Ti Top Island
Four hundred steps, and the whole bay below with white boats between the pillars.
Duration
1 hr – 2 hrs
Difficulty
●●●○○
Best time
At sunrise, from an overnight boat
Open
Every day
Entry price
To confirm
Ti Top island is named after Gherman Titov, the Soviet cosmonaut who visited it in 1962 with Ho Chi Minh — the president named it for him on the spot.
It is tiny and has two things: a small crescent beach and a staircase of four hundred steps to the summit. The view from up there is the one associated with Ha Long: the stacks lined up to the horizon, with the white junks between them. It is the most photographed viewpoint in the bay.
Getting there
Reachable only by boat, a stop on most cruises. The staircase leads straight up from the beach.
What the price covers
included in the bay entry fee
What to bring
- Walking shoes
- 1.5 L of water
- Headlamp
- Cap
Rules on site
Four hundred steep, unshaded steps: allow twenty sweaty minutes. The summit platform is small and fills mid-morning — cruises that stay overnight climb it at sunrise, alone.