A trip to Vietnam - Any suggestions on Cat Ba - Halong cruise?
 

I'm going to have a trip to Vietnam in August (in the North). Do you know any cruise that take me from Halong to Cat Ba? Any other interesting things to explore in Haiphong? Thanks

August is one of the wettest times to visit Northern Vietnam so you should expect some pretty heavy showers in Hanoi and Halong. Not the best time of year as far as te weather is concerned. Just about any travel agency in Hanoi will be able to arrange a tour for you. I would check with About Ethnic Travel | Ethnic Travel: insight into Vietnam who certainly used to offer a Cat Ba/Halong combo.

Alternatively, Halong Bay, Ha Long and Cat Ba Tours, Sapa tours, Halong Bay, Cat Ba Island close to Hoan Kiem lake has been run by an Australian guy for many years. He is really helpful and should be able to sort something out for you. Also a great place to eat and grab a beer.

How many days for your trip? There are so many cruises in Halong for you to choose here such as Lavender, Imperial Legend and Dragon Gold. But if you want to take a cruise through Haiphong - Cat Ba - Halong, La Pinta Cruise (a new cruise) can offer you this new itinerary. The cruise gives you services for 3 days 2 nights and 2 days 1 night. It is a 4-star cruise with no land stops.
Besides Cat Ba, you also can go to Do Son for relaxing. The sea and mountain landscape here is stunning. There are three zone: Zone 1, Zone 2 and Zone 3. For taking a bath in the sea, you should go to Zone 2 because this area is the cleanest one.
In Haiphong, you can enjoy many seafood dishes such as crab, oyster, snail and blood cockle. There are some other good food: banh da cua and banh my cay.

The alternative operator I was referring to was Kangaroo Cafe in Hoan Kiem. Not sure why the link presented in that way. This new format is a nightmare!

Yes I did mean the Real Kanagroo Cafe . I think he "Real" was added after many imitators started spring up !

@ delbertlynd I'll spend 3 days for the cruise through Cat Ba and Halong. Thanks for your detailed suggestion!

Thanks to you all!