Along with Ha Long Bay, Quan Lan island and Bai Chay beach, Co To is one of the ideal island resort for tourists in the north. Co To is an archipelago includes 50 islands, located east of the Van Don island district, Quang Ninh province.
Although there are no luxury hotels and restaurants or entertainment services such as Nha Trang and Phan Thiet beach, but Co To has attracted thousands of tourists by the beauty of the island is still wild. With beautiful beaches such as Van Chai, Hong Van with the blue waters, light waves, white sandy beaches and beautiful coral reefs around the island, the people on the island are mainly engaged in agriculture and fishing should be very enthusiastic and relatives friendly, the food on the island is primarily seafood, delicious and cheap, you can organize the party or bonfire on the beach in the evening.
Here are some tips for travelers to visit Co To island:
# 1. How to get there?
From Ha Noi to Van Don:
From Ha Noi, about 200 km to Van Don, tourists can take the bus at My Dinh or Luong Yen bus station to go to Cam Pha bus station, this route will take you about 4 hours. You can find more bus station in Ha Noi here: The bus stations in Hanoi.
From Cai Rong port to Co To island:
If you travel to Co To from Cai Rong port you can take timber ship or High-speed boat.
– Timber ship:
Cai Rong -> Co To route:
Morning: every Monday to Friday at 7:00
Afternoon: every Wedesday, Friday and Sunday at 13:00
Co To -> Cai Rong route:
Morning: every Monday to Sunday at 07:00
Afternoon: every Thursday, Saturday and Sunday at 13:00
Timber ship price: VND 95,000/person
– High-speed boat:
Everyday, from Cai Rong -> Co To at 13:00 and go back to Cai Rong from Co To at 08:00
The price of High-speed boat ranges: VND 135,000 – 160,000.
Tip: If you wanna go on weekends (Saturday or Sunday), you should arrive 30 minutes or 1 hour early because at these days there are a lot of visitors travel to Co To island, so the ship is running when the visitors enough without the fixed time above.
Transportation in Co To island: In the island you can hire motorbikes, “Xe om“, electric vehicles or taxi.
– Taxi: there are taxi and 16 seats car for rent in Co To island. Read more: Taxi phone numbers in Ha Long
– Electric vehicles: You can hire at Coto Lodge Mini Hotel and it run in the fixed route with the carrying from 6 to 8 guests.
– Motorbikes: the price for hire in Co To island is approximately VND 200.000/day (excluding petrol).
– “Xe om“: easy to hire “Xe om” but you should bargain before hiring.
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# 2. Where to live and eat?
Living:
Hotels, motels: here are some hotels that you can consult: The Guest house of Co To district, Co To Logde Mini Hotel, Green Co To hotel, Thanh Trung hotel.
And, there are some new hostel were built near the cruise port and town, the price is about VND 100,000/person/room.
Eating:
The main food in Co To island is seafood such as: crab, shrimp, fresh squid, clam… and the price from VND 100,000 to 150,000 for one person. Almost hotels have restaurants serving tourists.
# 3. Attractions in Co To island
– Ho Chi Minh statue: Located approximately 150m from the town center. Where marking the boundary stone and sacred sovereignty of the Vietnam.
– Co To Lighthouse: far from town center about 4km, located on 101m high mountain, the most ideal place for you to look at the whole island.
– Van Chay beach: located in the west of the island and far from the center about 8km, it still has pristine coastal bend, sand smooth, clean and white. This is the most famous beach in Co To island.
– Hong Van beach: Located in east of Co To island, about 5km from the center, the sea here is quite calm, like water in a lake.
– Small Co To island: This is the most beautiful beaches in Co To archipelago. You must hire a boat to get there and it will take you about 30 – 45 minutes, depending on the weather.
– The My bridge and Bai Da: far the town about 1km
