Things to do in Hai Phong

Hai Phong is a large working port city roughly 100 km east of Hanoi, and for most visitors it is a transit point rather than a destination in its own right: the road and rail hub for Cat Ba Island and the wider Ha Long and Lan Ha bays, not a rival attraction to them.

The centre keeps a run of French colonial buildings around the Opera House and Le Loi and Dien Bien Phu streets, worth an hour on the way through, plus the flower island of Cat Hai and a genuine local seafood and bun cha cua be scene rarely aimed at tourists.

Treat it as a stop to break a journey or catch a connection, not as a base for a multi-day stay, and expect a humid, industrial port atmosphere rather than the scenery the bays are known for.