Boasting 366 islands, a temperate climate, a diverse range of fauna and flora species, and nearly 100 seaside resorts shrouded by mountains, Cat Ba Archipelago in Cat Hai district, northern Hai Phong city, has become an appealing destination of both domestic and international holidaymakers.

The archipelago, recognised as one of the world's biosphere reserves by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), is a national tourist site with a variety of leisure activities such as convalescence, eco-tourism, scientific research, cave exploring, and underwater sightseeing.
According to experts, the biosphere reserve possesses an ecosystem of forest and sea, including tropical forests, mangrove forests, coral reefs, seaweed floors and a wide range of marine creatures.
To date, Cat Ba is home to more than 2,300 species of fauna and flora, including 60 rare and precious species listed in the Vietnamese Red Book such as the white-headed langur, tortoise-sells, yellow pangolins, and red-stomach squirrels.
Alongside a diverse ecosystem and range of fauna and flora, Cat Ba is also proud of its ancient culture. Archaeologists have discovered in Cat Ba a number of sites dating back to the New Stone Age, as well as relics of the Ha Long culture dating back 4,000 years ago. Traces of Vietnamese ancient people dating back hundreds of years ago were also found at 72 archaeological sites in the fishing village of Viet Hai.
Visiting Cat Ba, holidaymakers can explore the archipelago by travelling through interisland roads or by taking high-speed canoes.
Apart from tasting delicious dishes of various aquatic products such as lobster, cuttle-fish, garrupa, and red snapper, tourists are also offered a chance to join tours to Ha Long Bay to see hundreds of islands.
In order to develop Cat Ba into a national and international eco-tourism centre, local authorities plan to call on investors to build hotels ranked between 3-5 stars and entertainment facilities in the archipelago, such as a water palace, telphers and a water park, as well as to upgrade inter-island roads.

(Source: VNA)