Cat Ba Island: Trek, Cycle & Kayak to Viet Hai Village

4.96

(136 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

Someone’s handing me a bottle of water before I’ve even finished tying my laces — turns out our guide Minh has already spotted the sweat on my forehead. The forest at Cat Ba Island is louder than I thought: birds calling overhead, something rustling in the leaves (Minh says it’s probably a squirrel but I’m not so sure). We start climbing Ang Vắt, which is steeper than it looks from below. My legs are burning by the time we reach the top, but then Minh points out a yellow-headed langur far off in the branches — he grins like he’s found treasure. I can still smell the damp earth from that climb.

After about two hours (and three mountains — I lost count honestly), we stop at Frog Pond. It’s quiet here except for frogs plopping into the water and those weird Va Nuoc trees sticking straight up like antennae. Minh tells us they only grow here. My shoes are muddy and my shirt’s stuck to my back but sitting there with everyone just listening to the pond felt... grounding? Not sure how else to say it. Lunch comes later at Viet Hai Village — rice, fish, something green and spicy that made Li laugh when I tried to say it in Vietnamese (I absolutely butchered it). The foot massage with tiny fish nibbling my toes was both hilarious and ticklish; never thought I'd try that.

Cycling from Viet Hai down toward the harbor is easier than trekking but my legs are jelly anyway. The road cuts through rice fields where old women wave as we wobble past — one of them shouts something encouraging (I think) and Minh just laughs. The air smells like wet grass after rain. At Lan Ha Bay, we swap bikes for kayaks and paddle between floating houses and limestone cliffs. There’s this moment where everything goes quiet except for our paddles dipping in the water — no engines, no city noise, just wind and salt air. On the way back by boat, Minh points out Cai Beo Fishing Village and tells us stories about people moving from forest to sea life generations ago. I’m tired but kind of wish it wasn’t over yet.