CAT BA FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Cat Ba archipelago consists of 366 islands, big and small, with several gulfs and beaches and is rich in bio-diversity as recognized by UNESCO. Cat Ba has great advantages in developing tourism. And in fact, tourism has become a main economic sector, making up of over 60 percent of the district economy.
As a key tourist centre of North Vietnam, Cat Ba has its own features. Though less famous than Ha Long Bay, Cat Ba is proud of its primitive wildness and national park with a bio-sphere of international standards. Lan Ha gulf encircled by small islands and beautiful beaches is an ideal place for tourists. Cat Ba will be developed into a tourist centre of national and international standards.
Attraction of “Pearl” island
According to the legend, because of the war, all men were stationed in the Northern islands, while women stayed in the big island cultivating the land for food to support the fight against the aggressors. The island was then named Cac Ba (Ladies) and later called Cat Ba. The Northern islands were called Cac Ong (Gentlemen) now belonging to Quang Ninh province.
Due to geological development, Cat Ba is almost a primitive island with forests, mountains, caves, streams, seas, valleys and beaches intertwining to create picturesque landscapes. Cat Ba national park is the key of the tourist centre covering an area of 15,200 hectares with 570 hectares of tropical primitive forest rich in mammals and plants, especially the white-headed monkey and Kim Giao plant.
Cat Ba has diversified sea foods such as shrimps, lobsters, squid, oysters, etc. It has also farms raising mother-of-pearl and turtles. Cat Ba tourist attraction also includes historical and cultural relics such as Cai Beo and bio-diversity that tourists can discovery endlessly.
Tourist Centre in view
After 10 years of development, Cat Ba is more attractive but with poor infrastructure; it fails to keep tourists for a long stay. To make Cat Ba a famous tourist centre at home and abroad, the local authorities and people have decided to development plans to 2010 and 2020, focusing on improvement of infrastructure, especially bathing beaches, water supply and waste treatment, high-class hotels, tourist ports and channels in Gia Luan and Viet Hai, hot springs and resorts, eco-tourism and sport and recreation centres.
To attain those objectives, the district is upgrading management and staff with those who have higher expertise and professionalism to meet the demand of tourists. Concurrently, the district is mobilizing the resources of the State budget to develop the infrastructure, roads, bridges, power and water supply. The district also encourages all economic sectors to develop facilities and services deep inside the island for eco-tourism in communes of Viet Hai, Xuan Dam, Hien Hao, Gia Luan and Phu Long.
Pham Xuan Hoe, Chairman of Cat Hai People’s Committee