Cat Ba National Park

Cat Ba National Park is centred on Cat Ba Island - Hai Phong city. The Cat Ba archipelago itself comprises 366 islets and islands. Together they cover an area of 20,000 hectares of limestone islands. 

Most of the islets dotting Cat Ba National Park is covered with vegetation, although there are sheer limestone cliffs where hardly anything grew. Nonetheless, it is not uncommon to sea tenacious shrubs clinging to those otherwise barren cliffs, and on occasion, we even saw mountain goats and monkeys on the cliffs. The feeling of kayaking through the labyrinthine maze of islands, where the only sound was that of your oar on the water, was simply magnificent.

Its terrain is varied mainly with limestone ranges with marvelous grottoes and white sandy beaches. The average height is of 150 m and the Cao Vong mountain, 322 m is the highest above the sea level.

This is the reserve of the large area of tropical virgin forests in Vietnam with various fauna and flora systems. According to initial statistics, there are some 745 species, 495 branches and 149 families of which 350 species belong to Chinese herbal ones. There exists various rare wood  trees under protection such as Cho Doi, Trai Ly, Va Nuoc, Co Bac Son…

Cat Ba National Park is home to different types of rare faunas, including 20 mammal family, 69 bird family, 20 reptiles and amphibians, 11 frogs and tree – frogs. Vooc or white – head monkeys, the specially rare species which can only be seen in Cat Ba Island these days. They live on the sheer rocks along the island’s coast. There also exist mountain goats, deers, wild boars and various kinds of beautiful birds such as kingfishers, hornbills and hawks etc… It is most interesting to visit the Park through a trail starting from the Park center to Viet Hai Commune, a mountainous residential area and then come back by boats…

There is at least one floating village in the national park. They earn a living through shrimp and fish farming, and from the occasional tourist boat that drop by.