Vietnam, 30 May 2025 – In 2025, Cát Bà Island is stepping into the spotlight, not just for its stunning seascapes, but for the way it welcomes the world. Recently named one of Vietnam’s top 10 most hospitable destinations in Booking.com’s 2025 Traveler Review Awards, Cát Bà is earning praise for more than its views. This year, it’s not just the scenery making waves—it’s the spirit. Travelers are drawn to its sincerity, warmth, and sense of connection, qualities that quietly set them apart in an increasingly crowded tourism landscape.
The Heart of the Wave
What’s distinguishes Cát Bà isn’t just what visitors see, but how they’re made to feel. At a time when many popular destinations are marked by crowded tours and hurried experiences, Cát Bà offers something more personal, a sense of being genuinely welcomed. Hospitality here is not a performance or checklist, but a quiet, everyday practice rooted in local rhythms and relationships.
Whether it’s offering directions, sharing local knowledge, or simply making space for conversation, the human connection is sincere. This approach is neither scripted nor commercialized: it’s cultural; and the result is a kind of hospitality that leaves a lasting impression, not with luxury, but with warmth.
As global tourism continues to evolve, this deeper form of welcome is resonating more than ever. Rather than relying on spectacle or scale, the island is showing that authenticity, quiet, human, and consistent, is one of the most powerful assets a destination can offer.
Experience Beyond the Welcome
Cát Bà’s hospitality extends beyond gestures, embedded in the way visitors live during their stay. Rather than high-rise resorts, many of the stays are small-scale and community-oriented, ranging from rustic homestays in fishing hamlets to intimate boutique lodgings with panoramic bay views.
These spaces do more than provide comfort; they support local livelihoods and foster meaningful interaction. Guests might wake to the sound of boats heading out to sea, enjoy a breakfast made with regional ingredients, or learn about island customs from the families who run the homes. There’s an intentional closeness between host and guest, shaped by the island’s emphasis on relationship-building rather than formality.
What makes these experiences stand out is not just their charm, but their grounding. Cát Bà offers a rare kind of stay where simplicity is a feature, not a compromise, where travelers gain not only rest, but a real sense of rhythm and context. In a tourism world where experiences often feel distant or impersonal, the island’s stay-local spirit is a quiet differentiator.
Supporting the Rise
As interest in Cát Bà grows, the island is expanding thoughtfully. New developments like the Green Island City Centre spearheaded by Sun Group and the Cái Gia–Cát Bà urban-tourism complex developed by Vinaconex-ITC aim to improve visitor experiences without overwhelming the island’s charm. These projects focus on better transport, upgraded amenities, and spatial planning that respects the landscape. Rather than building for scale, Cát Bà is building for balance, ensuring that growth supports, rather than disrupts, the calm and community-driven atmosphere that draws travelers in the first place.
Cát Bà’s recognition in 2025 speaks to more than the success of a single destination, it mirrors a larger movement across Vietnam’s tourism landscape. Vietnam’s hospitality sector is evolving in ways that reflect its cultural strengths: generosity, community spirit, and pride of place. As global visitors seek deeper, more grounded experiences, destinations like Cát Bà offer a glimpse of what modern Vietnamese tourism can look like, rooted in kindness, driven by care, and open to the world without losing its soul.
Australian Hospitality Alumni Network Vietnam 