7 Unforgettable Things to Do in Cat Ba Island (Beyond the Boat Tour)
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Cat Ba Island doesn’t fit into a single day — or even two. This is a place where the agenda writes itself: paddling into a sea cave at dawn, spotting the world’s rarest primate in the jungle canopy, falling asleep to the sound of waves slapping against a wooden cruise hull. Here are the seven experiences you absolutely cannot miss.
Kayaks pulled up on a private beach at sunset — moments like this are why kayaking Lan Ha Bay is unforgettable.
1. Kayak Through Lan Ha Bay’s Hidden Lagoons
Lan Ha Bay is the secret southern extension of the Ha Long Bay complex — same dramatic limestone karsts and emerald water, but without the armada of cruise ships. Kayaking here is one of the finest experiences in all of Vietnam. You’ll paddle through cathedral-like sea caves, pop out into hidden lagoons surrounded on three sides by cliff walls, and reach beaches where your only company is a heron picking through the shallows.
The reward for the climb: a 360° panorama of Cat Ba and Lan Ha Bay from Ngu Lam Peak.
2. Trek Cat Ba National Park to Viet Hai Village
Cat Ba National Park from above — 17,000 hectares of jungle, limestone, and bay stretching to the horizon. The full-day trek to Viet Hai Village crosses this entire landscape on foot.
The full-day trek from Cat Ba Town through the national park to Viet Hai Village is as rewarding as it is demanding. You’ll climb through dense tropical jungle, pass ancient limestone formations and cave systems carved by millions of years of water, and emerge at the edge of the most beautiful village on the island. Around 9 km one way, the trail takes 4–5 hours at a steady pace.
Keep your eyes on the canopy: Cat Ba is the only place on earth where the Cat Ba Langur lives. With fewer than 70 individuals remaining, a sighting is genuinely rare and genuinely remarkable.
Watching the sunset from the bow of a traditional wooden junk — the classic Lan Ha Bay cruise experience.
3. Take an Overnight Cruise
A couple takes in the limestone island scenery from the deck of their overnight cruise boat on Lan Ha Bay.
on Lan Ha Bay
A private sea-view cabin aboard the overnight cruise — fall asleep to the sound of water, wake up anchored between limestone islands with mist on the bay.
There is no more cinematic way to experience Lan Ha Bay than from the deck of a traditional wooden cruise ship at sunset. Lan Homestay’s 2-Day 1-Night Cruise departs from Viet Hai Village, takes you deep into the bay for swimming and kayaking, and anchors overnight between limestone islands so far from any light source that the stars feel close enough to touch. At dawn, paddle through the morning mist before returning with a fresh seafood breakfast on board.
4. Go Night Squid Fishing with Local Fishermen
After dark on Lan Ha Bay, local fishing boats head out with powerful lights suspended over the sides — the brightness draws squid up from the depths. You join the crew, drop a line baited with a lure that mimics the light reflection, and wait. Within minutes, squid start rising and hooking themselves in a frenzy that’s equal parts sport and spectacle. When you’ve had your fill, the crew grills the catch right there on deck with lime, chilli, and salt. It tastes better than anything you’ll find in a restaurant.
SUP paddleboarding between towering limestone walls — an intimate and exhilarating way to explore the hidden passages of Lan Ha Bay.
5. Try Stand-Up Paddleboarding at Ba Trai Dao Beach
Ba Trai Dao (Three Peach Beach) from the air — three white-sand beaches connected at low tide, ringed by limestone and lapped by water clear enough to see the bottom.
Ba Trai Dao — Three Peach Beach — is one of the most beautiful spots in the entire archipelago: three small white-sand beaches connected at low tide, ringed by limestone cliffs and lapped by some of the clearest water in the bay. Stand-up paddleboarding here on a calm morning is pure meditation. The water is shallow enough to see the bottom, and there’s enough space to find a cove completely to yourself.
The arched stone gateway marks the entrance to Viet Hai — one of the most charming and car-free villages in Vietnam.
6. Experience Village Life and Traditional Culture
The open-air dining terrace at Lan Homestay — where village life, home-cooked Vietnamese food, and cultural experiences all happen around the same table.
Viet Hai Village is not a tourist attraction — it’s a real, working fishing and farming community that happens to be one of the most beautiful places in Vietnam. Walk the lanes between stilted wooden houses at dusk, watch families haul in nets, join Lan Homestay’s cooking class to learn how to make bánh cuốn from scratch, or try on a traditional ao dai and take photos in the garden as the light fades through the karst walls. These are the moments that stay with you long after the karsts fade from your camera roll.
The bay comes alive after dark — bioluminescent plankton light up the water with every paddle stroke, a phenomenon that has to be seen to be believed.
7. Watch Bioluminescent Plankton at Night
On dark, moonless nights, the waters around Lan Ha Bay come alive with bioluminescence — microscopic organisms that emit a cold blue-green light when disturbed. Kayaking through a still lagoon at midnight, with every paddle stroke lighting up the water around you, is one of those experiences that language genuinely struggles to describe. Lan Homestay’s guides know exactly which lagoons and which conditions give the best displays — ask when you check in.
