Sitting on the south and east coast of Cat Ba Town, the 300-or-so karst islands and limestone outcrops of Lan Ha are just as beautiful as those of Halong Bay but feel more isolated and untouched. Geologically, Lan Ha is an extension of Halong Bay but sits in a different province, the Lonely Planet once wrote.
From Hanoi, it takes visitors only 90 minutes to Pha Got, Hai Phong to start the discovery journey by yacht instead of 180 minutes to reach Ha Long Bay in the traditional way. You can also go to the center of Cat Ba island via cable car system, which has recently been inaugurated.
Here are 10 things no one tells you about Lan Ha Bay and boat tour to discover a masterpiece of nature:
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| Exciting experience in Lan Ha Bay. Photo: Asianwaytravel. |
1. Lan Ha Bay has just been listed as one of the most beautiful in the world
According to Thanh Nien newspaper, Lan Ha bay is rated as one of the most beautiful bays of Vietnam and the world. It has about 400 large and small limestone islands which are close together, wildly beautiful in many interesting shapes. One of the most favorable tours to Lan Ha Bay is boat tour, which will provide you a closer view of the islands than that of Ha Long Bay. The bay has 139 small, pristine sandy beaches, lying between two blocks of mountains with the clear blue sea to the bottom, which will be safe and extremely ideal beaches.
2. Lan Ha Bay belongs to Cat Ba archipelago, including more than 400 large and small islands
Cat Ba archipelago belongs to Hai Phong city. Cat Ba Island is the largest of its kind in the Cat Ba archipelago and the second largest in Vietnam, just behind Phu Quoc Island.
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| Lan Ha Bay in Vietnam. Photo: lanhabaycruises. |
3. In order to visit Lan Ha Bay, visitors can depart from two main piers, namely Pha Got and Ben Beo
The world-famous magazine Travel and Leisure also recommend visitors to take the Heritage Binh Chuan Cruise to explore Cat Ba.
Pha Got is a place to gather luxury boats with 4 and 5 rankings. Ben Beo is the place to gather smaller boats, suitable for small groups of visitors and families. Travel and Leisure also recommend travelers to Heritage Binh Chuan Cruise to explore Cat Ba if traveling with family and children.
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| Kayaking in Lan Ha Bay. Photo: lanhabaycruise. |
4. The number of tourists coming to Lan Ha Bay is not too many
This fact is accidentally the great strength of Lan Ha Bay. Tourists can really live in pristine nature, without noise, dust, and a more beautiful environment.
5. Interesting natural pictures
Lan Ha Bay has nearly 400 islands in beautiful and large shapes distributed in an area being smaller than Ha Long. The rocky islands are quite close together to create interesting natural paintings.
6. Cai Beo fishing village is one of the largest floating fishing villages in Southeast Asia
Additionally, there are dozens of fishing villages with thousands of people living on floating cages in the sea, where visitors can learn about aquaculture, meet and have a talk with extremely friendly fishermen.
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| Cai Beo floating village. Photo: spibec.com. |
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| Cai Beo floating village. Photo: heritagecruises. |
7. The number of natural beaches on Lan Ha Bay is immeasurable at low tide
Tourists can freely stop boat anywhere and swim freely. The pristine beautiful beaches recommended are Ba Trai Dao, Cay Bang beach, Pineapple Beach, Monkey Island.
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| Monkey island in Lan Ha Bay. Photo: asianwaytravel. |
8. On a few small islands at Lan Ha Bay, there are resorts to meet the needs of tourists who want to stay overnight.
The quality of service is quite good and the beautiful beaches are the impression of these resorts. Guests can choose to combine the yacht experience with the resort or the hotel on Cat Ba Island to have the experience on the island and on the cruise if they have plenty of time.
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| Sunset on Lan Ha Bay. Photo: asianwaytravel. |
9. Viet Hai fishing village located next to Lan Ha Bay is a must-go destination
This is an ancient village, surrounded by primeval forests with absolute protection. Tourists can cycle or take an electric car to visit this village. There are also some homestays there to server those who want to stay overnight.
10. Tourists can combine visiting Lan Ha Bay with Cat Ba National Park, explore Ngu Lam peak, Quan Y cave, Trung Trang cave, local market, fishing port, old Van Van fish sauce factory on Cat Ba island.
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| Tasty dishes offered in Lan Ha Bay. Photo: asianwaytravel. |
