Halong Bay is for many travelers the #1 must-see destination in Vietnam. With jagged limestone peaks that rise from the blue-green waters of Tonkin Bay and countless spiky rock islands with hidden grottoes and swooping birds dotting the horizon as far as the eye can see, it’s truly unique. After a couple of frustrating days trying to find a reasonable tour from Halong City, we decided to forego sleeping on one of the hundreds of tourist junks jammed with people who’d booked from Hanoi, and go straight to Cat Ba Island, the only inhabited island in the bay. Since we were starting from Halong City, the boat trip to Cat Ba would pass through the prettiest parts of the bay. As luck would have it, we were able to book passage on one of the boats that would make a couple of stops for its overnight passengers before dropping us on Cat Ba. It seemed like the best of both worlds.
At one spot everyone got out to walk up to one of the famous caves. At another, we paddled a kayak, exploring little inlets and a small waterfall. The last stop was at a floating village where residents farmed fish and prawns in addition to rowing tourists around. Even through the fog (or maybe partly because of it) Halong Bay was pretty magical.
Cat Ba was just what we needed, laidback and natural. It was low season for beachgoers, so we got a good rate on a room and chilled out for a few days. Half of the island is a natural park, with plenty of opportunities for trekking and exploring. We rented a motorbike several days in a row, and were able to see just about every corner of the island.
One interesting spot is Hospital Cave, used as a secret hideout and hospital during the war. The guide there explained how it was built and led us through chambers used as meeting rooms, operating rooms and recovery areas. The hospital consisted of three levels, with a quick escape route for people on the third floor to jump into, splashing down into a tank of water on the first floor next to the emergency exit. Some amazing ingenuity went into the building of the structure, and seeing (or not seeing) it from the outside was just as remarkable.
Views from the old fort looked similar to those from the middle of Halong Bay, but with a better view, from above. There are a number of paths connecting the various lookouts, with large anti-aircraft and long-range artillery pieces, bunkers and a helicopter landing pad, along with a small café.
The beaches of Cat Co 1, 2, and 3 are scenic, and there is a walking trail above that connects two of them. A third section seems to be slated for reconstruction. There was only one hearty soul braving the cold water while we were there, but it seemed like it would be a very popular spot in summer. We spent hours sitting above the bays watching the fishing boats coming and going from the harbor.
Seafood restaurants abound on the island, with a variety of shellfish, eels, horseshoe and other crabs, fish and squid on the menu. One option is to be rowed out to one of the floating restaurants in the harbor, though there are plenty of choices on the main strip that faces it as well. Donny had a birthday dinner of crab in chili sauce, fried squid, spring rolls and cold beer. Mmm.
