All roads lead to Cat Ba.

Given current market developments and infrastructure boosts in the eastern part of the city, 2025 could be considered an opportune time to own an apartment at Vinhomes Grand Park in Thu Duc City, especially since the mega-urban area has launched its final phase and is already welcoming over 60,000 residents to settle down.

Cat Ba Island is projected to grow by 20% in both tourist arrivals and revenue in 2024. This "Pearl Island" of Northern Vietnam is becoming a highly desirable tourist destination, especially with the increasingly convenient transportation system to the island.

Air, water, land, and rail are all ready.

On the morning of February 19th, the National Assembly unanimously approved the investment plan for the Lao Cai - Hanoi - Hai Phong railway project, worth nearly 8.4 billion USD. Trade and tourism between neighboring China and the city of Hai Phong are opening up unprecedented opportunities.

Not only the railway, Hai Phong in general, and Cat Ba in particular, are "opening wide" all doors – air, sea, and land – to welcome domestic and international tourists to experience the beauty of the bay, a world natural heritage site.

The Dong Bai ferry terminal, along with the new Bay View Cat Ba ferry, has helped alleviate the previous ferry congestion. Photo: Le Tan

By road, traveling to Cat Ba has never been easier thanks to the large-scale Hanoi -Hai Phong, Ninh Binh-Hai Phong, and Lao Cai-Hai Phong expressways. A second excellent option for international visitors and those from other regions is air travel (Cat Bi Airport, Van Don Airport). Currently, Cat Bi Airport (Hai Phong) has direct flights to 9 of the busiest cities both domestically and internationally. Cat Bi is planning to increase its capacity from the current 2 million passengers to 13 million passengers per year by 2030 and 18 million passengers per year by 2050.

Whether traveling to Hai Phong by rail, air, or road, tourists can quickly reach Cat Ba Island via the sea-crossing ferry and the world-record-breaking cable car. In 2024, to alleviate sea traffic congestion, Hai Phong put into operation the Dong Bai ferry terminal, along with a system of 5 newly built, spacious, and modern ferries. Simultaneously, the 15-minute cable car, operated year-round by Sun World, helps reduce waiting times for ferries. Statistics from the cable car operator show that the number of passengers using the cable car in 2024 increased threefold compared to the same period, and it is increasingly popular with tourists due to its congestion-free operation, fast travel time, and safe and civilized cabins. Upon arriving on the island, tourists can continue to choose another "green" mode of transportation with zero emissions: electric taxis.

Tourists travel on the Tuan Chau – Gia Luan ferry. Photo: Shutterstock

Also in 2024, other waterways such as the Tuan Chau - Gia Luan ferry route, speedboats from Hon Gai or Tuan Chau port to Cat Ba, and high-speed boats from Ha Long to Cat Ba also provided tourists with new options.

It's not an exaggeration to say that seemingly "all roads lead to Cat Ba." This also explains the projected 20% growth in Cat Ba's tourist numbers in 2024 compared to the same period. Notably, of the more than 3.6 million visitors to Cat Ba, over 1 million were international tourists.

According to data from the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Cat Hai district, total revenue from accommodation and food services in Cat Ba island in 2024 reached VND 3,354.5 billion, equivalent to 121.1% compared to the same period.

Going forward, as "Pearl Island" offers more new entertainment experiences, the number of domestic and international tourists flocking here will only increase.

Tourists choose to travel safely via the Sun World Cat Ba cable car.

Greening transportation: A stepping stone to attracting high-quality customers.

Beyond simply perfecting its diverse infrastructure planning, Hai Phong also aims to develop Cat Ba into Vietnam's first carbon-neutral green island, establishing a green transportation system on the island. This is to increasingly attract high-end tourists and international visitors for longer stays.

Cable cars are a mode of transportation that helps reduce carbon emissions.

According to tourism expert Associate Professor Pham Trung Luong, Cat Ba Island has developed a system of electric passenger vehicles along with the Cat Hai – Phu Long cable car line, both of which help reduce carbon emissions. This is also a systematic approach linked to sustainable development that many countries around the world are pursuing, focusing on human responsibility towards the environment, while attracting high-quality tourists and responsible tourism. For example, the "paradise island" of Lamma, Hong Kong (China), is increasingly attracting high-quality tourists thanks to its consistent ranking among the world's most car-free islands worth exploring.

"Cat Ba has begun restricting vehicle emissions with the support of the tourism service business community and Sun Group. I expect that Cat Ba will realize its goal of not accepting carbon-emitting motor vehicles on the island," commented the former Deputy Director of the Institute for Tourism Development Research.

The number of tourists traveling via the Cat Hai – Phu Long cable car line is increasing because it is fast, safe, and convenient.

Alongside the development of tourism projects in the heart of Cat Ba Island, leading tourism investor Sun Group has announced a strategy to jointly develop a green transportation system on the island. By developing parking and charging stations for electric vehicles right at the Phu Long cable car station, Sun Group's electric bus system will be ready to transport visitors from the cable car station to the center of Cat Ba town during this year's summer tourist season. All transportation within the central Cat Ba Bay area will be by electric buggy, bicycle, or on foot.

Tourists trek and enjoy the natural beauty of Cat Ba Island. Photo: Shutterstock

In 2025, Hai Phong city will also simultaneously implement a project to expand the Dong Bai ferry terminal to accommodate 3-4 ferries of various types at the same time, and expand the access roads to and from the Dong Bai and Cai Vieng ferries; at the same time, build a large-scale parking lot near the ferry terminal area, in order to properly implement the direction of the Resolution on tasks and solutions for the development of tourism in Hai Phong 2017-2020, with a vision to 2030 - which identifies the development of Cat Ba Island according to the model of an ecological and smart island, as a leverage for the development of tourism and the economy of Hai Phong. Accordingly, Hai Phong will restrict gasoline and diesel vehicles from going to Cat Ba Island.

Before long, visitors to the island will have more eco-friendly transportation options to explore the island, such as electric buses, electric taxis, and electric buggies. Convenient transportation will also help tourists overcome the feeling of needing to drive to the island for transportation, and become truly "responsible" tourists, contributing to a greener Cat Ba Island.

Source: https://toquocweb.dev.cnnd.vn/moi-con-duong-deu-dan-toi-cat-ba-20250220170315345.htm