All about Lan Ha Bay, cruise trips and tour activities

Lan Ha Bay is in the coast of the beautiful Hai Phong city and about 30 km from this city center. The bay is located in the east of Cat Ba Island and is an adjacent bridge between Cat Ba Island and the world wonder Ha Long Bay.

From the jetty of Cat Ba Island, it takes about 30 minutes to take the boat to Lan Ha Bay. Lan Ha Bay is compared to a lovely silk strip that is woven by clear blue sea water.

The area of the bay is over 7000 hectares, however, of which more than 5400 hectares are under the management of the UNESCO biosphere reserve - Cat Ba National Park.

The bay consists of a fairly unspoiled archipelago with about 300 densely packed large and small islands, with many unique shapes and covered with green trees, creating a huge, fanciful picture.

The landscape of Lan Ha Bay and a fishing village in Cat Ba island

Lan Ha Bay not only nature endowed with beautiful and charming natural landscapes, but also contains many typical ecosystems, notably cave ecosystems, tidal ecosystems, coral ecosystems, soft bottom ecosystems and saltwater lake ecosystems.

Lan Ha Bay is also an area that has experienced a long history of geological development about 18 000 years, outstanding and extensive in pyramidal and pyramidal karst topography.

Possessing hundreds of large and small islands with varied green vegetation all year round, a network of pristine underground streams and caves, many fine golden sand beaches have sketched a peaceful ink painting and romance about Lan Ha Bay.

Thanks to the unique features of nature, culture and biodiversity, in 1986, Lan Ha Bay was ranked as a National Park on the Sea by the Vietnamese Government. In 2004, the Bay was recognized by UNESCO as a World Biosphere Reserve and in 2012 was ranked as a special national scenic spot.

Table of content

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1. Interesting places in Lan Ha Bay
 

1.1 Cat Ba Island

Cat Ba Island and Lan Ha Bay are two inseparable places. This is the largest island in the Gulf of Tonkin. With a population living on the island and a very diverse ecosystem. Natural beauty with beaches and national forests. This is the place to combine visiting Lan Ha Bay with Cat Ba Island. Or stay on Cat Ba Island to visit Lan Ha Bay.

Cat Ba Island with beautiful Cat Co beaches

In which, there are some attractive places in Cat Ba island such as:

Cat Ba town: Cat Ba Town is a small town on Cat Ba island, where it is a tourist center with many hotels and restaurants along with other services for tourists. From Cat Ba town, guests can visit Lan Ha Bay, swim at Cat Co beach, trek in Cat Ba national park…

Charming Cat Ba town in Cat Ba Island

Cannon Fort: The Cannon Fort in Cat Ba is not far from town, located on a hill with an altitude of 177m and includes large cannons, a system of trenches built in the 40s of the 20th century.
This place not only has great historical value, but also place to admire the bay as well as enjoy the beautiful sunset over the sea.

Cannon Fort in Cat Ba Island - a great view of the Lan Ha Bay

Cat Co Beaches: Cat Co beaches are located in Cat Ba town, 500-800m from the town center. Consisting of 3 beaches with fine white sand and clear blue sea. This is a place of unspoiled and poetic natural beauty, really great for a beach vacation.

Beautiful clear water at Cat Co beach in Cat Ba island

Viet Hai Village: Viet Hai is an ancient village located deep in the Cat Ba National Park with several dozen households. Surrounded by mountains and forests with extremely unspoiled natural landscapes, hospitable people, Viet Hai village is almost completely separate from modern life. This place is visited by many international and domestic tourists.

The typical houses in Viet Hai Village - Cat Ba Island

Cat Ba national park: 15km from Cat Ba town with an altitude of 150m, this is a place to preserve 741 species of plants and 282 different species of animals. Cat Ba National Park is also recognized by UNESCO as the World Biosphere Reserve. Visitors will have interesting experiences when exploring this place as well as trekking up to Ngu Lam mountain.

The stunning lanscape of Cat Ba national park

Caves system in Cat Ba island: Cat Ba Island is really an interesting place to explore. In addition to the beaches and national forests, this place also has mysterious and beautiful cave systems such as Trung Trang cave, Hoa Cuong cave, Thien Long cave, or beautiful and historic cave such as Army hospital cave where used as a hospital during the war.

1.2 Van Boi beach:

The beautiful unspoiled beauty of Van Boi beach on Cat Ba island is a hidden beauty that impresses visitors by the natural scenery of mountains, rocks and green forests surrounding nature. It is an ideal place for swimming, snorkeling, and relaxing.

The beauty of pristine Van Boi beach

1.3 Three peach beaches (Ba Trai Dao) in Lan Ha Bay:

One of the outstanding destinations in Lan Ha Bay is the three peaches beach. Consisting of 3 mountains about 20m high that look like giant peaches from afar, at the foot of the mountain are three pristine beaches with smooth white sand and blue water. This place is really great for kayaking and toothpick activities amidst unspoiled and peaceful nature.

Three peach beaches in Lan Ha Bay - Vietnam

1.4 Monkey Island and beach:

This is a small island in Cat Ba archipelago, about 3km from Cat Ba center and takes about 15 minutes by boat. On Monkey Island, there is a 1km long beach called Cat Dua beach with fine white sand and clear, calm sea water. There are a few dozen monkeys on the island, so it is called monkey island.
They are mischievous monkeys. Visitors are advised to keep an eye on their belongings and not go near the monkeys.
Like other beaches, this is an ideal place for swimming and kayaking as well as spending the night on the island because there are simple bungalows right on the island for visitors.

The wilderness of Monkey Island beach

1.5 Cai Beo fishing village:

Located right next to Cai Beo pier is Cai Beo fishing village. This is the largest ancient fishing village in Vietnam with more than 300 households. Cai Beo fishing village is located in the middle of the karst limestone mountain in Lan Ha Bay, 1.5km from the center of Cat Ba town. Visiting Cai Beo, visitors will learn about the life of this ancient fishing village as well as enjoy the beautiful scenery of nature and the locals.

Gorgeous Cai Be fish village - the most ancient fishing village in Vietnam

2. What to do in Lan Ha Bay?
 

2.1 Enjoy Cruise trips in Lan Ha Bay

Coming to Lan Ha Bay, an activity that cannot be missed is enjoying a boat trip. Maybe it's just a few hours on the boat to enjoy the scenery and swim, or it can also be the overnight cruise trip to spend the night in Lan Ha Bay on those cruises, visitors will have the opportunity to approach closer to nature.

A Luxury Heritage cruise trip in a beautiful green bay

2.2 Trekking in Cat Ba National Park

One of the attractive activities in Lan Ha Bay is trekking in Cat Ba National Park. In fact, this is a combination of a trip to Lan Ha Bay and a visit to Cat Ba National Park. It is 15km from the center of Cat Ba town and visitors need to travel by car or motorbike to the gate, and from there, they will trek in the unspoiled natural forest with a moderate slope. Experiencing to explore nature and exercise. The end of the trekking is reaching to the Ngu lam peak, offering a great panorama view of the Cat Ba Island and Lan Ha Bay.

Trekking in Cat Ba National Park

2.3 Rock climbing at karst mountain in Lan Ha Bay

Tourism activities for adventurous travelers. Both physical training and climbing skills. At the same time, this is also an approach to the beautiful nature of Lan Ha Bay.

Some tour operators arrange rock climbing tours in Lan Ha bay. They will guide you on basic skills and notes during climbing. Provide visitors with safety skills and specialized equipment for climbing standards such as shoes, helmets, safety belts, climbing ropes. Please do not worry if this is your first time climbing the mountain, you will be guided in detail by the tour guide.

For those who love the adventurous activities - Rock climbing in Lan Ha Bay

2.4 Swimming in pristine beaches in Lan Ha Bay

The experience of swimming in a pristine beach with blue water and fine white sand is completely real in Lan Ha Bay. Many small beaches located close to the foot of the limestone mountains in the bay are great places for vacationers.

Enjoy the relaxing moment at beach in Lan Ha Bay.

2.5 Do kayaking in Lan Ha Bay

Kayaking on Lan Ha Bay is the most popular activity and also an activity to reach the peaceful pristine beaches, explore Lan Ha Bay in detail and full of experience.
Any boat trip on Lan Ha Bay has Kayak, visitors just need to book in advance or many cruises are included the kayak in the package. However, for the best experience, you should book a private boat with kayak, you can go to any corner of Lan Ha Bay.

A beautiful place to enjoy kayaking

2.6 Have fun with fishing activities in Lan Ha Bay

Fishing in Lan Ha Bay is an interesting activity, usually used by tourists who have a lot of time and are on vacation to relax.
Visitors will get on a fishing boat to go deeply into Lan Ha Bay and drop fishing in beautiful places and lots of fish. Combined with kayaking and swimming, fishing activities in Lan Ha Bay are the most interesting. Caught fishes can be processed into dishes right on the boat or you can visit the fisherman's raft to cook.

2.7 Snorkeling in Lan Ha Bay

Visiting Lan Ha Bay, visitors try to experience snorkeling to discover the incredible natural beauty under the clear blue water of the bay.
Seeing the fascinating colorful coral reefs with a variety of aquatic species…. Although the coral reefs in Lan Ha Bay area are not as big and beautiful as those in the southern sea but they are the most beautiful coral reefs representing the waters of the Gulf of Tonkin.

3. Hotel and Resort in Lan Ha Bay
 

3.1 Hotels in Cat Ba island

Cat Ba Island is one of the tourist centers of the northern Vietnam in general and Lan Ha Bay in particular, so there are many restaurants and hotels on the island, from budget to high-class.

Tourists visiting Lan Ha Bay can stay overnight on the cruise but can also stay overnight at the hotel or combine both for their Vietnam trip. On Cat Ba Island, there are some hotels as follows:
Flamingo Cat Ba Beach Resort – 5 star
Hotel Perle D Orient Cat Ba Mgallery – 5 star
Cat Ba island Resort and Spa – 4 star
Cat Ba Paradise Hotel – 3 star
Sea Pearl Hotel – 3 star
Hung Long Hotel Cat Ba – 3 star

A luxury hotel resort in Cat Ba island

3.2 Nam Cat Island Resort – 3 star

Located in Lan Ha Bay, Isolation from the mainland will surely satisfy your exploration passions. With a journey of 30 minutes by motorboat from Beo pier to Lan Ha Bay, you will admire the beautiful island with a system of wooden houses hugging the cliffs and overlooking the sea, with a variety of services such as kayaking, swimming, snorkeling, diving, etc. campfire, at night we can also fish on the waiting house of the pontoon.

Peaceful Nam Cat Island Resort in the Lan Ha Bay

3.3 Castaway Island Cat Ba – 3 star

Located on a small island with a modest area in Lan Ha Bay, Castaway Island Resort with its captivating beauty is one of the places that many domestic and foreign tourists are interested in. The resort is built by extremely eco-friendly bamboo materials. Castaway owns many large bungalows, lying on the white sand beach like a gentle hand reaching out to embrace the calm blue sea.

An isolated Castaway Island Cat Ba resort in Lan Ha Bay

3.4 Monkey Island Resort – 3 star

Monkey Island Resort is an isolated resort in Cat Dua 2 beach, Cat Dua island (also known as Monkey Island) - an island located about 2km east of Cat Ba town. Monkey Island Resort has 29 rooms designed in bungalow style with mainly natural materials such as wood, bamboo, leaves... The rooms are fully equipped, comfortable. It is such a great place for beach vacation.

Monkey Island Resort - A great place to relax and enjoy the sunrise, sunset everyday

4. Best time to visit Lan Ha Bay?

Weather in Lan Ha Bay is like other destinations in the north of Vietnam, divided into 4 seasons:
Spring from February to April: This is the time when many tourists choose to visit Lan Ha Bay. Occasional drizzle, but the weather is cool, sunny and clear. The average temperature is 18 - 26 degrees Celsius. It is an ideal time to cruise on the Bay and participate in sea activities.

Summer from May to August: This is the peak season of domestic tourism, the temperature is high, so going to Lan Ha Bay and sunbathing will be more interesting. Swimming in the clear blue water in the fine white sands with an average temperature of 30-36 degrees Celsius will be great. However, the summer sometimes has unexpected thunderstorms, causing the schedule and activities in Lan Ha Bay to be affected.

Autumn from September to October: This is the peak season for foreign tourists to visit Lan Ha Bay and Halong Bay. The sky is clear and the weather is cool, with very little rain, the average temperature is from 20-30 degrees Celsius. Many tourists choose activities such as trekking in the peaceful nature of Cat Ba island, kayaking and bathing in the middle of Lan Ha Bay. A time for romantic getaways with family and friends.

Winter from November to January: This is a time of many holidays of the year and Lan Ha Bay also welcomes many tourists to enjoy holiday on this occasion. Winter in the bay with a relatively pleasant temperature of about 14-22 degrees, not too cold, but it maybe foggy

5. How to get to Lan Ha Bay?

There are some ways to get to Lan Ha Bay:

5.1 Get a cruise trip from Got pier in Hai Phong city to Lan Ha bay and enjoy a cruise package 3 days 2 nights or 2 nights 1 day.

Most of the cruises start the route to Lan Ha Bay from Got pier in Hai Phong city. Visitors choose this as an overnight tour package on cruise to explore Lan Ha Bay. Cruises quality are from 4 – 5 star for many options.

5.2 Or get a cruise trip from Tuan Chau Island and then enjoy a cruise package.

There are many cruise companies operate the route Tuan Chau – Lan Ha Bay for full overnight package. Visitors could choose from 3 star to 5 star cruises.

5.3 For those who want an authentic or different trip, they can start from Beo pier to Lan Ha Bay.

However, Beo pier is located on Cat Ba island, so they have to go to Cat Ba island first then enjoy the boat trip in Lan Ha Bay (1 day, 2 days or 3 days)

>> Read more: How to get from Hanoi to Cat Ba island?

With this way, visitor will have more experience: Staying and exploring in Cat Ba island before staying in Lan Ha Bay. The boat trip in Lan Ha Bay from Cat Ba island will be smaller and authentic, more privacy, option 3- 4 star boats.

6. How to choose Lan Ha Bay Cruise?
 

6.1 The duration for Lan Ha bay cruise

How many days will you visit Lan Ha Bay? The overnight cruises in Lan Ha Bay offering a 3-day or 2-day program for you to choose. Depending on the time budget for your Vietnam trip, you can arrange a time to visit Lan Ha Bay accordingly.

6.2 The budget for Lan Ha Bay cruise

How much will you pay for an overnight stay on Lan Ha Bay? There will be many overnight boats with different prices from 3 to 5 stars, based on your budget to choose the right cruise in Lan Ha Bay.

6.3 Decide the boat size for Lan Ha bay trip

Do you want to stay on a big size boat or a smaller size boat for your vacation in Lan Ha Bay? Usually, Big cruise with many rooms will depart from Got pier in Hai Phong city and Tuan Chau pier in Ha Long city. The small-sized boat will depart from Beo pier in Cat Ba island.
The bigger boat will be more luxurious. However, the smaller ones will be more privacy and more authentic.

6.4 Some 3 star cruises in Lan Ha Bay

La Mignonne cruise – start from 161 USD per person
La Paci cruise – start from  171 USD per person
Venezia cruise – start from 163 USD per person

A 3 star cabin in Lan Ha Bay cruise

6.5 Some 4 star cruises in Lan Ha Bay

Unicharm cruise – start from 219 USD per person
Cozy boutique cruise – start from 180 USD per person
Maya cruise – start from 165 USD per person
Peony cruise – Start from 165 USD per person
Azalea cruise – start from 227 USD per person
Calypso cruise – start from 171 USD per person

A 4 star cabin in Lan Ha Bay cruise

6.6 Some charter cruises in Lan Ha Bay

Cat Ba Imperial Junk – 4 cabins from 205 USD per person
Cat Ba Princess Junk – 2 cabins from 252 USD per person
Cat Ba legend Junk -  2 cabins from 206 USD per person
Cat Ba Ocean cruise – 2 cabin from 251 USD per person

Charter junk cruises in Lan Ha Bay - From 2 - 4 cabins

7. Lan Ha Bay Cruise activities

This is the cruise itinerary for visiting Lan Ha Bay. Most of cruises are with the same activities but some will have some small differences so we will list the popular itinerary for Lan Ha Bay cruise.

7.1 Lan Ha Bay 1 day

At 8 AM. Pick up guests at Beo wharf in Cat Ba island and go through Cai Beo fishing village with simple rustic floating houses on the blue water background, where the natural beauty blends with the life of the people here.
The boat will take visitors deeply into Lan Ha Bay and participate in activities such as kayaking, enjoy the beautiful landscapes of the limestone mountains on the bay.
Lunch on the boat with local seafood. After lunch, the boat will take tourists to three peach beaches or other beautiful beaches in Lan Ha Bay.
Explore monkey island and beautiful Cat Dua beach before returning to Beo pier to end the 1-day trip boat in Lan Ha Bay.

7.2 Lan Ha Bay cruise 2 days 1 night

This is the overnight cruise itinerary in Lan Ha Bay

Day 1: Pick up and check in cruise at pier. The cruise will take the tourist to explore the Lan Ha Bay.
On the cruise, lunch will be served. After the lunch, enjoy the kayaking and visit the fishing village in the bay.

In the afternoon, check in the beach: Van Boi beach or Three Peach beaches. They are all the pristine and clear beaches in the middle of the bay.
Dinner on cruise and overnight in Lan Ha Bay.

Day 2: Enjoy breakfast on cruise and visit the monkey island, some cruise will offer other activities such as exploring Viet Hai village or discovering the caves in Cat Ba island.
Lunch will be served before return to the pier to end the 2 day overnight cruise in Lan ha Bay.

>> Read more: Lan Ha Bay cruise 2 days 1 night with good price

7.3 Lan Ha Bay cruise 3 days 2 nights

Basically, some destination will be the same as 2 days 1 night, however, depends some cruises, the activities will be different and extend some more.

Day 1: Pick up and check in on cruise
Explore the Lan Ha Bay, lunch on boat while cruising to Vung Kiem Lam, Tra Bau area, fishing village in Lan Ha Bay
Enjoy kayaking and swimming in the bay
Dinner and overnight on boat

Day 2: Explore beaches and Viet Hai Village
After breakfast, continue to discover the Lan Ha Bay.
Enjoy the time at Three peach beaches or other beach before lunch.
In the afternoon, reaching Viet Hai pier and enjoy cycling or electric car to Viet Hai Village in the middle of Cat Ba island. Visit the village, get some local interactions and return to the boat for dinner.
Overnight on boat

Day 3: Immerse in beautiful Monkey Island then end the trip
In the morning, have breakfast on boat, then cruising to Monkey island. Enjoy the swimming and wander in the island till lunch time on boat.
The boat will return to the pier and end the cruise trip in Lan Ha Bay.

>> Read more: Lan Ha Bay cruise 3 days 2 nights for reference

Depends on each cruise, the itinerary will be different with some other activities in Lan Ha Bay and Cat Ba Island. Tourist should check with the cruise or IZITOUR.com directly for detail itinerary of each specific cruise.

>> Read more:
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