Cat Ba Island

Cat Ba is a small archipelago southeast of Hai Phong province consisting of one main island and almost 300 smaller ones totalling 300 sq km in area. Tourists can also reach to Cat Ba by cruise from Ha Long Bay.

The main island, Cat Ba stands about 200m above the sea level and 80km off the coast.

It has some good beaches like Cat Co 1, Cat Co 2 that attracts many tourists in the summer. The island is a large natural reserve of tropical forests, including some primitive ones, covering 570 ha, and harbours 28 species of animals, 37 of birds, and 20 of reptiles many of which are listed as endangered. Cat Ba is also important for the ecology of its submerged vegetation, lakes in limestone mountains and hot springs.