Wender·Vista
Cat Ba Island
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileVietnam
in the Gulf of Tonkin, at the southern edge of Ha Long Bay

Cat Ba Island

— — the karst the bay sends ahead of itself.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.
— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand
— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines
— Beside the kettle, a 12-inch propped
— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall
— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround
— a note from the studio

“The largest of the Cat Ba Archipelago, holding the southern flank of Ha Long Bay across the water from Hai Phong. Half the island is national park; the other half is the harbour town and the long beach road. Lan Ha Bay, on the eastern side, is the quieter sister to Ha Long, with the same karst towers rising straight out of the green-jade water. Fishermen work the floating villages at dawn. The Cat Ba langur, one of the rarest primates on earth, lives nowhere else. from the studio

from the studio
Cat Ba Island
— bring it home

Cat Ba Island, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?
One tile — square or rectangle.
How big?
the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand
6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb
Surface finish
A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.
How it sits
A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.
$58
Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.
— size
6 × 6 in
15 cm
— weighs
1.6 lb
solid in the hand
— surface
ceramic, hand-finished
art rests beneath a thin glossy finish
— from
Knoxville, TN
our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies
— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Cat Ba Island

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.
— the place

Cát Bà is the largest island in the Cat Ba Archipelago, lying in the Gulf of Tonkin at the southern edge of Ha Long Bay and administered as part of the city of Hai Phong. The island covers roughly 285 square kilometres, with the small harbour town of Cat Ba on the south coast and the rest given over to limestone karst, forest, and small fishing villages. About half of the island is protected as Cát Bà National Park, established in 1986. In 2023, Cat Ba was inscribed alongside Ha Long Bay as part of the expanded UNESCO World Heritage Site recognising the wider karst seascape.

— the water

The eastern shore drops into Lan Ha Bay, a quieter pocket of roughly 400 karst islets that mirrors Ha Long Bay across the strait. Floating fishing villages — Cai Beo is one of the oldest continuously inhabited in Vietnam — anchor in sheltered coves and trade by sampan at dawn. The Cat Ba langur (Trachypithecus poliocephalus) survives only on this island; recent surveys count between 60 and 80 individuals across a handful of remote cliff colonies, making it one of the rarest primates in the world.

— the visit

Most travellers reach Cat Ba from Hai Phong, an hour east of Hanoi by road or train. The standard route combines a road segment, a short ferry across to Cat Hai Island, and a second crossing to Cat Ba town. A cable car now connects Cat Hai directly to the island in about ten minutes. Boat tours of Lan Ha Bay run from Beo Pier, typically four to six hours, with kayaking inside the sheltered coves. October through April brings dry, cool weather; July storms close the bay tours on short notice.

— where
Vietnam · Cat Hai District, Hai Phong
— within
Cat Ba National Park
— elevation
331 m · 1,086 ft
— position
20.7972° N · 107.0489° E
— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.
5 km N
Ha Long Bay
bay
at the lake
Lan Ha Bay
bay
50 km W
Hai Phong
city
N
Cat Ba Island
Ha Long Bay
Lan Ha Bay
Hai Phong
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Cat Ba Island — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

In the Gulf of Tonkin at the southern edge of Ha Long Bay, about 50 kilometres east of the city of Hai Phong. It is the largest island in the Cat Ba Archipelago and part of the Hai Phong administrative area.

It borders Ha Long Bay across a narrow strait and was added in 2023 to the expanded UNESCO World Heritage Site that now covers both Ha Long Bay and the Cat Ba Archipelago as a single karst seascape.

A quieter pocket of around 400 karst islets along the eastern shore of Cat Ba. It is geologically the same formation as Ha Long Bay but draws fewer boats and is the usual day-trip from Cat Ba town.

A leaf monkey (Trachypithecus poliocephalus) found only on this island. Recent surveys count 60 to 80 individuals across a few remote cliff colonies, making it one of the rarest primates in the world.

October through April, with dry, cool weather and steady bay conditions. July and August bring tropical storms that close boat tours on short notice. May and September are warm and humid but workable.

From Hanoi, travel two to three hours east to Hai Phong, then by ferry and short road or by direct cable car to Cat Ba town. Boats to Lan Ha Bay leave from Beo Pier south of town.

— about the piece in your home

It has carried well for customers with ties to Hai Phong or who travelled Ha Long Bay. Cat Ba is the quieter face of the karst seascape. A Small or Medium with a studio note travels well.

Japandi rooms with pale wood and stone-grey textiles, biophilic interiors built around water and jade greens, and warm minimalist Asian palettes that hold the limestone tones of the karst.

Yes. Japandi has moved toward art that carries living-water and stone cues rather than printed graphics. The piece sits inside that shift, closer to a window study than a wall poster.

Above a standard sofa, a single Large reads cleanly. Above a longer console, a four-tile Mural fills the wall. For a statement above a fireplace, the nine-tile Mural carries the room.

Yes. Choose the Dura Satin or Matte finish for any installation where steam or splash is part of daily life. The colour lives in the ceramic surface, not on top of it.

A soft microfibre cloth and warm water. No abrasive pads, no bleach-based cleaners. The thin glossy finish wipes clean and does not need sealing.

Yes. Every WenderVista tile is a single-studio piece, curated by Reid Wender in Knoxville, Tennessee. No licensing, no third-party imagery. The atlas of places is ours.

— if this one stayed with you

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