Kayaking in Lan Ha in 2026

Is kayaking allowed in Lan Ha Bay in 2026?

Officially, kayak services on the Cat Ba bays have been suspended since 15 November 2024, and we found no published lifting. In practice, operators report a narrow opening around Ao Ech lagoon, and some day boats still paddle.

The sources disagree because they describe different things: a legal order, the routes one cruise line is allowed to use, and what happened on one boat on one day. Here is each, with its date.

Why did Cat Hai stop kayaking in November 2024?

Because kayak hire had grown up informally, without the conditions Vietnamese law sets for water recreation, and the district saw risks to tourist safety and to public order on the bays.

The order landed in the middle of the autumn season and hit overnight boats hardest. Operators had added kayaks and banana boats to fill the evening and the morning, and earlier rules had not covered them. By 2024 the legal frame had caught up: Decree 48 of 2019 on water recreation, amended by Decree 19 in February 2024, plus the bay's World Heritage listing in 2023. Vu Huy Thuong, deputy director of Hai Phong's tourism department, told Dan Tri the stop would cost Lan Ha some appeal but that tourist safety came first.

The cruise side pushed back. Nguyen Duy Phu, who chairs the Lan Ha Bay cruise association, told VOV that Ha Long Bay allows kayaking, so the Cat Ba bays should not ban it, and asked for zones to be drawn as soon as possible. Dan Tri also ran the story of a 20-person American group nobody had told.

What has happened since: zones, licences and the 2026 notice?

The plan is zones first, licences second, and as of October 2026 we found no published decision announcing the zones. The ban was restated in Notice 483/TB-UBND.

Hai Phong told Cat Ba National Park to work with the transport department and Cat Hai to announce water-recreation zones; operators would then be assessed and licensed. The park was drafting eco-tourism plans for three water areas, Cua Cai - Minh Tu, Van Ta and Ba Dinh (VOV). The city asked for speed so kayaks and banana boats could return.

Then the administration changed. Cat Hai district became Cat Hai special zone in mid-2025, and its People's Committee issued Notice 483/TB-UBND. Amanda Cruise published its suspension under that notice on 27 November 2025; Indochina Sails gives 1 February 2026 as the effective date. Both say until further notice. Bhaya's June 2026 update describes the one opening cruise operators mention: kayaking for cruise guests in the Ao Ech area near Cat Ba, and none at Dark & Bright Cave or Ba Trai Dao.

Safety rules tightened again after 14 June 2026, when a steel tour boat ran into a wooden one near Van Boi beach and a passenger died. Hai Phong ordered a review of tender boats, and Cat Hai now requires life jackets for passengers from boarding to the end of the trip (DTiNews).

What do 2026 tour itineraries list?

Every tour on this site lists kayaking in its 2026 itinerary. Four of the Tuan Chau cruises already write it as kayak or bamboo boat.

Read the right-hand column against the Bhaya update. Ao Ech and Tra Bau are where cruise kayaking has carried on, and Dark & Bright Cave is where crews most often hand you to a bamboo rower. A Cat Ba day boat that lists the caves by kayak may row you through them instead.

Recent reviews show that some paddling happens. On the small-group day, Hui Yi wrote in Oct 2026: "The kayaking was really fun and the lunch on the boat was delicious." On the Beka boat the same month, Michal noted: "Great kayaks, although the route was a bit short (1 hour)."

What happens on the day if kayaks are off?

You go through the caves in a bamboo boat rowed by a local, or you swim instead. The rest of the day runs as listed.

Indochina Sails describes the swap at Dark & Bright Cave: a traditional bamboo boat rowed by local artisans, through the same low tunnels into the same lagoon. Amanda's cruises swapped kayaking for a swim at Tra Bau, with a ranger lagoon and floating platforms, and a tender visit to Ao Ech.

Honestly, the bamboo boat is the better way to see the tunnels if you have never paddled. Someone else steers, and your hands are free for the camera. What you lose is the freedom to drift into a quiet corner of a lagoon on your own. If that is the point of your trip, message the operator through GetYourGuide the day before and ask which lagoon they are using and whether kayaks are running.

How should you book a Lan Ha kayaking trip now?

Book for the bay, not the paddle. Pick a tour whose itinerary names a lagoon, read it for the words kayak or bamboo boat, and check again the day before.

• Ao Ech and Tra Bau are the names to look for on a cruise; the Azura cruise lists Ao Ech by name.
• Ben Beo day boats start inside Lan Ha, so more of the day is spent in the lagoons and less in transit.
• Life jackets are required for the whole trip since June 2026, kayak or not.
• Tides decide some lagoons: Ba Ham's three tunnels are passable around low tide, so the spot can change on the day.
• Swimming carries on whatever the kayak rules; see our swimming and kayaking guide for beaches, jellyfish season and water temperatures.

A day in Lan Ha from Cat Ba with lagoon kayaking on the itinerary, Cai Beo floating village and a swim stop, in a group of up to 10 on the small option.

★ 4.9 · 8 hours · from $32

Explore the small-group day cruise → Tour details

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