Cat Ba island Archives

Cat Ba Archipelago Biosphere Reserve was designated by UNESCO in December 2004 due to its important biodiversity, landscape, cultural and socio-economic values. It has a total area of 26,241 ha (17,041 ha of land and approximately 9,200ha of marine ecosystems).

It lies within most of Cat Hai District of Hai Phong City and comprises 90% of Cat Ba Island including its surrounding waters and 366 karst limestone islets. Cat Ba Island has a resident population of 15,000. The majority live in main tourist centre of Cat Ba Town while around 6,000 people live in the six farming and fishing communes within the boundary of the biosphere reserve.

A rich and precious biodiversity

Cat Ba Biosphere Reserve is recognized both nationally and internationally as an extremely significant site for the conservation of biodiversity (both marine and terrestrial) in the North-eastern region of Viet Nam. Its high biodiversity value is a result of it having the largest area of continuous evergreen and primary forest in the northern coastal region, adjacent to some of Asia’s most northern coral reefs. These rich ecosystems are recorded as having at least 3,156 species of plants and animals including 1,843 land species and 1,313 marine species. Land species include 54 mammals, 160 birds, 47 reptiles, 21 amphibians and 1,561 higher plants. Marine species consist of 196 fish, 193 corals, 538 zoobenthos, 89 zooplankton, 199 phytoplankton, 23 mangroves and 75 species of seaweed/algae. It most well-known species is the Cat Ba (or yellow-headed) Langur which is considered among the 25 most endangered primates in the world. In 2011, UNESCO also nominated Cat Ba Archipelago as a potential World Natural Heritage Site.

Langur – an endangered species in Cat Ba island

Long standing historical and cultural identity

Cat Ba Archipelago’s most dramatic feature is its vegetation-clad limestone karsts, often fringed by white card for travelers. Its geological formations also indicate a transition boundary of three tectonic formations formed during three main geological time zones. These features have made Cat Ba a candidate for listing as a UNESCO World Geopark.

Cat Ba Island has 77 important archaeological relic sites. For example, the Cai Beo site has human cultural remains dating from 6,400 to 4,200 years ago, while Da Hoa limestone cave contains fossilized orangutan, porcupine and rhino bones. Remains of a citadel dating back to the northern Mac monarchy of the 16th century can also be found on the island. More recent historical heritage includes a fort perched above the main township that guarded against foreign sea invaders for several decades.

The Cat Ba culture of today is also embedded in the historical traditions of unity of the Vietnamese people of the northern coastal region, especially the fishing people, some of whom originally settled the valleys of the main island after calamities such as storms. Many traditions still remain strong in modern life in festivals such as the fishing festival, boat rowing festival, and the wooden horse festival. Cat Ba (formerly named Cac Ba or ‘ladies’ island’) is also well-known for its women’s temples built to honor the women who cultivated and protected the island centuries ago.

Cai Be floating village

A Land for Natural Adventure

Cat Ba Biosphere Reserve provides travelers with a wide range of activities including participating ecological community-based tours to villages such as Viet Hai, Xuan Dam, Khe Sau and other communes in the buffer zone. Here travelers can taste local specialties grown and prepared on site, such as Gia Luan orange, Lien Minh chicken, forest honey, hibiscus tea or Cat Hai fish sauce. Similarly adventurers can choose environmentally friendly tours such as visiting caves, trekking in Cat Ba National Park; or scuba diving, fishing or kayaking in Lan Ha bay.

Cat Ba Biosphere Reserve, with a rich and precious biodiversity, a long standing historical and cultural identity, is a worthwhile destination for natural exploration and local life discovery.

Trekking