Van Don Island Travel Guide
Van Don Island in Quang Ninh Province is the largest of the islands in the Bai Tu Long Bay archipelago, which is very close to the world famous Ha Long Bay.
- What is It?
- The largest island in the Bai Tu Long Bay archipelago, just north of Ha Long Bay.
- When to Go
- The best weather in northern Vietnam is December through March.
- Nearest Town
- Cai Rong in the west of the island on highway 304.
- Don't Miss
- Long Beach in the south of Van Don Island, which has the best beach and tourist facilities.
- Trivia
- Van Don is known for the established Van Don Trading Port.
The best thing about Van Don Island, apart from its fantastic beaches and beautiful countryside, is the distinct lack of overdevelopment when compared with other places in the region. Despite this, Van Don Island is the most developed and most populated in the Bai Tu Long Bay, featuring hundreds of thousands of various ethnic minorities, including San Diu, Dao, Kinh, Cao Lan, and Muong.
Van Don Island has a 35-kilometer coastline which includes Long Beach (Bai Dai Beach) on the south side. There is some good snorkeling just offshore with plenty of karst rock formations similar to those found on Ha Long Bay. The main town on Van Don Island is Cai Rong, which is the first place you come to when crossing over onto the island.
Travel to Van Don Island - Getting There
Van Don Island is linked to the mainland at Cura Ong by bridge and frequent buses come in from Ha Long City to Cai Rong in about 90 minutes. Tourists can also get to Van Don Island by high-speed hydrofoil from Ha Long City in an hour. Noi Bai International Airport at Hanoi is the closest to the island and is linked to Cai Rong by highways 2, 18 and 304 with a journey time of about 4 hours.
