Cô Tô Lighthouse – Take in the Full Beauty of Hạ Long from Above

1Overview of Cô Tô Lighthouse

Offering the most beautiful views from a mountaintop on an island, Cô Tô Lighthouse nestles amid vast natural surroundings. Blue sea stretches in every direction, with mountains closest by, and islands and incredibly majestic, beautiful winding mountain ranges farther away. Cô Tô Lighthouse Station is one of more than 30 “eyes of the sea” operating throughout Vietnam’s territorial waters.

Built in the 19th century, the lighthouse was designed with a light height of 118 m above sea level. It is powered by solar-powered batteries, allowing it to operate for a very long time, and has guided boats passing through the area for many years.

Amid the vast scenery and majestic nature before them, visitors can immerse themselves in the peaceful atmosphere of the northern islands. Feel the distinct beauty of nature and the sky, and take countless types of check-in photos right on top of the lighthouse. This place will certainly leave you with many unforgettable memories and incredibly exciting experiences.

See also: Discover the raw, free-spirited landscape of Gành Đèn Lighthouse in Phú Yên amid the vast sea and sky

2How to get to the lighthouse

To get to Cô Tô Lighthouse, visitors can rent a motorbike from Cô Tô Town. Rental prices range from 200,000 VND/motorbike/day. The rental price does not include fuel. Visitors can refuel at roadside stations. Although the route is only about 5 km from the town, there are many steep bends along the way. Therefore, you should rent a manual or clutch motorbike to ensure your safety and that of your companions while traveling.

Visitors can also hire a motorbike taxi if they are unfamiliar with the route or not confident in their riding skills. Cô Tô Lighthouse is open from 5:00 to 23:00 and admission is free. After arriving, visitors leave their motorbikes below and climb another 72 steps to reach the top of the lighthouse. From the summit, you can take in the entire dreamy island of Cô Tô, nestled amid clear blue seawater interspersed with the green of the mountains and forests.

3What makes Cô Tô Lighthouse special?

3.1 A breathtaking viewpoint and sunset spot atop Cô Tô Lighthouse

With a light height of 118 m above sea level, from the top of Cô Tô Lighthouse, visitors can gaze into the distance and admire the full beauty of the northern region’s green gem. The dreamy, poetic natural scenery resembles a traditional landscape painting created by nature itself.

This is also one of the sunset-viewing spots frequently visited by many tourists and local residents. As the sunset gradually descends, the space here becomes magical and sparkling. From the top of the lighthouse, visitors can clearly feel the quiet and peaceful atmosphere that this land offers.

Today, Cô Tô Lighthouse has been repaired and rebuilt, giving it a completely different appearance from its original form and turning it into one of the places especially popular with young people. In addition, its lighting system is now more modern, using automatic and semi-automatic solar energy controls, so the lighthouse keepers no longer need to row boats out to the lighthouse to light the lamps with kerosene.

3.2 A check-in view surrounded by beautiful nature

If you are passionate about taking social-media-worthy photos, you certainly cannot miss this incredibly beautiful sea-and-sky check-in spot. From your very first steps here, you can take 7,749 photos with a panoramic view at the foot of the majestic lighthouse. Once you reach the lighthouse summit, the scenery of the earth and sky captured in your photos adds even more vivid effects to your shots.

If you want to capture moments with the sunset on Cô Tô Island, heading to the top of the lighthouse from 16:00 is the ideal time to catch every moment. Although this is also a wonderful place to watch the sunrise, Cô Tô Lighthouse only opens from 5:00. Therefore, remember to arrive very early if you want to catch the sunrise on Cô Tô Island, Hạ Long.

Unlike other check-in spots in Hạ Long, Cô Tô Lighthouse offers completely enjoyable experiences with an amazing sightseeing and check-in view. It is also a structure steeped in the marks of time, enough to win visitors’ hearts from their very first visit.

4A few notes for visiting Cô Tô Lighthouse

To ensure that your exploration of Cô Tô Lighthouse goes smoothly and is filled with exciting experiences, you should keep a few notes in mind before coming here.

Because water is difficult to find on the island, the lighthouse keepers often have to make use of the lighthouse railings or rooftops to collect rainwater for cleaning the lighthouse and for daily household activities. Therefore, when visiting, remember to remove your shoes before climbing the stairs to help maintain the cleanliness and beauty of the lighthouse.

You should also consider choosing to visit during the day rather than in the evening so that you can see the entire lighthouse clearly and vividly. Traveling during the day is also safer, as the road here is quite deserted at night and has many extremely dangerous winding sections. In particular, do not use an automatic scooter to travel here.

Cô Tô Lighthouse is one of the sightseeing spots with the most beautiful views of nature, the sea and sky on the gem-like island of Cô Tô. To set foot here without once stopping to explore this place would be a real omission for those passionate about discovery. Wake up very early, head here with your friends, and capture every moment with the sea and sky to take home an entire collection of incredibly stunning photos.