Cat Ong Island

The boat leaves the pier at Cát Bà, and within a few minutes a small island comes into view. It is green and quiet, with a white beach and very clear water. This is Cát Ông Island.

Three places around Cát Bà are often mixed up, so it helps to sort them out before landing. Cát Ông lies south of Cát Bà Island. It is wild and calm, and it has no monkeys. Cát Dứa Island lies to the east, and a troop of wild monkeys lives there, which is why people call it Monkey Island. The third is Cát Cò One, Two and Three, three swimming beaches on Cát Bà Island itself, an easy walk from the town. Three places, and three very different experiences.

Cát Ông is one of 367 islands, large and small, in the Cát Bà archipelago. The whole archipelago has been a UNESCO biosphere reserve since December 2004. A biosphere reserve is a UNESCO-recognized area where nature is protected and the people living there keep working the land.

The boat touches the shore. The beach is fine white sand that slopes gently into the sea. The water is so clear that a person standing at the edge can see small fish swimming below. This is what Cát Ông is best known for: a gentle slope and shallow water near the shore, safe for children. From April to August there are no big waves.

A small retreat stands on the island, called Cat Ong Beach Cottages. It has 20 small cottages facing the sea. Its idea is written in four words: no TV, no noise. It is not a five-star resort with an infinity pool. It is a place for people who want to switch off the phone, listen to the waves and sleep in the sea breeze.

Beyond the sand, cliffs and forest cover the rest of the island. Seabirds and insects live in the treetops. There are no monkeys here, as there are on Cát Dứa. What Cát Ông has is a silence and a wildness that few islands have kept.

People swim, of course. With snorkeling gear, they can look down at the coral on the sea floor. Kayaks can be paddled around the island, into the nooks of rock and the small caves along the shore. A small trekking path climbs the hillside to a view over the whole of Lan Hạ Bay. In the evening there is camping, and seafood grilled in the outdoor grill area of the cottages.

The sea is calm, the sun bright and the water warm from April to August. September to November is still lovely, with fewer visitors and a mild climate. From October until March the sea is rough, and on many days no boat can reach the island. Jellyfish season runs from early April to June. Jellyfish are hard to see with the naked eye, so it pays to study the water before swimming.

Cát Ông is not grand. It has no monuments and no thousand years of history to tell. But it has something that is growing rare in mass tourism: a moment of real quiet. That is why people come, for white sand, green water, forest and the sound of the waves.