Cai Beo Floating Village
Located just 2 km from Cat Ba Town right outside Ben Beo harbour, Cai Beo is considered one of the largest and oldest floating fishing communities in Southeast Asia. Archaeological excavations prove that humans have lived and fished in these sheltered karst waters for more than 7,000 years.
Fact sheet
Cai Beo has about 300 floating wooden houses and fish cages connected by wooden planks. Almost all boat tours pass through the village on their way into Lan Ha Bay.
Daily life on the floating rafts
As your boat cruises through the water channels of Cai Beo, you witness a self-contained floating community. Wooden houses rest on buoyant plastic barrels and foam floats, surrounded by submerged nets holding prized marine fish.
Families keep domestic dogs on the floating decks to guard the fish cages. Small wooden grocery boats and freshwater delivery skiffs motor between the houses delivering daily supplies, and local children commute to school on shore by small tender boats.
How to visit Cai Beo
1. As part of a cruise: Every day boat and overnight cruise departing from Ben Beo pier sails directly through the main channels of Cai Beo.
2. By kayak: You can rent a sea kayak at Ben Beo pier and paddle independently into the village in about 15 minutes. Paddle respectfully between the rafts and avoid touching private fish pens.
3. Small local wooden boat: You can hire an elderly local resident at Ben Beo harbour for roughly 150,000 to 200,000 VND ($6–$8 USD) to row you around the village on a traditional sampan for an hour.
Many floating raft owners welcome respectful visitors aboard to see giant groupers (some weighing over 60–80 kg) kept in deep pens. A small tip (20,000–50,000 VND) is polite if you step onto their deck.
Where it is
Questions people ask
Is Cai Beo being relocated?
Under local marine conservation initiatives, local authorities have gradually reduced the number of fish pens to safeguard water quality, but the historic core of the floating village remains protected as a living cultural heritage site.