[Photos] Saigoneer Getaways: Outdoor Adventures Abound on Cat Ba Island
Published on Wednesday, 25 January 2017 15:00 Written by Mike Tatarski. Photos by Mike Tatarski.
Our smooth ride down the Hanoi-Hai Phong expressway comes to an abrupt end when our bus lurches into Dinh Vu Port, a hopelessly run-down facility beyond the huge factories of the city’s industrial park. A 20-minute express boat ride delivers travelers from the derelict port to Cat Ba Island on the southern edge of Ha Long Bay.
The largest island in the eponymous archipelago, Cat Ba, remains a surprisingly under-noticed stop on Vietnam’s coastal tourist trail. Much of it is covered by a national park, home to the highly endangered Cat Ba langur, while offshore, the waters of Lan Ha Bay boast the same remarkable limestone karsts of its more famous cousin to the north.
I last went to Cat Ba in late 2011, and to my surprise little seems to have changed in the intervening years. With destinations like Phu Quoc becoming almost unrecognizable recently, it was nice to re-visit somewhere that hasn’t been overrun with enormous resort developments and mega-size infrastructure projects. That being said, a bridge connecting Hai Phong to nearby Cat Hai Island just opened a few weeks ago, so that is sure to change soon.
For now, at least, Cat Ba’s main town remains charmingly simple. A waterfront promenade follows the main road, while an array of tube hotels is wedged between the street and a line of karsts. A simple room with a magnificent view of the sea can be had for US$10 (VND230,000) a night, surely one of the best values in the world.
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