Heartbroken because I missed the canoe on the trekking trip to Cat Ba

Doan Thi Thuy Linh, a 21-year-old student from Hanoi, has been to Cat Ba twice. The second time, Linh joined a group of 6 friends on a two-day, one-night trip, with the goal of trekking in Cat Ba National Park. Below are her comments after the trip:

Since everyone in the group lives in Hai Phong, moving to Cat Ba did not encounter any difficulties. Our group decided to use the speedboat to get around. On Saturday morning, the group drove to Binh wharf and left the car at Ben Binh Guest House right there. For those of you who do not live in Hai Phong, there is no need to worry, because there are many bus routes and flights from other provinces and cities to Hai Phong. If using a bus, try to find a bus to Lac Long wharf, because from there it only takes a few minutes to walk to Binh wharf.

The group bought tickets for the Hadeco high-speed train to leave at 7:00 a.m. (ticket price on weekends and holidays is 150,000 VND/trip/person, on weekdays it is 120,000 VND). The bus takes guests to important locations in Cat Ba, including Cat Ba National Park.

Here, there are many different tourist routes. Because the group will stay at the hotel in the Tourist Center area in the evening, I bought sightseeing tickets for the Ao Ech - Viet Hai route. Ticket price for adults is 40,000 VND. Please bring your student card to get a discount of 20,000 VND per ticket. After arriving at Viet Hai village, you can take a boat to town.

The distance in the forest is about 8 km, and on average it takes 6 hours to complete and reach Viet Hai village. I have a small note, especially for girls, you should ensure good health. The 8km forest road is completely different from the 8km road, but don't be discouraged because this is an experience worth having. Each person should bring 2 to 3 bottles of water, cakes and snacks to have enough energy to get through the garden.

Another note is to prepare insect repellent, especially when going on a rainy day. Cat Ba National Park does not have mosquitoes, but there are mosquitoes. Wear light clothes, sneakers and avoid wearing short pants, especially short skirts. Do not bring large items, just one backpack for each person.

The group started visiting the national park at 8:30 am. Initially, the road is quite nice and flat. Everyone saw many types of colorful trees and mushrooms, creating a unique landscape that can only be found in the forest.

At noon, the group went to Ao Ech to rest, eat some snacks and drink water. After that, we continued to move to the final destination, Viet Hai village. The distance from here onwards becomes more difficult, when faced with rough terrain, full of large rocks. It is at this moment that team spirit reaches its highest peak. Before departing, I only knew three people in the group, but when we held hands together to help each other cross the rest of the forest road, no one was a stranger. Making new friends is also one of the things I enjoy after every trip.

Around 2:30 p.m., the group arrived at Viet Hai village after a steep forest road, sometimes feeling nervous. Because it took a lot of time to rest, when the group went to find canoes to go to town, they were no longer ready. Therefore, we had to rent a boat to go, although the price was higher, 200,000 VND/person. Canoes usually run before 4pm, prices will be lower. However, if you are late for the canoe, taking a boat trip to Lan Ha Bay is also not a bad idea.

The trip to explore the national park ended, we stayed one night in Cat Ba town, a place that is convenient for travel and quite affordable.

The next morning, before returning to the city center, Linh's group stopped by Cat Co 1 beach. It was not the tourist season, so the beach was quite deserted, mainly Western tourists came to rest.

Coming to Cat Ba, you should challenge yourself a bit by exploring the National Park. The schedule and budget for the trekking trip are very reasonable for a weekend getaway.