Cat Ba Island's 178 routes split into five sectors: Butterfly Valley is the biggest but has the oldest bolts, Fisher Valley was taken over by Cat Ba Climbing and has been rebolted and improved from the 2024 typhoon all the way through 2026, and Hidden Valley has overhanging roof routes and a small bouldering cave; permits cost 30,000 VND for Fisher and 50,000 VND for Hidden, Ben Beo has been closed by a government announcement, and a helmet is mandatory everywhere on the island.
The Hữu Lũng main valley is a limestone sport crag with nine walls and 147 routes: Head Wall is the earliest developed and the closest to the village, Dragon Wall is in shade all morning and dry in the rain, and Dead End has the area's longest 8a+ and the only multipitch route, Chúc Sức Khỏe. The walls sit in private orchards, and the 15,000–25,000 VND access fee has to be paid in cash.
The east side of the Hữu Lũng valley and the newer 12 sub-areas, 120 routes: WoofStuck is shaded all day but has an 8b, Cobra demands 70 meters of rope and 16 quickdraws, Infinity Cave is a big cave that stays dry in the rain. Primitive Wall is still under development, Floatin' Shore's grades are indicative only, The Arch means a 20-minute clay path that turns extremely slippery when wet, so budget a whole day.
Lan Hạ Bay's 326 routes split into two ways to climb: sport climbing on the sand at Tiger Beach, Moody's Beach and the rest, and 24 deep water soloing cliffs that grow straight out of the water. Deep water soloing needs a tide above 2 meters, so in winter it works on only a few days; spring (April–May) and autumn (September–November) are the seasons where both work. On top of that, climbing in the Ha Long Bay area is illegal, harbor police turn people away, and boat operators can lose their licenses.
Northern Vietnam has three places to climb: 267 limestone sport routes at Hữu Lũng near Lạng Sơn, 178 island sport routes on Cat Ba, and 326 deep-water and beach routes at Lan Hạ Bay. Winter suits sport climbing, but Lan Hạ deep-water soloing needs a tide above 2 m, so most days are out. Quốc Oai has banned sport climbing since 2019, Ben Beo has been officially closed, and climbing in Ha Long Bay is illegal — rule those out before you plan.