Co To is an island district in the east of Quang Ninh province, about 80 km from the mainland. Co To has nearly 50 small islands, in which tourists mainly explore the island clusters of Co To, Co To Con and Thanh Lan.
What season is Co To beautiful?
The best time to visit Co To is summer and autumn. April and May are the most ideal because there are no storms, no rain, and the sun is not hot yet. June and July are suitable for summer travel, but there are often storms. September and October are beautiful but it’s starting to get cold, it rains more – the plus point is that the prices are not as expensive as the peak season.
Regardless of the season, you should check the weather forecast before you depart, to avoid being stuck for a long time because boats are prohibited from sailing during storms. If the storm suddenly makes landfall while you are in Co To, please follow the instructions of the local authorities, or the tour guide in case of traveling in groups. Stay in a hotel or find a safe haven, continue your journey only when the storm clears. Should bring more money than estimated budget.
Move
To get to Co To island, visitors will have to go in 2 stages:
Stage 1: Arrive at Cai Rong port, Van Don, Quang Ninh
Visitors from the South or Central will take a flight to Hanoi or Hai Phong, Quang Ninh and then go by road to Cai Rong port, Van Don district.
If you do not drive a car or motorbike by yourself from Hanoi, you can take a limousine or bus to Cua Ong, Cam Pha at My Dinh and Giap Bat bus stations. The price is about 150,000 VND to 200,000 VND a turn. Travel time is about 4 hours.
Departing from Hai Phong, travel time is about 1 hour 30 minutes. Limousine costs about 150,000 VND one way, passenger cars about 120,000 VND one way.
Stage 2: From Cai Rong port, take a boat to Co To island
There are 3 types of ships: speedboat, wooden train and booster train. Visitors often take speedboats and wooden trains.
High-speed train: Travel time is more than an hour, reference fare is 250,000 VND one way. The shipping lines include: Ka Long, Phuc Thinh, Co To 68, Co To 01, Havaco, Nguyen Viet, Quang Minh, Manh Quang, Hai Vinh 89, Hoang Quan. Departure time is from 6:00 am to 5:30 pm.
Wooden train: Travel time is nearly three hours, reference fare is 95,000 VND one way. Departure time in the afternoon Van Don – Co To is 7:00 am, in the afternoon at 1 pm, for every customer, run.
Traveling on the island
Visitors to the island can travel by tram, motorbike, bicycle (rented at hotels and motels) or motorbike taxi, taxi.
Reference price: 7-seat electric car package 1,200,000 VND a day; motorbike 200,000 VND a day excluding gasoline; bicycle 30,000 – 50,000 VND an hour.
Where to play?
Sea
The most attractive point in Co To is the long beaches, fine white sand and clear water. On Co To island, there are beautiful beaches such as Van Chay, Love (also known as Tau Dam beach), Hong Van , Bac Van.
Co To Con Island has South beach and East beach. To go to Co To Con island, tourists take a boat from Bac Van port (about 7km from town), the time to the island is about 30 to 45 minutes depending on the weather.
Thanh Lan Island, about 2 km from the big Co To island by sea, has Central beach, Ba Chau beach, C76, Navy …
Not only an ideal place for bathing, Hong Van, Nam Hai, Van Chay beaches… are beautiful places to watch the sunrise and sunset. In the evening, you can open BBQ on the beach. If you’re smart enough, get up early to go to the market, buy seafood such as squid, clams, oysters… to bring to the sea to bake in the evening. If you do not have the conditions to prepare yourself, you can choose the available BBQ service packages of some tour companies that specialize in providing this service to have a romantic dinner, wine and seafood.
Island
In addition to the familiar islands, tourists can rent boats to visit small islands such as Bat Huong island, Carp island, Khe Trau island, Tran island, Ba Duc island, Con Mouse island, Lion island…
Dragon’s Claw Beach
Mong Rong rock beach (also known as Cau My) has a system of sedimentary rocks that have been eroded over thousands of years by sea water. This colorful natural rock beach belongs to zone 4, Co To town on Co To island. The rocky beach is more than 40 hectares wide, stretching about 2 km.
According to ancient documents, the rocky beach was originally called Thu My Bridge, gradually people used to call it Cau My. In 2015, the beach was renamed Dragon’s Claw because the shape of the rocks reaching out to the sea is reminiscent of the claws of a dragon.
In addition to check-in sightseeing, visitors can also fish, scuba dive to see corals on a calm day. Visit the rocky beach in the moss season, you will have more magical color photos.
Co To Lighthouse
Located on a hill more than 100 m high, Co To lighthouse is considered one of the most beautiful lighthouses in Vietnam. Climbing up 72 spiraling stairs to the top of the lamp, you will capture the view of the entire beautiful island in the midst of a vast sea, busy boats…
If given the opportunity, visitors can also chat with the lighthouse keepers to understand more about their mission, life…
Visitors are advised to go up the stairs barefoot – because the stairs are the place to collect clean rain water for the storekeepers of the lights.
The road of love
The road more than 2 km long is paved with red bricks, along the coast is a romantic check-in point on Co To island. Dubbed the road of love, the path is flanked on both sides by the shade of green casuarina trees, swaying with the sea breeze, nearby are waves crashing on the sand, golden sunlight crept through the foliage… Visitors It will feel like seeing this familiar image on some romantic Korean drama.
Primeval forest
April is the flower season on Co To island. The flowers are green like the leaves, tiny, growing in clusters like tiny fireworks hanging down.
Visit the island in the right season, take the time to visit the primeval forest, see the hundreds of years old trees over 20 meters high.
Enjoying the fresh air, listening to the birdsong, and discovering the wonderful nature are the experiences that promise to leave memorable memories during the trip.
The primary forest is located in Nam Dong village, Dong Tien commune, about 9 km from the center of Co To district. A primeval forest of about 10 hectares runs along Bac Van beach. Near the forest, there is a passenger ferry to Co To Con, convenient for tourists to visit on the way to explore the island.
President Ho Chi Minh memorial site
This place has been recognized as a national historical relic site since 1997. The memorial area has relics associated with the places that President Ho Chi Minh visited during his visit to the island district in 1961 and 1962.
Changchun Lake
This is one of two large freshwater reservoirs on Co To island, providing domestic water for people. The scenic lake is suitable for tourists to visit and explore. There is also accommodation service for visitors.
Don Cao relic
The relic of the Battle of Don Cao on the night of November 13, 1945 by Ky Con Company was recognized as a provincial historical relic. The area of Don Cao is in an elevated terrain with an area of about 300 m2. This position had a panoramic view of Co To, so the French stationed troops.
This place marked the brave and unequal battle of Ky Con Company – one of the first main units of Dong Trieu War Zone with the French Army on Co To island. In the center of Co To town, there is a street named Ky Con Company to pay tribute and remember the merits of martyrs who contributed to the cause of liberation of the island district…
Ky Con Pedestrian Street
Ky Con pedestrian street in zone 3, Co To town is more than 205 m long. This space is a place where visitors can both explore food, drink, shop and have fun. This is the first pedestrian street of Co To district. Walking street operates from 19h to 23h daily.
Eating
The restaurant on the island serves affordable seafood. Addresses near the sea have higher prices. Some reference addresses include: Jellyfish restaurant, Thanh Uy, Hai Au, East Sea, Blue Sea, Son Hai Quan, Binh An Kitchen, Coto Hotel Group hotel restaurant, Van Chay restaurant, restaurant on the beach. Ngoc Quynh… Bars with a “chill” space include Co To Santorini Bar & Cafe, CoTo Sunset Beach Bar…
Homestays, motels
Most motels and homestays are self-opened, so they only have simple equipment for about 200,000 – 1,800,000 VND per night. The island is already connected to the grid, so visitors do not need to worry too much about the level of basic amenities. Some highly-rated accommodation options include Coto Eco Lodge, Starlight Hotel Co To, Homestay Co To Haki…
Note
At night on the beach many mosquitoes, bring insect spray to prevent.
The night weather on the island is low, bring a light jacket. If you plan to camp on the beach, you should choose a place away from the wind and bring a flashlight.
If you book a hotel or homestay on the island in advance, ask if there is a shuttle service to save time and money on the train.
