Boasting a crescent-shaped white-sand beach, crystal-clear blue waters and mountain summit offering panoramic views of Ha Long Bay, Ti Top Island is now one of the most attractive attractions for sightseeing, swimming and scenic viewing. The beautiful island welcomes millions of domestic and international tourist arrivalsannually, accounting for roughly two-thirds of the total annual visitor arrivals to Ha Long Bay.
Today, Ti Top Island and Ti Top Beach are widely known for their ties to the historic visit of a former Soviet cosmonaut. Before 1962, however, the island was marked on Ha Long Bay navigation charts as Cat Nang. The name came from its beautiful sandy beach, where young women from fishing villages often anchored to swim, leading local residents to call it Cat Nang Island.
On January 22, 1962, President Ho Chi Minh and Soviet cosmonaut Gherman Titov toured Ha Long Bay and visited the island. To commemorate the event and symbolise the enduring friendship and solidarity between the Vietnamese people and the Soviet Union, President Ho Chi Minh proposed naming the island after Titov.
Among the 411 named islands in the Ha Long Bay World Natural Heritage Site, Ti Top is the only one named after a foreigner whose name origin is clearly documented. The beach on the island is also known as Ti Top Beach. The site is one of the best-known attractions on Route VHL2 in Ha Long Bay, which includes the cruise port, Soi Sim Beach, Ti Top Island, Sung Sot Cave, Tung Sau Lagoon, Me Cung Cave, Bo Nau Cave, Luon Cave, Trong Cave, Trinh Nu Cave and Ho Dong Tien Cave.
During their visit, tourists often stop to take commemorative photographs at the bust of Soviet cosmonaut Gherman Titov. The cultural and artistic monument was jointly built in 2015 by Quang Ninh province and the Central Committee of the Vietnam - Russia Friendship Association to strengthen and develop the special traditional friendship between Russia and Vietnam and commemorate an event associated with President Ho Chi Minh’s life and activities.
Combining a clean and beautiful beach with poetic scenery, Ti Top Island allows visitors to immerse themselves in the clear blue sea and enjoy swimming, or trek to the summit for panoramic views of Ha Long Bay. Ti Top has also been the only active swimming beach operating on Ha Long Bay in recent years. This is perhaps why it has consistently ranked among the bay’s attractions receiving the largest numbers of visitors.
Statistics from the Ha Long Bay - Yen Tu World Heritage Management Board show that tourist arrivals to Ti Top rose sharply after the COVID-19 pandemic, from nearly 1 million in 2022 to more than 2 million annually over the past two years. In the first six months of 2026, the island received more than 1.246 million tourist arrivals, accounting for nearly 70% of Ha Long Bay’s total tourist arrivals.
By Phan Hang
