N, P co-doped Cu-based catalyst was synthesized by calcining activated carbon impregnated with diammonium hydrogen phosphate and impregnating active component copper. When the contents of N and P were 0.40% and 2.61% and the reaction temperature was 225 ℃, Cu/20NPAC catalyst had 90.4% acetylene conversion and 88.8% acetaldehyde selectivity, and notably, the catalytic performance remained basically unchanged within 20 h of reaction, which was superior than the Cu-based and Zn-based catalysts reported. The characterization results confirmed the excellent catalytic performance depended on the synergistic effect between N, P doped activated carbon and active component copper. TEM showed that the doped support could effectively improve the dispersion of active component copper and inhibit metal agglomeration. H2-TPR and XPS illustrated reduction of high valence copper were effectively inhibited in catalyst preparation and reaction. In addition, TPD showed an increased adsorption to acetylene. The high activity and stability of the catalyst showed that N, P co-doped support was an effective way to improve the catalytic performance of acetylene hydration.