City guide Cat Ba Island
- Method Generated Researched
- 1-Bedroom Purchase Price (City Center) Approx. 40,000,000 VND per m² ($1,620/m²). Example: 60 m² = $97,200. At the same Xanh Island asking rate of about 72 million VND per m2, a 50 m2 one-bedroom is…
- 1-Bedroom Purchase Price (Outside City) Approx. 22,000,000 VND per m² ($890/m²). Example: 60 m² = $53,400. none
- 2-Bedroom Purchase Price (City Center) Approx. 38,000,000 VND per m² ($1,540/m²). Example: 80 m² = $123,200. At the same Xanh Island asking rate, an 80 m2 two-bedroom is about 5.76 billion VND (about…
- 2-Bedroom Purchase Price (Outside City) Approx. 20,000,000 VND per m² ($810/m²). Example: 80 m² = $64,800. none
- Accommodation Boutique hotels, homestays, and eco-lodges. Central Cat Ba Town is the hub. Cat Ba town is the hub, but the waterfront is a construction site through 2026. Dorms are…
- Affordable Shopping Spots Cat Ba Market (Chợ Cát Bà) for fresh fruit, snacks, and local seafood. Cho Cat Ba, the local produce market, has a seafood section. Bargain at the souvenir…
- Annual Events Cat Ba Dragon Boat Festival (March 31st - April 1st) marking the start of tourist season. UNESCO names a dragon-boat race, a Sea God ceremony and fishery festivals. A 2026 date…
- Art Galleries Individual displays in boutique hotels like Perle d'Orient. No gallery was named.
- Attractive Tax System for Digital Nomads No specific nomad tax break; most work on E-visas (90 days) and pay no local tax. No digital-nomad visa or nomad tax rate. Many passports, including the UK, get 45 days…
- Banking for Expats Vietcombank for local accounts; Revolut and Wise work at major hotels and larger… Cash first. An Agribank ATM is mapped on the island, and there is no ATM in Viet Hai. You…
- Bar/Nightlife Area The Rose Club or Oasis Bar 2 for late-night music and socializing. Rose Club is at 210 Nui Ngoc. The Bigman, at the New Noble House, 222 1/4 Street, and…
- Best Area to Stay for Digital Nomads Cai Beo area or peaceful homestays near the National Park entrance (Hien Hao area). Back streets of Cat Ba town, where hotel Wi-Fi is usable. Viet Hai and the national park…
- Best Area to Stay for Tourists Cat Ba Town Waterfront (near the harbor for tours and dining). Hung Son, about a 10-minute walk from the harbour restaurants, while the Cat Ba town…
- Best Beach Nearby Cat Co 3 Beach; connected by a scenic cliffside walkway to Cat Co 1 and 2. Cat Co 1, 2 and 3, sandy coves just south of town, joined by a cliff path. Wikivoyage…
- Best Cafe for Work Start Up Cafe (Street 1/4); reliable fiber internet and quiet morning atmosphere. No cafe published a laptop tariff or a speed test. The One Hostel lounge, opposite the…
- Best Coworking Space Like Coffee (Level 2/3) acts as a de facto coworking space with stable Wi-Fi and power… None. There is no dedicated coworking space. People work from a hostel lounge or a town…
- Best Dessert Spots The Little Leaf; specialty teas and homemade cakes (approx. 55,000 VND). Evening waterfront stalls sell snacks. A named bakery with a current price was not found.
- Best Food Delivery App No major apps; order directly via Zalo/Phone with local restaurants like 'Casa Bonita'. No food-delivery app was confirmed for the island. Eat at the market or a restaurant.
- Best Hospital Cat Ba General Hospital (Basic care only). For emergencies, Vinmec International Hospital… Cat Ba Island General, 123 Ha Sen, phone +84 225 388 8239, limited English, for basic…
- Best Local Dish to Try Bun Tom Cat Ba (Shrimp noodle soup) at local stalls near the market (40,000 VND). Bun tom (shrimp noodle soup). Vien Duong is at 12 Nui Ngoc. An inexpensive restaurant meal…
- Best Taxi/Ride App Grab is not active on the island. Use 'Xanh SM' (electric taxis) or local green electric… Grab is not reliable and often shows cars in Hai Phong. Electric carts to the beach are…
- Bike/Scooter Rental Mr. Tung’s Rentals; approx. 100,000 - 150,000 VND per day excluding fuel. Hotels rent scooters for about 150,000-200,000 VND a day, fuel extra. A Vietnamese licence…
- Birdwatching Locations Kim Giao Forest within the National Park. The park account lists 160 bird species. Kim Giao forest is on the higher park ticket. A…
- Bonfire-Friendly Spots Woodstock Beach (subject to local seasonal permits). none
- Budget Accommodation Cat Ba Central Backpackers (approx. $6/night) or Woodstock Beach Camp ($8/night). Town dorms are about 150,000-200,000 VND. The One Hostel, opposite the square, has dorms…
- Cashless Friendly Mostly cash-based. High-end restaurants and hotels accept cards with a 3% surcharge. Mostly cash. Park and pier windows do not reliably take cards. The One Hostel, opposite…
- Casino & Gaming Halls None on the island; nearest is in Doson, Hai Phong. None on the island.
- City Cat Ba Island, Hai Phong Province, Vietnam Cat Ba Island, the largest island of the Cat Ba Archipelago, in Cat Hai special zone, Hai…
- Community Centers Cat Ba Cultural Center near the town square. The Cat Hai special-zone public-service centre for both islands sits on Cat Ba. There is…
- Controlled Foreign Company (CFC) Rules None currently established in Vietnam. Vietnam has no CFC rules. Related-party transactions follow transfer-pricing rules (Decree…
- Cooking Classes Secret Garden Cat Ba; offers traditional Vietnamese cooking workshops. The One Hostel runs sunset cooking sessions. A marketed class is about 1,400,000 VND; no…
- Corporate Tax 20% standard rate in Vietnam. Standard corporate income tax is 20%. Oil, gas and some mining rates are higher…
- Cultural Districts Cai Beo Fishing Village; one of the oldest floating villages in Vietnam. Viet Hai, a fishing village of about 300 people on the east coast, is about a 30-minute…
- Currency & Banking 1 USD ≈ 24,700 VND. ATMs like Agribank and Vietcombank are located on the main harbor… Vietnamese dong (VND). Vietcombank USD selling rate 26,100 per US dollar on 19 October…
- Cycling/Walking Paths Trans-island road (DT356); excellent for scenic motorbike or cycling trips. The main north-south road is the practical route, usually by scooter. Cat Co 1, 2 and 3…
- Dividend Withholding Tax 5% for individuals; 0% for corporate shareholders in most cases. Individuals pay 5% on dividends. Dividends a Vietnamese company receives from another…
- E-commerce/Online Store Shopee and Lazada deliver to the island, but expect 3-5 days delivery time. Shopee Vietnam (shopee.vn) is the main national marketplace. How long a parcel takes to…
- Gaming Lounges Local 'Internet Cafes' for gaming are found in the backstreets of Cat Ba town. none
fix pass. Power, Currency & Banking, Banking for Expats, Affordable Shopping Spots, Local Markets, Main Train/Transit Hub, Best Hospital, Must-See Landmarks, Historical Sites, Nearby Nature Escapes, Scenic Viewpoints (https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Vietnam, https://www.power-plugs-sockets.com/vietnam/, https://www.vinmec.com/eng/hospital/vinmec-hai-phong-hospital-1, https://bvhttdl.gov.vn/cong-nhan-ga-hai-phong-la-diem-du-lich-20250508172117006.htm, https://www.openstreetmap.org/node/5958483585, https://asiaoutdoors.vn/)