Travel information

Thanks to recent road works, getting to Halong is so much easier than it used to be. The most common departure cities are Hanoi and Hai Phong, both of which have her own international airports and a complex of highway that connects to Halong Bay. See more details below:

1. FROM HANOI

Hanoi is approximately 165 kilometers from Halong Bay, so a road trip between these destinations will take travelers around 3.5 – 4 hours. There are a few different ways to move from Hanoi to Halong Bay, most popular ones are by coach, by cruise’s bus, or by private car. 

* Update October 2018: A new highway connecting Hai Phong and Halong Bay is now put to use, which will reduce travel time from Hanoi to Halong Bay to 2.5 hours. Some cruise buses use this express way and charge extra fee, some still use the old highway with travel time 4 hours. If you take a private car, you may request to use the new highway and pay the toll fee ($15/one way).

Cruise bus/ mini bus

Perhaps the easiest and the cheapest way to travel from Hanoi to Halong Bay is to book a cruise tour that includes two-way transfer. With a cruise package, travelers don’t have to worry about the transfer anymore because they will be picked up and dropped off by the cruise’s mini bus which is quite safe and comfortable. 

Private car

Booking a private car through your travel agent is undeniably the most comfortable way to get to Halong Bay. Currently, as the service industry becomes more and more flourished in Vietnam, it is easy to contact with a travel agent and book your own private car. However, the service quality is surely commensurate with the price, it means that the more comfortable you get, the more expensive you have to pay. 

Coach

If tourists prefer to book a vehicle by themselves, do not hesitate to go to big terminals in Hanoi such as My Dinh Bus Station, Gia Lam Terminal, or Luong Yen Terminal to catch a coach departing from Hanoi to Halong Bay. The price for one way ticket is around 100,000 - 200,000 VND (US$5 - 10). Normally, most of coaches will stop at a terminal near Bai Chay Bridge. From the terminal, tourists can easily catch a taxi or a motorcycle taxi to arrive at Tuan Chau Marina. To be honestly, you are discouraged to get to Halong by this way because it is a bit complicated for a foreign traveler, you may be overpriced for the ticket price or you have to face other unpredictable problems.

Seaplane

In 2014, a new type of tourism in Halong Bay - Vietnam Seaplane Tour - was officially launched by Hai Au Aviation. With this package, travelers will be transferred between Hanoi and Ha Long Bay by Hai Au seaplane (45 minutes for each route). It will be your once in a life time experience as you have a wonderful opportunity to enjoy a scenic tour to admire panoramic view of Halong Bay from a height in Hai Au seaplane. The scenic tour will last during 15 minutes. This is undeniably the most wonderful option for travelers who have a generous budget.

• To book a seaplane flight, you can visit: https://www.seaplanes.vn/en/

2. FROM HAI PHONG

Hai Phong is only around 75 kilometers away from Halong Bay, so in comparison with Hanoi, it is faster to travel from Hai Phong to the Bay. It used to take travelers about roughly 2 – 2.5 hours to move from Hai Phong to Halong Bay by road.

Update October 2018: the new highway from Dinh Vu Port to Halong has been completed. Travel time from Hai Phong / Hai Phong Airport to Tuan Chau Pier is now approximately 45 minutes. Toll fee: $1.5-3 depending on vehicles.

Bus/ Coach/ Taxi

Currently, Lac Long Terminal, which is located in No.22, Cu Chinh Lan Street, Hong Bang District, Hai Phong City, has been operated a few of routes connecting Hai Phong to Quang). Please see the following table for your reference:

(Please be noted that the price in the tables are for your reference only, it can changed anytime by service’s providers)

For your convenience, you can also catch a taxi from Hai Phong to Halong Bay. The price is around 830, 000 VND (about US$35). You should negotiate with a taxi driver in advance before getting on the taxi.

Ferry

In addition to taxi and bus, ferry is another good option to travel from Hai Phong to Halong Bay. To travel by ferry, tourists have to go to Ben Binh Terminal. These ferries will transfer tourists from Ben Binh Terminal to Cai Vieng or Cat Ba. Please look at the following table for price information:

(Please be noted that the price in the tables are for your reference only, it can changed anytime by service’s providers)

Price for Cat Ba Horizontal Ferry:

• Departure time from Ben Binh & Cat Ba: 7.00, 8.00, 10.00, 13.00, 15.00, 16.00
• Departure time from Cai Vieng: 7.45, 8.45, 10.45, 13.45, 15.45, 16.45

Last updated: September 29, 2019