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Travel to Cat Ba island can be
separated or combined with a visit to Ha Long Bay . This is the largest island
in the
Cat Ba Archipelago that consists
of 350 limestone outcrops adjacent to Ha Long. This is an oasis where you can
be apart for one or a few days during a long voyage. If starting from Ha Long
Wharf it will take you 4 hours by a tourist boat, with stopovers for swimming,
visiting spectacular karsts and having fresh sea food. In a single word, you
can contemplate the beautiful scenery of Ha Long before reaching the island.
You can also buy a ticket of the hydrofoil departing from Hai Phong Seaport to
reach Cat Ba if your itinerary saves Ha Long for another visit. With an area of
356 square km wide, Cat Ba encompasses forested zones, coastal mangrove and
freshwater swamps, beaches, caves, and waterfalls. In 1986, the Northeast side
of the island was designated a National Park, including a protected marine
zone. Cat Ba Island supports a population of over 20,000, most of whom live off
fishing or farming in the South, in and around Cat Ba Town. The town is small
and ancient, with clusters of fishing boats and inspiring sunsets across the
harbor. You can check out the catch of the day in the early morning , see
cuttlefish dried over hot charcoals, or stroll around the old town. It's a
short hike from Cat Ba town through a tunnel to Cat Co Beach, whose mountains
look like a throne holding a marvelous sandy coast, or if you hike further
along, you will reach the rockier Cat
Vang Beach
