Cat Ba archipelago which locates at 106°54′11′′- 107°07′05′′
East and 20°42′40′′- 20°52′45′′ North, makes up the western edge
of the Gulf of Tonkin in Northern Vietnam. The site covers an
area of 328.64 km2; with a population of 28,365 inhabitants (in
2005) of which the majority are Kinh ethnic. Cat Ba archipelago
consists of 366 islands and islets. Many islets have been named
such as Cat Ong, Cat Duoi, Hon May (Clouds islet), Quai Xanh,
Tai Keo, etc. The largest island named Cat Ba island (Dao Ngoc)
has a spectacular and picturesque landscape. The average
altitude is 70m while the highest mountain is up to 331m. On the
administration zoning map, Cat Ba island includes the Cat Ba
town at its South Eastern part, looking to the Lan Ha Bay and
six communes: Gia Luan, Hien Hao, Phu Long, Tran Chau, Viet Hai
and Xuan Dam. Cat Ba archipelago situates in the tropical
monsoon region, highly influenced by the Ocean so all the
average indexes in humidity, temperature and rainfall are
similar to other areas in the regio