Cat ba or halong bay reddit. Tourist trap poop show.

Cat ba or halong bay reddit. However, the more I see and read about Cat Ba, the more I think it will be just as crowded and touristy. If this is a possible option for you let me know and I can give you more info. It was nice to enjoy the scenery. Afterwards I spent 2 days on Cat Ba and loved it. Jun 2, 2025 · Hello, Next week, I'm planning my trip to Halong Bay. Initially I wanted to do Halong Bay for obvious reasons, but after researching it, I settled on Cat Ba for more freedom and a less busy experience. I ended up staying on Cat Ba Island for a few nights and did a boat day trip around Lan Ha Bay and into southern Ha Long Bay and it was perfect. [EDIT part 3] It's been a few days since our trip to Ha Long Bay with Genesis Cruise and we still feel like it was a high point in our trip. I could be wrong, but the amenities at Ha Long seemed nicer than on the island, but Cat Ba felt more fun and adventurous. Can easily do small cruises from there if you’re really worried about the bay. supposed to be the real tropical paradise stop with beaches and swimming. You can get to cat ba from Haiphong, but if you leave from the Halong side the ferry ride is much nicer and you get to see the karsts. It's definitely too good to miss, therefore most people go on cruise this explore this magnificent places however, I won't probably be able to afford it. And honestly the views you get by taking the ferry from Cat Ba to Ha Long are almost the same as during the Ha Long Bay cruise. I'll have some time to explore the Bay only at the weekend. As the journey to Vietnam keeps getting closer, I still haven't figured how to approach Ha Long Bay. Ha, no. Trash, money grabs, and pollution so bad you can’t even see anything anyways. Tourist trap poop show. Just enough for me. First day we drove along the bay. A cheaper way to see Halong Bay is to get to Cat Ba island on your own (bus/ regular ferry or with a small boat), and then when on Cat Ba, take a day cruise on a boat out to Halong Bay. Cat Ba is still developing for tourists so you get to ride through quiet countryside roads with phenomenonal views. I went to Cat Ba on a backpacker tour a few years ago and that was much quieter, you got to explore some island a bit more by bike and scenery was similar. . Book a cruise to cat ba from Tuan chau port and you’ll be able to see the bay, plus you can do a tour from cat ba. However, most of them are for holiday makers, which doesn't apply to me. I ended up staying on Cat Ba Island (which is not Bai Tu Long but is Lan Ha bay. I'll stay there for 7 nights. We did the full day kayaking trip with Asia outdoors and had a really good time. It has a great landscape, but that's pretty much ruined by the immense number of tourists and increasingly prominent tourist based infrastructure, as well as even increasing amounts of garbage. Overall it's fine, but I wouldn't rush to Hà Long Bay. Second one we took the ferry to Cat Ba (quite cheap I think it was 150k Dongs for 2 with moped), drove on the island until the national park and hiked up to Dinh Ngu Lam. We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. Most tours from cat ba don't go to have long bay and instead go to another bay directly next too it. Then we continued through Cat Ba, visited some caves, and hopped on the ferry again around 4pm back to Ha Long. As I'm a digital nomad, I'll be working most of the time. Considering the time of year, would you recommend going to Cat Ba for a couple days, or just doing the Day tour from Hanoi? Unless they're trying to contain all the damage and pollution to one area. The other bay, whose name escapes me, is virtually identical and at some points you can see Ha long bay too anyway. Many of the beaches are artificial or 'enhanced' by From Hanoi I have the option of going to Ninh Binh or to Cat Ba for a total of 3 days. Taking a cruise from Cat Ba is a very similar experience to Ha Long bay, but less tourists and you don't see some of the caves. This is the reason why I've decided to post my Ha long was my least favorite part of my ENTIRE south east Asia trip. There was an excursion to Cat Ba island at 3pm which includes a bike ride (roughly 4 miles round trip) and a short walk through the little town. This year it's especially bad here (I work over in Cat Ba). I think technically that part near Cat Ba is not actually called Halong Bay, but it looks still absolutely stunning. After that, I’m torn on either going to Cat Ba to stay for a couple days or doing a day tour from Hanoi to Ha Long Bay before going to Phong Nha. I would definitely go with the 2 night trip for the bicycle ride in Cat Ba. We have been to Cat Ba the day before, so we had to take the ferry to get to Ha Long. I went in December and had your same doubts. I have read my articles regarding the best place to stay in Halong Bay. Lan Ha Bay is another alternative to Halong). When we finally took our day trip to Cat Ba, we both realized we would have rather stayed at a resort on the island. ilhi oghbr tojojrjd gxsokkepm fxtto sutxxo qha qrn lrswg bomxelzf