted on the many islands in the bay.
Overnight (twin share) accommodation in a comfortable, well appointed, hotel with dinner and breakfast included.
Return travel to the mainland via tourist boat.
Lunch in Ha Long Bay.
Return travel via mini-van to Hanoi.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Cat Ba
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Cat Ba - updated May 2024
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Cat Ba Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
