Cat Ba - the pearl island is the well-known archipelago in the whole country with a spectacular array of sea and island scenery, it covers an area of 20,000ha in the North-East of Hai Phong. It takes about one hour by high speed ferry to go to the island, or by land it is about 60 km passing 2 ferries, you will easily reach the pearl island. In the spacious sea, we suddenly see a tropical jungles.

The forests cover over 17,300 ha, including 570ha of primeval forests. Under the old foliages is hundred of rare medicinal trees, there is a tonic tree of one bulb and one leaf only, particularly good for human's heart. Cat Ba has a typically rare flora and fauna of limestone mountain forests, there are also many marvelous grottoes, white sandy and clear water beaches that you can see to sea bed. In old forests there is ancient Komodo varan and chamois species of average weight of over 100kg each. On Cat Ba Island, there are many fishing grounds with shrimps, red snapper, anchovy, trap fish,... and a grass cover to breed tortoise-shells. Cracked stones areas under the sea at the island's foot, there are abalones, pearl-oysters and lobsters. On the shallow tide field, there is Tu hai (mollusca family) that is considered as "sea chicken", its meat is more delicious than abalone. Tu hai grilled with lemon is indispensable special dish in restaurants at the edge of the sea.

On the first of April in 1958, Uncle Ho visited Cat Hai and Cat Ba islands. Cat Ba wharf was a place where he stood to talk with people and army who were living on the islands. Since then, the 1^st April - the date when Uncle Ho visited fishing villages - was chosen by fishery industry their traditional anniversary. Every year, on the first of April the dragon boats race of district island and of whole nation fishing industry is held on the sea of Cat Ba.

Beauty-spots in Cat Ba

• Trans-island road: 27km long with many mountain pass, meander cols, slopes, along the sea shore, through National Pack, spectacular array of sea and island scenery.
   
• Cat Ba National Park: 15 km to the North - West of the town. This Park covers an area of 15,200 ha, including 9,800 ha of forests with splendid grottoes. In tropical and primeval forests, there is a rich fauna and flora. There are 745 species of plants, including various species of rare wood trees so as Tri Ly, Lat Hoa, Lim Set, Gie Hoa, Kim Giao, white wood. Kim Giao chopsticks used to be offered to Kings which can cause bubbles and turn itself into red when touched poisoned food. Cho dai tree that can be found in the old forest is endangered specie named in the Red Book, the only other in the world where we can find this tree is Hymalaya mountain. Cat Ba National Park is home to 20 species of mammals, 69 species of birds, 20 species of reptiles and species of amphibians, species of 11 frogs. Particularly, the rarest animals in the world that can only be found in Viet Nam is Vooc (white faced monkeys). Another strange is Ma Tien fruit, a toxic fruit, if a person eats Ma Tien he will die immediately, but the white-faced Vooc can eat both leaf and fruit to feed themselves.
   
• Trung Trang Grotto: 15km from the town, close to the trans-island road. There are a lot of beautiful natural stalactites that makes you feel like flying high, visiting the Elysium on earth. The grotto can accommodate hundreds of people.
   
• Hung Son grotto: 13km from the town, on the trans-island road. Another name is "Army Medical Grotto" because in the sabotaged war by America, an army hospital was built in the grotto with capacity of hundreds of beds in the mountain. This structure wrote feat of arms about courage of people.
   
• Phu Long Grotto (Cai Vieng): recently found, it is considered more beautiful than Trung Trang grotto. In the grotto, stalactites and moisture steam make us imagine the way to sky, the way to sea, many quintessential vaults, golden mountain, silver mountain...

   

• Beaches: Cat Co 1, Cat Co 2, Cat Dua, Cat Ong, Duong Danh,... are small rainy, secretive, shaded bathing grounds with fine white sand and clear water. A theme park called "Palace under the sea" will be built to enable human to directly observe porpoises, lobsters, sharks, sea tortoises, cutlet-fish,.. slowly wandering near red corals.
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