In this article I will sum up the Co To travel tips for travelers who have never been here before. The article not only provides places to go on the island but also helps you to figure out a specific cost.

Why should you travel Co To but not the other islands?
Co To Island is one of the most searched places in northern Vietnam. Co To is refered to as a small island located in Bai Tu Long bay, Tonkin gulf by the natural beauty that nature bestowed on the island. Co To Island not only has the blue sea, but also the green rice fields, the sound of frogs crying at night reminding of the peaceful villages in northern Vietnam. In particular, there are also winding paths through the forest, sharp curves, the rugged cliffs that are no less dangerous than the mountain passes in the Northwest.

Co To Island is one of the top 10 most beautiful islands in Vietnam voted by Travel Times - a prestigious travel portal in Vietnam. This is a coastal destination chosen by many tourists in north Vietnam thanks to its beautiful scenery, beautiful sights but and not too far (takes about 4-5 hours drive from Hanoi).

Co To is a small island with an area of only about 47.3 km?. However, when traveling to Co To, you will discover that the island is not only beautiful but also has many attractive sights such as Love Road, Cau My stone field - Mong Rong stone field, Lighthouse, primitive forest and a series of isolated beaches.

2. When is the best time to visit Co To island?
The weather on Co To Island is most beautiful from April to September every year. Traveling to Co To Island in April is just the beginning of summer, the weather is not too hot but brightly sunny, clear blue sky, storms and typhoon are also less than the remaining months. April and May is the best time for travelers who like to swim, sunbathe. However, this is also the most crowded time on the island so service prices will soar.

By June, July, and August, this is where the rains start to increase. Traveling to Co To Island this season is still beautiful, but it is a bit of luck because you may encounter rough seas that make the ship unable to go to the island or return to the mainland. If you go on this occasion visitors need to pay attention to weather forecasts.
After that, from September to October is the time of autumn. The climate on Co To Island is cool, suitable for tourists who want to go sightseeing, couples need romantic space to relax. The sea water this season starts to get colder, so you can only take a bath on a sunny day.

From September to around March the next year is the time Co To has the least number of visitors, the service price is also cheaper. Tourists coming to this time usually only admire the sight but not the sea because of cold weather.

3. Experience to travel to Co To island by yourself
We suggest mode of transportation to take you to Co To and on Co To Island. Please refer to the schedules, prices that suit you best.

3.1. How to get to Co To Island - Van Don district
To get to Co To Island (Van Don district, Quang Ninh province), visitors will have to follow 2 journeys as follows.

Journey 1 : Travel to Cai Rong port.
Tourists from the South or the Central regions will take a flight to Hanoi or Hai Phong, then take the road to Cai Rong port in Van Don - Quang Ninh. At this stage, visitors can choose to ride limousine, coach or travel to Co To by self-driving motorbike / car if you like.
• Public buses: This is the most popular means for tourists. There are many buses to and from Quang Ninh, operating every hour, many transport companies with different prices, very convenient for travelers to choose.
• High standard Limousines: This type of vehicle is increasingly being chosen by more people because it is suitable for groups of people with the elderly and young children, or travelers with poor health.
• Motorbike: Traveling by motorbike is the most active way, suitable for backpacking travelers. Tourists riding motorbikes are usually dynamic and adventurous young groups.
 

Vehicle	Time	Reference price
Traveling to Co To Island from Hanoi
Limousine car	3h	From 200,000 VND / person / way
Coach	4-6h	From 150,000 VND / person / way
Motorbike	4-5h	Parking at Cai Rong port, 20,000 VND / day Take the bike to the island 120,000 VND / bike / way
Traveling Co from Hai Phong
Limousine car	5h30p	From 150,000 VND / person / way
Public bus	6am	From VND 120,000 / person / way
Motorbike	4h	Parking at Cai Rong port, 20,000 VND / day Take the bike to the island 120,000 VND / car / way

Journey 2 : From Cai Rong port to Co To island.
There are 3 types of boats that bring Co To tourists to the island: high-speed boats, wooden boats and back up boats. In particular, the most used are high-speed boats and wooden boats.
• Speedboat: Travel time is about 1 hour. Fares is 250,000 VND / person / way
• Wooden boat: Travel time is over 2 hours. Fares is 95,000 VND / person / way

Each type of boat has different liners with different schedules. Please refer to the table of shipping lines and the time the boats travel to Co To Island below.

Please note , if you have booked a hotel / homestay / resort on Co To Island, contact them in advance to ask if transportation assistance is available. You will save effort to learn and save the cost of the train.

3.2. Moving around in Co To Island
Transportation for sightseeing around the island includes tuktuks, motorbikes or bicycles at the following prices.
 

Type	Reference price	Characteristics
Tuk tuk	VND 1.2 million / day (all-inclusive) / 7-seater	7 to 16 seats, suitable for big groups with elderly and young children Can rent at hotels, guesthouses
Motorbike	VND 200,000 / day  (fuel at your own cost)	Suitable for young travelers who like to be proactive in moving Can rent at hotels, guesthouses
Bicycle	30,000 VND - 50,000 VND / hour / bike	Suitable for couples who like to travel, relax There are many bike rental shops along the way around the island

4. Where to stay in Co To island?
After arriving in the island, what you need to consider is accommodation. Currently Co To Island has forms of guesthouse, hotels, homestays and resorts.

However, these accommodation facilities are mostly run by local people, and the materials brought from the mainland are difficult and expensive. Therefore, the quality of hotels and resorts here will not be as modern as on land, and the price is quite expensive.

Below are some tips about how to choose accommodation in Co To island that we have generalized. Thereby you visitors can choose the accommodation that suits the needs and most saving.
• Choose accommodation based on price: Currently, the accommodation facilities in Co To Island have the average price as follows.
 

Type	Price	Matching object
Guesthouse	From VND 250,000 / night	The cheapest accommodation, suitable for backpackers, students who want to save money.
Homestay	From VND 400,000 / night	Homestay is suitable for tourists who prefer to stay and interact with locals. Homesatay in Co To is often close to the sea, friendly and comfortable.
Hotel	From VND 500,000 / night	Suitable for tourists who want private, clean accommodation, full amenities and extra services.
Resort	From VND 700,000 / night	Co To Resort is close to the sea, suitable for romantic couples or families with old and young families.

• Choose accommodation based on location:
For tourists who follow the style of backpacking or young people who like to explore, the accommodation in town is the most suitable. The center of the town is both near Love beach and convenient to move to other attractions on the island.

For tourists who want to enjoy a vacation, you should choose the areas near Hong Van beach, Van Chay beach. These places have less tourists and you can also watch the sunrise and sunset at sea.

5. Attractions in Co To Island you should visit
After you have settled in accommodation, join us to schedule a trip to Co To Island to fully explore the beauty of this island. Co To Island is not big, but there are many beautiful places for tourists to visit. In particular, the following locations are the most famous places you should not miss.

5.1. Four beaches must visit on Co To Island
Traveling to Co To Beach, you will see there are many small islands and beaches scattered everywhere. Including 4 most beautiful beaches visitors should visit.
Hong Van beach
Hong Van Beach is the quietest place, romantic and peaceful space. Couples love to walk here. The beach is located on the east of Co To Island, away from crowded residential areas, so it is often empty even during the tourist season.

The clear sea water and soft sand here will make visitors unable to leave. On the sand are the creatively designed wooden houses, where you just need to open the door of the room to be able to immediately immerse yourself in the cool blue sea. This is the ideal address if you are looking for a place to watch the sunset.

Van Chay Beach - The most beautiful beach in Co To Island
Van Chay Beach is praised by tourists as the most beautiful beach on Co To Island. "Beautiful" here is not only beautiful scenery but also because it has many exciting activities. The beach has been chosen by many tourists as a place for fun, team building, active entertainment in the summer.

With long, smooth sand and big waves, this place is suitable for playing beach sports, playing against waves and watching waves. In particular, this place also has a tent sleeping service at sea for visitors to experience.

Love Beach near the town center
Love Beach is the most popular check-in address for young people when traveling to Co To Island. The reason is because the beach is located at the jetty area (near the town) so it's easy to find, easy to get to.

If you stay in the town area, you can walk to the beach. The beach here is comfortable, with light waves, around many restaurants for a beach picnic.

The beach on Little Co To Island
Co To con (also known as Thanh Lan island) is like the "kernel" of Co To island. The beach is outstanding for its pristine beauty, with primeval forests and beautiful coral reefs for visitors who like to dive.

In addition to scuba diving, Co To beach has very interesting games like paragliding on the sea, banana boat surfing with canoe running at high speed and free clam digging. Note, Little Co To island does not have accommodation services so you can only hang out during the day.

5.2. Cau My Rock field - The most beautiful place to watch the sunrise
Cau My Rock field is considered as the most beautiful place to watch sunrise on Co To Island. This is a sedimentary rock system located south of the island. Over thousands of years eroded by sea water, the rocks here have many shapes, layered on top of each other, creating a vivid picture of the tectonic process of nature.

Standing from the top of Cau My, tourists can easily enjoy the majestic and pristine panorama of the nature here.

5.3. Co To lighthouse
Co To Lighthouse is the place that offers the most beautiful view on the island. The lighthouse is located at the peak of the island. From here, visitors can zoom in on four sides, near the blue sea and mountains, far away from the islands, further to the mainland.

At the top of the lighthouse, visitors will feel the full peaceful atmosphere of the Northern island waters. This is an experience not to be missed when traveling to Co To.

5.4. Path of Love
The road named "Love" on Co To Island is because of its romantic beauty. The entrance to the road is very green thanks to the casuarina canopies that hug both sides. The road is not wide but long, smoother, quiet and peaceful.

This is a place where couples can walk and watch the ocean in the afternoon. The green forest, the yellow of the sun, the red of bricks all the way for 2km make it as beautiful as the scene in Korean dramas.

5.5. Ho Chi Minh vestige complex
President Ho Chi Minh Memorial House is a destination for tourists who like to learn about culture - history. This is a population of relics ranked national historical and cultural relics on Co To Island. This place includes a monument, a stele and a memorial house for Ho Chi Minh.

The relic also opens in the evening. Therefore, visitors after going to the beach during the day can come here to enjoy the evening walk.

6. What to eat in Co To island
Co To tourists can not ignore the seafood here, both plentiful and always fresh. The area where you can find many affordable shops is in the center of the island town, near the markets.

We suggest the popular restaurant Co Nghia. This is a delicious, affordable place that many tourists come. The restaurant specializes in serving breakfast for visitors, the menu is quite diverse as the dishes: seafood vermicelli, seafood sticky rice, seafood porridge, seafood pho…
• Address of restaurant Co Nghia : Nam Hai, Zone 3, Co To town
• Reference price : 30,000 VND - 40,000 VND / bowl

Besides, there are some delicious seafood restaurants, good and cheap such as:
Ut Thanh Restaurant - located in the center of Co To town, has a rich seasonal menu and very affordable prices. It specializes in serving fresh seafood dishes.
• Ut Thanh Restaurant Address : Le Quy Don, Area 3, Co To, Quang Ninh
• Reference price : 200,000 VND / person

Hai Au Restaurant is equally famous. It has a large, fresh fish tank to serve visitors to admire and enjoy. Here the owner does not charge high prices. Some of the restaurant's outstanding dishes are Be Be, squid, abalone, scallops, shrimp, snails.
• Address of Hai Au restaurant : Nam Hai, Zone 3, Co To town
• Reference price : 150,000 VND / person

7. Luggage preparation and cost
The next tip is not redundant when it comes to luggage preparation and cost. In particular, We will give you some "exclusive" tips on luggage and estimated cost table.

7.1. Prepare luggage - What to wear?
The four bullet points below are the most basic things you should not forget before starting any beach vacation.
• Based on the number of days you intend to stay on the island to prepare your luggage: Clothes for exercise, swimsuits, clothes to take pictures.
• Be sure to bring backup medication, spray or mosquito repellent to use in case of insect bites.
• A spare battery charger as Co To Island's power system fails very oftern.
• Do not forget the camera to save the beautiful moments.

7.2. cost estimation
Please refer to the table below to estimate the minimum cost to prepare in advance to prepare how much money is reasonable.
 

Activity		Minimum cost estimate
Transport	Hanoi - Co To	From VND 490,000 / person / round trip
	Hai Phong - Co To	From VND 430,000 / person / round trip
	In Co To island	From 200,000 VND / person / day
Accommodation	Guesthouse	From VND 250,000 / night
	Homestay	From VND 400,000 / night
	Hotel	From VND 500,000 / night
	Resort	From VND 700,000 / night
Eating		From VND 300,000 / person / day
Other expenses (shopping, sightseeing…)		From VND 100,000 / person / day

You will easily estimate the minimum cost that should be prepared. For example, for a 2-day-1-night trip from Hanoi by bus, homestay accommodation in the island, the minimum cost estimated according to the above table will be VND 1,690,000 / person.

8. Suggested travel itinerary
We recommends a 3 days 2 nights or 4 days 3 nights tour to Co To island with specific activities and cost estimates. For those who want to get to Co To in the fastest, most convenient way just contact us for detailed information.

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