As we approached the start of a suspension bridge that connects Vietnam’s north-east mainland to the small island of Tuan Chau, the bus we’d been travelling on for the past three and half hours came to an abrupt stop. My friend and I were then ushered off and handed our bags; it had an air of being dumped on the side of the road about it. I had to remind myself that getting off the bus at this stage had all been part of our plan. All those that remained on th bus were continuing onward, heading to their floating hotel which would take them on a grand tour of Halong Bay overnight. We, on the other hand, were headed for Cat Ba Island and contrary to the advice given to us by tour operators back in Hanoi, we’d decided to follow the locals – and would be makning our own way there via ferry.
Cat Ba Island is situated out at sea, in a World Heritage site of dense stone rock faces and limestone islands jutting perilously tall from the deep turquoise waves. I was excited to visit Cat Ba, and HaLong Bay in general for that matter, despite having no idea what wheelchair access would be like once we got there.
Shortly after making it onto Tuan Chau and heading straight to the ferry terminal on the south side of the island, we found that we needed to wait for two and half hours before the last ferry of the day to Cat Ba Island, would arrive. The long wait that we had ahead of us was also partly down to very poor weather conditions and that we were visiting in the low season and ferry’s at this time of year were far less frequent, accounting for the dip in tourism.
As we we sat there waiting for our ferry the rain – which had started almost as soon as we’d disembarked from our bus from Hanoi – poured relentlessly; crashing down hard on the ferry terminals thin corrugated roof, which was doing a fine job of sheltering us from the elements. The noise from the rain overhead was deafening, to the degree whereby I could barely hear myself think, let alone attempt any conversation with my friend. Still though, the picturesque views out onto the bay helped to make the time spent waiting for our ferry pass by unusually quickly – as locals sitting by us snacked on rice balls and drank copious amounts of black tea. The mist in the distance, created from warm rain perforating the sea, added a unique level of beauty. With many of the rock faces covered in dense greenery, the overall image was one of power and nature combined.
After the days late ferry had arrived and we’d boarded, the journey took just under an hour in total. As we approached the first of the many rock formations, the sheer size of these gigantic monoliths hit me hard and was like nothing I’d seen before in my life. I was left awe-struck, in reality, by the impressive scale and density of this collection of stunning islands.
At the bow of the ferry there were two metal staircases on both the port and starboard sides. Undeterred by the large volume of rainwater which had pooled on each step; I shuffled on my knees to the top of the port-side stairwell and remained perched there for almost the entirety of our journey – soaking up the view as we passed island after island, from the most ideal of vantage points. As we rounded each new bend on a course through the islands, the picture in front of us looked even more wonderful than the last.
Above many of the limestone islands there was a vast amount of birds circling curiously – overseeing the often-untouched land below them. As these birds swooped and dived in their uniform circular motion, I fumbled for my phone and consulted Google. The birds in question were actually Black Kites (cheers, Wikipedia.), and are considered one of the most common large birds of prey in the world, yet that didn’t make them any less interesting and impressive to me.
When the ferry docked at the northernmost tip of Cat Ba Island we made our way up a short slipway to where there was one minibus and three taxi’s waiting for those getting off the boat. We immediately decided against the taxi after being quoted 300.000 Dong for a ride into Cat Ba Town, which is around €15. We felt it was a little too pricey for our budget – especially when you consider it was more than the price of our actual accommodation that night!
I hesitated briefly as we moved towards the bus; with concern that there would be no space for my wheelchair once everyone else who had been on the ferry with us filed on board. I also didn’t know how the locals of HaLong Bay would take to a wheelchair user attempting to use their public transport. I needn’t have worried. Unlike the majority of folk on the mainland, the people of Cat Ba Island seemed a lot more relaxed and willing to ‘give anything a try’.
There’s something about island life that is just so laid back that it never fails to chill the soul – we also experienced that exact same vibe and easy-going lifestyle on Koh Lan Island in the north of Thailand.
The beaming, chubby ticket master guided us onto the old bus and helped my friend and I stuff my wheelchair on the seat behind me. We paid a snip of the price that we would have paid for a taxi and set off on the half hour journey through the thick jungle that engulfs the surrounding areas of Cat Ba National Park.
I saw somebody online describe Cat Ba Island as if it were plucked from a scene in Jurassic Park and I have to wholeheartedly agree with this description. As the bus bounced along a single track road, winding its way up into the hills that enclosed the harbour below us in the islands main town, my mind almost didn’t have to time to take in the many different types of nature and scenery we were passing. Trees, vines, shrubbery, thick dark jungle, tall grasslands, expansive muddy bogs and tinkling streams all zoomed by beside us as we made our way. The bus was stiflingly hot and without air-conditioning, and so all of the windows were wide open and even the sliding door on the side of the bus was completely open, which was nerve-racking, given that I was precariously balanced above the doorway, holding the wheels of my wheelchair and my heavy rucksack. The openness of the bus did offer some respite to the heat, but it also allowed for all the smells and sounds of the countryside to pour in and add to that authentic, very real, jungle feeling.
Almost all other passengers seemed to be locals, some sitting with their bare feet on top of the engine hub, others chatting and laughing as the bus stopped on occasion for people to engage with passers by, outside the bus window, and exchange sacks full of produce.
We arrived in what we believed to be Cat Ba Town, but with no bus stops to speak of it was hard to figure out where exactly would be the best place for us to ask to get off. Eventually, after following the example of some locals that had hopped off before us, I turned to my friend and signalled that we should ask the bus to pull over. Funnily, it seems that just about everyone on the bus was also unsure of when to get off because as the bus drew to a halt after our request, every single person on the bus, bar the driver and conductor, jumped off with us and scattered off into various directions. I guess that sometimes it just takes one person to make a move before everyone else follows?!
Fortunately enough our guesswork was right and our hotel was only a three minute stroll from where we’d gotten off the minibus. As the rain slowly got replaced by the most radiant of sunshine, we headed onward to check-in, and enjoy what would ultimately go on to be a tranquil first evening on Cat Ba.
There really is nothing better than island life – it’s the best.
HaLong Bay’s wheelchair access (updated March 2023)
There’s no getting away from it, Vietnam is a struggle when it comes to accessibility, and when it came to visiting HaLong Bay as a wheelchair user the picture was no different. In fact, you could even say it was worse, given that when away from the major city’s, far less importance is placed on ensuring access-for-all. Almost everything we did on our trip to HaLong Bay required some level of adaptation. From scuttling onto boats on my hands and knees whilst Emilija carried my wheelchair and our bags, to hanging off the back of a moped just so we could explore a little more of the island, it was all only possible because I am fortunate enough to be able to move freely and independently out of my wheelchair, even if I am unable to walk.
For those with more complex mobility needs, I would strongly recommend finding a tour operator that advertises accessible tours and cruises within the region. I found several that appeared on Google search, including one which was part of a wider tour advertised on disabledaccessholidays.com. I would suggest doing your own research and evaluating how your needs can be best met.