Located roughly 60 km to the southeast of Hai Phong city, Cat Ba Biosphere Reserve boasts as many as 26,240 ha of natural area and is one of the few biosphere reserves in the world that possesses a diverse ecosystem with many rare animals and plants on land and under the sea. Moreover, this place is also home to many valuable archaeological relics, an outpost against foreign invasion on the sea direction, an important area in defence and security in the defence posture of Hai Phong city and Military Region 3.

Scientific research results reveal that Cat Ba Biosphere Reserve represents a vivid example of the ongoing ecological evolution in coastal and island areas with the existence of 07 typical tropical ecosystems, including: (1). Primary rainforest ecosystem on limestone islands; (2). Tidal ecosystem with mosaics of attached organisms; (3). Coral reef ecosystem; (4). Saltwater lake ecosystem; (5). Seabed ecosystem of the Gulf of Tonkin; (6). Mangrove ecosystem on the island; (7). Terrestrial cave ecosystem and freshwater cave. For this reason, the ecosystems are very diverse, and are home to as many as 4,637 species of animals and plants (about 2,449 terrestrial species, 14 freshwater species, 37 mangrove species, 2,137 marine species). In particular, there are 83 endemic species; 114 rare species in the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (including 110 species of coral, 03 species of sea turtles, 01 species of marine mammals) and 14 species in the Vietnam Red Book.

One of the rare species of animal on Cat Ba Island

Not only famous for its biodiversity, Cat Ba also boasts breathtaking natural landscapes; in which, Lan Ha Bay has been ranked as one of the most beautiful and pristine bays in Vietnam with about 400 large and small islands and beautiful beaches. It is an attractive destination for domestic and foreign tourists. Coming to Cat Ba, visitors can enjoy many types of ecotourism, such as: forest ecotourism to learn about the fauna and flora of the primeval forest; exploring the ecosystem of Lan Ha Bay; diving and coral watching, fishing, swimming, climbing; community tourism, etc. In addition to its unique, diverse and rich natural ecosystem, Cat Ba is also rich in cultural traditions and historical values. Scientists have discovered 77 archaeological sites with excavated artifacts and cultural layers, showing that humans have continuously existed on the island for over 300,000 years. Most notably, Cai Beo Site - a large-scale archaeological site - has a thick stratigraphy, many relics and artifacts of the largest ancient coastal fishing village ever found in our country. With its unique values ​​of biodiversity, culture, history, and landscape, in December 2004, Cat Ba was officially listed as a World Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO. This is an important legal basis for the government of Cat Ba to concentrate resources to better preserve the biodiversity of natural ecosystems and human values, ensuring sustainable development, prosperity, security and safety on the island.

Thoroughly grasping the Party's viewpoint in the "Strategy for sustainable exploitation and use of resources, protection of marine and island environment", along with focusing on conserving biodiversity, natural heritage and marine cultural values, the government of Hai Phong city has put a lot of investment in all aspects to boost tourism development and marine economy of Cat Ba Islands, making it a "model" for "green" and sustainable development.

Cao Vuong