HA LONG BAY, VIETNAM
If you are looking to visit one place in Vietnam to soak in its awe-striking seascapes, look no further than Ha Long Bay! With its gorgeous limestone islets, it’s impossible to take an ugly photo here. The nearly 2,000 islands are home to various types of wildlife - some of which, like the Cat Ba langur, are on the verge of extinction. In addition to its dense monkey population, Cat Ba is the bay’s largest island and the main travel destination for tourists.
Attractions:
Boat Tour: In Ha Long City, tours leave from Tuan Chau Marina and vary in price/size. I went on a day cruise that lasted 3-4 hours and it cost me 690,000 VND ($30 USD). The trip around the bay is absolutely beautiful and the tour is well worth the money especially if you can catch a sunset cruise! Tours in Hai Phong leave from Got Pier.
Kayak to Monkey Island: From Cat Ba Town, the kayak ride is 1 hour each way so be prepared to sweat! The views are lovely and paddling through the bay is dreamlike. Once you arrive on Monkey Island, you’ll see monkeys everywhere. Be careful as they’re not the most friendly! You can climb up to a viewpoint for a surreal 360° view. If you’d rather take a boat here from Cat Ba Town, you can do that as well. Renting the kayak for 4 hours cost me 460,000 VND.
Cat Ba National Park: This national park has plenty of treks, wildlife, and caves. Be sure to bring lots of water as there isn’t too much in the park itself.
Hike to Cannon Fort: Just a short taxi (or motorbike) ride from Cat Ba Town, you can hike up to this old fort and get some incredible views!
Other activities include rock-climbing, scuba-diving, and yoga.
When it comes to choosing an island to stay on, there are many options. I stayed on Cat Ba Island which is the biggest of the islands and the most backpacker-friendly. Other resort-friendly options include: Quan Lan, Co To, Ngoc Vung, or Bai Tu Long.
Accommodation:
I think you can do better than the hostel I stayed at (Cat Ba Central Hostel) but please note that your hostel options will be limited on Cat Ba Island.
Transportation:
There are two main ways to get to Cat Ba Island from Hanoi. My recommended route is through Hai Phong, not Ha Long City.
A bus from Hanoi to Hai Phong is 4 hours and costs 290,000 VND. From there, you can take a 1 hour boat for 200,000 VND to the southern port of Cat Ba (named Cat Ba Harbor). This is a very important distinction from the northern port. The southern port is in Cat Ba Town - where all accommodation and activities are located.
A bus from Hanoi to Ha Long City is 4 hours and costs 330,000 VND. From there, you can take a 1 hour ferry for 160,000 VND to the northern port of Cat Ba (named Gia Luan Harbor) which is a tourist trap. From Cat Ba’s northern port, Cat Ba Town is 40 minutes away - and as you will read below, this is bad news.
From Sa Pa, you have two options.
Option 1: Take the 6-8 hour bus ride from Sa Pa to Hanoi; this costs 275,000 VND. You can spend the night in Hanoi or take another bus that same day to Hai Phong. This bus ride is 4 hours and costs 320,000 VND. From Hai Phong, you can take a 1 hour boat directly to the southern port of Cat Ba (Cat Ba Harbor).
Option 2: Take the 10 hour sleeper bus at 8:00pm that will get you into Ha Long City at 6:00am; this costs 420,000 VND. From Ha Long City, you then take a boat ride to Cat Ba Island. The boat will drop you off at the northern port of Cat Ba (Gia Luan Harbor). From here, you must take a 20 minute taxi (upwards of 500,000 VND) or a 40 minute local bus into Cat Ba Town. The local bus is green (this is important as there are other buses of different colors floating around the area that will charge you an inflated rate) and is timed to depart 10 minutes after the ferry arrives so be sure to get directly on the local bus once you arrive at the port. Beware: You will be told that there is no local bus that will take you into Cat Ba Town and that the only way is via taxi or tourist bus - this is a lie. The local bus is green, leaves 10 minutes after the ferry arrives, and costs 30,000 VND. If you happen to miss the local bus (which I unfortunately did), your only option is to take a taxi. The rate will be high but you can split it with fellow travelers. At the northern port, you will also be told that you need to pay a fee of 40,000 VND to get onto the island. This is also not true. All in all, when I return to Cat Ba Island in the future, I will not take this route again. I will take the route via Hai Phong. I know that the direct, sleeper bus from Sa Pa to Ha Long City is appealing but it will cause you more headache in the long run, believe me!
There is no direct route from Hai Phong or Ha Long City to Ninh Binh. I recommend taking a bus from Hai Phong to Hanoi (4 hours; 290,000 VND) and then taking a train from Hanoi to Ninh Binh (2.5 hours; 170,000 VND).
The above photos of me were taken by my new friend, FZ. Thank you for taking and sending me these pictures!