Sun Group brings tourism and resort ecosystem to the center of Cat Ba Island. Illustrative perspective image

New experience at the heritage island

The title of "World Natural Heritage Ha Long Bay - Cat Ba Archipelago" by UNESCO is the "boost" for Cat Ba tourism to accelerate. In 2024, the number of tourists to Cat Ba will reach over 3.6 million, an increase of 20% over the same period. Of which, international visitors are estimated to reach over 1 million, an increase of 90% compared to 2023. In January 2025, although it is the low season for island tourism, Cat Ba still welcomed more than 85,000 international visitors, an increase of more than 30% over the same period in 2024.

But the growth potential for Cat Ba does not stop there…

The increasing number of tourists coming to Cat Ba requires additional accommodation and resort infrastructure. Photo: Pexels

Possessing a spectacular landscape, arguably unique in the world, but for many years Cat Ba has been like a "sleeping princess in the forest", much inferior to its "neighbor" Ha Long Bay due to traffic barriers and outdated infrastructure and services. Up to now, when access to the pearl island is easier thanks to cable cars, ships, ferries... tourists flock to the island more and more, the problem of tourism infrastructure (accommodation, transportation) is urgently raised.

According to local authorities, the pearl island currently has more than 300 tourist accommodation establishments with a total of more than 6,500 rooms. Only 2 establishments meet 5-star standards. In the future, when Cat Ba explodes in visitors (expected to welcome 4 million visitors in 2025), the infrastructure will be difficult to meet the demand. The situation of room shortage will recur. In addition, compared to other coastal tourism centers, Cat Ba currently does not have many new experiences, there are no night tourism activities. The beach is small and located far away, making it difficult for tourists to travel.

Sun Group will bring a series of international-class shows to Cat Ba Island.

This "bottleneck" of the Pearl Island is about to become a thing of the past, as a series of "Vietnamese eagles" are landing here, typically the Sun Group Corporation.

Vietnam's leading resort and entertainment developer, which has been successful with ecosystems in Da Nang, Phu Quoc, and Quang Ninh, is now present in Cat Ba with the Green Island Central Bay City project and a series of international-class shows with an investment scale of approximately 200 billion VND, launching this summer. Soon, in the "heart of Pearl Island", a large-scale entertainment and resort complex will appear, with the highlight being the largest public beach on the island, The Ladies Beach, 1km long, the central square, the festival boulevard, and a series of ecological parks.

"Transform" with a classy tourism ecosystem

The vision for Cat Ba tourism development was shaped by Sun Group nearly 10 years ago, when the Group's leaders set foot on the pearl island and gazed at the picturesque Lan Ha Bay. Then in 2020, Sun Group inaugurated the Cat Hai - Phu Long cable car route, adding an environmentally friendly green means of transport while creating a new experience, contributing to eliminating the difficult traffic congestion when going to the island. The cable car management board revealed that in 2024, the number of passengers using the cable car has tripled compared to before, and is expected to increase further due to its convenience and civilization.

Tourists go through the ticket gate to get on the Sun World Cat Ba cable car to Cat Ba Island.

The early investment push for transportation at that time was the premise for Sun Group to launch the famous show “Symphony of Green Island” in the summer of 2025. 20 Jetski racers, 8 Flyboarders and 3 Jazzers (female athletes flying on the water) in glowing LED costumes will stir up the night sea with a performance of speed, spectacular acrobatics, lights and brilliant fireworks, creating a sparkling visual feast on the sea.

The representative of the project management board affirmed: “ Distilling the experience of successfully organizing shows in Da Nang and Phu Quoc, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors each night, the Green Island Symphony is a gift from Sun Group to the people and tourists of Cat Ba. With an unprecedentedly large investment compared to other shows and a top-notch artist lineup, Sun Group wants to dedicate to visitors explosive experiences, worthy of the position of Cat Ba pearl island”.

Flyboard artists perform daring acrobatics in the air

In just 1 to 2 years, when the Green Island Central Bay City Project is completed in a rare seafront location in the center of the island, residents and tourists will continue to experience the class, quality, and service of products branded Sun Group.

To make the journey of tourists complete, Sun Group also invested in an electric bus route connecting directly from Phu Long cable car station to the center of the island and electric buggies running within the project area, continuing to contribute to the "greening" of the island thanks to means of transport that do not emit carbon into the environment. These methodical investments show Sun Group's dedication and overall investment strategy towards sustainable development, from transportation, accommodation to top-notch entertainment, culinary and recreational experiences.

Show Symphony of Green Island is a symphony of light, sound, fireworks and modern technology.

According to Associate Professor, Dr. Pham Trung Luong, former Deputy Director of the Institute for Tourism Development Research, to successfully achieve the goal of turning Cat Ba into an international green tourism destination, it is necessary to have dedicated, experienced and visionary investors, along with the determination of authorities at all levels.

Cat Ba needs to create its own identity, find its own path that is different from neighboring island destinations such as Ha Long. Hai Phong City's goal of turning Cat Ba into a green destination, with no carbon emissions, no gasoline-powered vehicles... is the right direction, allowing the exploitation and preservation of the natural advantages of this island. However, from idea to reality is a long way and without strategic investors, it is very difficult to implement.

The show will prolong the experience of visitors to Cat Ba Island.

Associate Professor, Dr. Pham Trung Luong assessed: Investing in a green tourism destination costs a lot of resources and does not easily bring short-term benefits. “Following the orientation of sustainable tourism development and green ecology, Hai Phong has chosen the right leading investor in tourism. Sun Group is an investor with a strategic vision and is very passionate about the development of sustainable tourism in the lands where the Group is invited to invest,” Mr. Luong commented.

Coming here, tourists will not only come to Cat Ba for its natural landscape and biodiversity, but also for new - unique - top experiences that cannot be found elsewhere. That is the mark of Vietnam's leading tourism developer - Sun Group on the journey to elevate Cat Ba pearl island.