Co To Island guide: fast boats from Van Don, beaches and storm caveats

Why Co To, and when it is worth the crossing

Most visitors to Quang Ninh see its islands from the deck of a cruise boat. Co To is different: you sleep on an inhabited island, walk to the beach and eat seafood that came in on the morning boats. The national tourism site suggests it as a stay after a Ha Long Bay trip, because the ports for Co To are not far from Ha Long.

The local government counts more than 70 islands, large and small, in the archipelago, about 60 kilometres from the mainland; the national site says 40 to 50, about 80 kilometres out. Either way, the main island, Co To, is the one set up for visitors, with Co To town, hotels and homestays.

It is not empty all year. Co To received 513,913 visitors in 2024, according to the island's leaders in 2025, and almost all of them come in the warm months. The 2026 plan aimed at about 250,000 visitors in the summer season alone, and in summer 2025 Ao Tien port handled up to 16,000 passengers a day across all its island routes. If you want the beaches to yourself, aim for the edges of the season, such as late April and May or September and October, and avoid Vietnamese public holidays and summer weekends.

Beaches and the rocky coast

The national tourism site names four main beaches: Hong Van, Van Chay, Tinh Yeu (also called Tau Dam) and the beaches of Co To Con. Hong Van has the calmest water and is the one for a quiet swim or sunset; Van Chay, in the north of the island, is the place for waves, which the site says can reach 2 to 3 metres. In 2026 the special zone said it was upgrading Hong Van and Van Chay to Vietnam's national standard for tourist beaches and bringing Tinh Yeu up to it.

For rock rather than sand, the same site points to Mong Rong (Dragon's Claw), a 2-kilometre shore of stones that turn green with moss at some times of year, and the eroded rock reef at Cau My, best at sunrise.

In the middle of the island, a 2-kilometre lane lined with casuarina trees, known as the Love Road (Duong Tinh Yeu), is the classic late-afternoon walk or bicycle ride. Be aware that the coastal road of that name was badly hit by Storm Maysak in July 2026: the provincial newspaper reported that about 1.3 kilometres of it were seriously damaged, over 90 per cent of its length undermined or washed out. We could not confirm how much has been repaired, so ask your hotel before you plan around it.

The lighthouse and the Ho Chi Minh memorial

The Co To lighthouse stands on a forested hill about 5 kilometres from town, 100 metres above the sea, and dates from the late 19th century, according to the national tourism site. It is the island's best viewpoint. The keepers live there; if they let you climb the 72 steps of the spiral staircase, take your shoes off, because rainwater for drinking is collected from those steps.

In town, the Ho Chi Minh memorial area marks the president's visit to the island on 9 May 1961. Nhan Dan newspaper notes that Co To is the only place where he agreed to have his statue put up during his lifetime; the memorial was begun in 1968, became a national relic in 1997 and was ranked a special national relic in 2022. The square in front of it is where the island holds its events, and in 2026 the special zone made a flag-raising ceremony there a visitor programme.

The island also has a farming side that day-trippers miss. The provincial tourism portal described visitors in 2026 planting rice, leading cattle out and digging sweet potatoes with island farmers, part of a push to show Co To as more than a beach.

Co To Con, Thanh Lan and the small islands

Just off the main island lies Co To Con (Little Co To). The national tourism site says it is uninhabited and you cannot stay overnight, but you can go by boat for a day on its white sand and snorkel in clear water; one side is quiet and the other gets busy in peak season.

Thanh Lan island, about 2 kilometres from the main island, has forest and sedimentary rock formations, and smaller islets such as Hon Ca Chep (Carp islet), Hon Su Tu (Lion islet) and Hon Bay Sao are reached by boat. In April 2025 the then Co To district approved a pilot scheme, running until the end of 2026, for water sports and eight island-sightseeing routes linking Co To Con, Hon Ca Chep, Hon Su Tu, Hon Bay Sao, Hon Dong Nam, Thanh Lan and Tran island, with kayaking, jet skis, parasailing and coral diving at the main beaches. The provincial tourism portal publishes the list of travel companies approved to run these tours; book with one of them rather than an unlicensed boat.

New for 2026 are trips to sea-farming rafts around Hon Ngang and the nearby islets, where the provincial newspaper says visitors can feed fish, help with harvests, fish for squid, kayak or paddleboard and eat seafood on the raft. Because the pilot scheme ends with 2026, check what is running when you go.

Getting there: Ao Tien port, tickets and the weather

Fast boats leave from Ao Tien port in Van Don; the national tourism site also lists Cai Rong in Van Don and Tuan Chau in Ha Long as departure points, and the ferry company Havaco's booking form includes routes from both. From Hanoi, the expressways through Ha Long reach Van Don in about two and a half hours, according to the government news portal.

When we checked on 2026-10-03, Havaco listed Ao Tien – Co To departures at 07:00, 10:00 and 13:00 and returns from Co To at 10:00, 13:00 and 16:00, at 350,000 dong one way in standard class and 500,000 dong in VIP, with a child fare of 200,000 dong. Ka Long, another operator, told passengers to buy the Ao Tien port fee of 50,000 dong before boarding. Havaco advertises its crossing at about 60 minutes and Ka Long at about 1 hour 15 minutes. Times and fares change by season and operator, so book on the operator's own site, and avoid tickets offered on social media, which Ka Long warns can be scams.

Weather is the real constraint. On 3 July 2026 the province's waterways port authority ordered all boats to stay in port from 17:00 ahead of Storm Maysak; that day the special zone ran 18 sailings to take 3,147 passengers back to the mainland, and the boats only resumed on the afternoon of 5 July, when 10 sailings brought more than 1,700 visitors home. In the June to October storm season, keep a day spare, watch the forecast, and expect your hotel and boat company to tell you if sailings are cancelled.

Two practical notes. Carry ID: passengers' identity details are checked at the port, and foreigners should bring their passport. And bring a refillable bottle and bag: the national tourism site asks visitors not to bring plastic bottles or bags, and in 2026 the special zone set a target of removing single-use plastic from hotels, restaurants and beaches.