Most of what we recommend on this island happens in daylight — kayaks, karst, trails, boats. This week there's something worth putting in your evening instead. From Wednesday 22 to Friday 24 July, a four-piece jazz band is playing live at The Healing Camp on Chut Chit Beach, 17:00 to 19:00, right through sunset. Three nights only.
If you're on Cat Ba this week and your day finishes on the water, this is a very good way to end it.
What's on
| Detail | |
|---|---|
| Dates | Wednesday 22 – Friday 24 July 2026 |
| Time | 17:00 – 19:00 each evening |
| Where | The Healing Camp, Chut Chit Beach, Xuan Dam, Cat Ba Island |
| Line-up | Quyen Thien Dac (saxophone), Bach Ngoc Vuong (piano), Dao Minh Pha (double bass), Pham Duc Duy (drums) |
| Reservations | Tel / WhatsApp / Zalo (+84) 98 247 1979 |
This is not a resort lounge act. Quyen Thien Dac is one of the names Vietnamese jazz is genuinely built on, and the quartet around him is the real thing — saxophone, piano, double bass, drums, played properly, on a beach deck, with no stage lighting and no dress code.
The timing is the whole idea. Chut Chit faces west, so the set runs exactly through the hour when the light drops behind the limestone and the bay goes copper, then grey, then dark.
Getting there from Cat Ba town
Chut Chit Beach is in Xuan Dam, on the quieter western side of the island — roughly 20 minutes by road from Cat Ba town, over the ridge and down. It is not walkable from the harbour front.
- Taxi or private car — the simplest option, and the one most people take. Book the return leg too; it's a quiet road after dark.
- Motorbike — a genuinely lovely ride at that hour, but you'll be coming home in the dark on a mountain road. Headlights on, take it slow.
If you'd like us to arrange the transfer, message us and we'll sort it.
Make a day of it
The music starts at 17:00, which leaves the entire day free. A few of our tours land back in good time:
- Fullday ECO Cruise & Kayak Lan Ha Bay — out on the bay, kayaking through the karst, back in the afternoon.
- Halfday Trekking — National Park & Caves — a morning in the forest, the whole afternoon and evening yours.
- Full-Day Lan Ha Bay Tour — the classic day on the water.
One honest note if you're weighing options: our Sunset & Night Kayaking tour runs in the same window, so you'll have to choose between the bioluminescence and the band. Both are good. The jazz is only here for three nights.
Practical things
Tables facing west go first, so arriving closer to 17:00 than 18:00 is worth it. Drinks come from The Blue Hour bar on site, and The Slow Table is a few steps away if you want dinner by the water once the last set finishes. For groups, or if you want a dinner table held afterwards, message ahead on the number above.
Bring something with sleeves. Once the sun is fully down, the breeze coming off that side of the island has a bite to it, even in July.
