Hai Phong

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Hai Phong is northern Vietnam's biggest port city and, in its expanded municipal form, a surprisingly varied destination in the Red River Delta. On the mainland you get a working harbour city with tree-lined boulevards, French-colonial architecture, and a proud reputation for seafood and street food. Offshore lies its star attraction: Cat Ba Island, gateway to Lan Ha Bay, a quieter southern extension of the Ha Long Bay karst seascape, plus Cat Ba National Park's rainforest and rare langurs. Closer to the city, the Do Son peninsula offers beaches, an emperor's villa, and lighthouse-topped Hon Dau island. The province also reaches inland into the old Hai Duong heartland, rich in temples, historic battle sites on the Bach Dang River, and craft villages such as Chu Dau pottery.

This is a four-season northern climate, so timing depends on what you want. For the islands, beaches and bay cruises, May to September brings warm seas and long days, but it is also the rainy season with a real risk of typhoons between July and September that can cancel boats for a day or two. Many travellers prefer the shoulder months: April to early June and, best of all, September to November, when the weather turns dry, clear and pleasantly cool. Winter (December to February) is cool, sometimes grey and drizzly, and better suited to city sightseeing, temples and food than to swimming.

Hai Phong is easy to reach from Hanoi, about 120 km away and roughly two hours on the Hanoi-Hai Phong expressway by car, bus or limousine van. Fast, comfortable trains also run the historic Hanoi-Hai Phong line. The city has its own Cat Bi International Airport with domestic flights to cities such as Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang plus some regional international routes; Hanoi's larger Noi Bai airport is around two to three hours away by road. For Cat Ba Island, travellers combine road transfer with a ferry or the modern cable car from Cat Hai; high-speed boats also link Hai Phong and Cat Ba directly in season.

In the mainland city, ride-hailing apps like Grab (cars and motorbikes), metered taxis, and cyclos around the centre make getting around simple and cheap. Distances between the city, Do Son and the ferry ports are best covered by taxi, private car or local bus. Reaching Cat Ba means a ferry or cable car, and once on the island you can rent a motorbike, hire a taxi, or join tours. Lan Ha Bay, Monkey Island and the floating villages are explored by cruise boat, wooden day-boat or kayak. Inland Hai Duong sights are spread out, so a private car with driver is the most practical way to link temples and craft villages.

Hai Phong is one of Vietnam's great food cities, famous above all for banh da cua, a hearty crab noodle soup made with flat brown rice noodles, and for nem cua be, crisp square rolls stuffed with sea crab. Look also for banh mi cay, slim 'spicy' baguettes eaten by the handful with chilli pate, and for oc, snails and shellfish served with dipping sauces at lively evening spots. Being a port, fresh seafood is everywhere, especially on Cat Ba where grilled fish, prawns and clams come straight off the boats. Elsewhere you will find the northern classics, pho and bun cha, while the inland Hai Duong area is known for banh dau xanh mung-bean cakes and, in early summer, sweet vai thieu lychees.

As across Vietnam, Tet (Lunar New Year, usually late January or February) is the biggest celebration, when temples and pagodas fill with families making offerings. The province has a strong calendar of historic and spiritual festivals: the Con Son-Kiep Bac festivals in spring and autumn honour national hero Tran Hung Dao and scholar Nguyen Trai and draw large crowds. Do Son is known for its dramatic traditional buffalo-fighting festival, historically held around the ninth lunar month, and Hon Dau island holds its own temple festival. Many communal houses and pagodas across the old Hai Duong heartland mark spring festival days with processions, incense and folk performances.

Give yourself time: the mainland city, the Cat Ba/Lan Ha islands and the inland Hai Duong temples are quite far apart, so it is better to base yourself in one area at a time rather than rush. Watch the weather forecast if the islands are on your list, and keep a flexible day in the July-September typhoon window in case boats are suspended. Carry some cash, as smaller eateries, ferries and rural sites may not take cards. A little Vietnamese, or a translation app, goes a long way outside the tourist spots. Finally, accessibility is limited at many older temples, caves and island trails, which involve steps and uneven ground, so plan accordingly if mobility is a concern.

This section is being updated and will be available shortly.

This section is being updated and will be available shortly.