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CruisesLan Ha Bay · cheap cruises

Budget Lan Ha Bay cruises: the cheapest ways onto the bay

A budget Lan Ha Bay cruise for one night costs about $96–133 per person on the platforms, often on a small boat that starts on Cat Ba. Cheaper still: sleep in Cat Ba town and take a day boat for about $35.

Cheapest 2D1N
about $96–116 pp (Cat Ba-side boats)
Agency budget class
about $120–133 pp
Cat Ba day boat
900,000 VND or about $35
Bay fee if not included
400,000 VND per adult a night
Usual start
Ben Beo pier, Cat Ba
Hanoi–Cat Ba bus
from $11, 3–3.5 h

Updated October 16, 2026Facts checked against official sourcesContains affiliate links

Budget cruises: what you can book

16 options · Prices checked on October 16, 2026

Class

Platform

See everything on GetYourGuide →See everything on Klook →

A budget Lan Ha Bay cruise gets you the same karst islets, lagoons and beaches as a ship that costs three times as much. You give up the balcony, the bathtub, the pool and, on many boats, the steel hull. The cheapest one-night trips cost about $96–116 per person on GetYourGuide, usually on small boats that board on Cat Ba; agency "budget" ships run about $120–133. Most luxury cruises start around $155–225.

How cheap can a Lan Ha cruise be?

These are the real price steps per person, from the cheapest way onto the water up to a budget night on board:

Option Typical price What you get
Cat Ba sunset boat 450,000–600,000 VND a few hours on the bay at the end of the day
Cat Ba day boat 900,000 VND (Cat Ba Expedition) or $35 (Beka) full day, lunch, swim, fish farm
Serenity Premium day cruise from Cat Ba town $37 (direct sale price) bigger day boat, lunch, cave or lagoon
Cat Ba-side 2D1N on GetYourGuide about $96–116 small boat, one night, meals
Venezia 2D1N direct $125 with Cat Ba pickup, $145 with Hanoi bus 5- or 10-cabin boat, Ba Trai Dao, Viet Hai
Agency "budget" ship about $120–133 bigger ship, usually from Tuan Chau

Platform prices change daily; the cards on this page show today's lowest. Direct prices above are the operators' own and exclude drinks.

See everything on GetYourGuide →See everything on Klook →Prices checked on October 16, 2026

Budget overnight cruises worth booking

Venezia: tiny boats from Cat Ba

Venezia runs two small boats from Ben Beo pier (bến Bèo, the harbor 2 km from Cat Ba town): one with 10 cabins and one with 5. The 2D1N route skips caves and Ha Long Bay. It goes past Coc Ngoi and Cua Dong to Ba Trai Dao beach, then to Viet Hai village by bike or electric car on day 2. Cabins have a large window, not a balcony. The direct price is $125 per person with Cat Ba hotel pickup and $145 with the Hanoi bus, plus 8% VAT (veneziacruises.com). There is also a version with a night plankton outing. Read our Venezia review.

La Pandora: a cheap ticket to a Tuan Chau ship

La Pandora's own site sells its 2D1N from 295 USD per person from Hanoi. On Klook the same brand shows from about $104, which makes it one of the cheapest named ships that sail Lan Ha from Tuan Chau. Children aged 9 and over pay the adult fare. Details in the La Pandora review.

Price check La Pandora Cruise on more than one platform Difference: $67
PlatformListingRatingPriceWhere
Klook 2D1N Ha Long & Lan Ha Bay Cruise Tour by La Pandora Cruise · 2D1N 4.8 (939) $104 Lowest See on Klook
GetYourGuide From Hanoi: 2-Day Halong and Lan Ha Bay La Pandora Cruise · 2D1N 4.7 (49) $171 See on GetYourGuide

Lowest adult price per person in USD, checked on October 16, 2026. Cabin type, dates and what is included differ between listings: open each one before you pay.

The GetYourGuide product in this comparison is titled as a Ha Long Bay tour, so read its route before choosing it on price.

Cat Ba Expedition: a small cruise booked in town

Cat Ba Expedition, based at 135 Tung Dinh in Cat Ba town, sells a 2D1N small cruise for 4,300,000 VND per person and a medium cruise for 4,500,000 VND. Online booking adds 4% (catbaexpedition.com). The evening includes squid fishing or a plankton kayak outing, subject to the kayak rule below. Read the Cat Ba Expedition review.

Cheap Lan Ha cruises we would book

1

Small group, real Lan Ha route

Venezia stays in Lan Ha the whole time, with Ba Trai Dao and Viet Hai. Hundreds of reviews and a fair price for a boat of 5–10 cabins.

2

Lowest price for a named ship

La Pandora from Tuan Chau, sold under its own name on Klook with thousands of bookings.

3

Boutique branding on a budget

La Pandora Boutique on Klook, rated 4.9 by about 200 guests. Ask which boat and cabin you get.

4

Balcony at a budget price

An agency listing with a balcony and bathtub. The ship is named only inside the listing, so check it before paying.

The cheapest way: sleep on Cat Ba, take a day boat

If your budget is tight, skip the night on board. A guesthouse in Cat Ba town costs about 500,000–1,000,000 VND a night (a homestay about 300,000 VND), and a full-day Lan Ha boat from Ben Beo costs 900,000 VND. You see the same lagoons and beaches that the cruises visit. The Cat Ba Expedition and Beka boats also stop at Cai Beo fishing village and a fish farm.

ItemOn your ownWith a tour
Hanoi to Cat Babus with the ferry crossing, from $11included in some packages
BedCat Ba guesthouse 500,000–1,000,000 VNDcabin on board
Lan Ha dayday boat 900,000 VND or $35the cruise programme
Bay fee120,000 VND per adult, usually included400,000 VND per adult a night, usually included
EveningCat Ba town restaurantsdinner on board, squid fishing

The Cat Ba day boats are wooden and carry up to about 25 guests (Beka). The Beka review and our day cruises guide compare them. Book directly in town or online; direct bookings sometimes add a fee for online payment.

What budget fares leave out

Read the inclusions line by line. A cheap fare is often cheap because something is missing:

  • The bay fee. Tours sold "excl. tickets" add 120,000 VND per adult for a day trip and 400,000 VND for one night on the bay.
  • VAT. Venezia adds 8% on top of its fare.
  • The Hanoi transfer. Agency prices usually exclude it; platform prices often include a shuttle. Compare like with like.
  • Drinks. Almost never included on any cruise, budget or luxury. Settle the bar bill before you leave the boat.
  • Holiday nights. Christmas, New Year and Tết (the Lunar New Year) carry surcharges. Beka's day boat adds $10 on public holidays.
  • The kayak. Kayaking in the Cat Ba bays has been under an official suspension since November 2024, re-confirmed in late 2025 (VnExpress). Some boats offer it only in a designated area or replace it with a bamboo boat or a swim. Ask the operator in writing. More in our kayaking guide.
Lan Ha Bay and Cat Ba fees
FeePriceWho pays
Lan Ha Bay sightseeing fee (day visit, Cat Ba bays route)Child = 6 years and over or taller than 1.2 m; under-6s free. A cheap Cat Ba day tour sold 'excl. tickets' adds this per adult. Collected by the Cat Ba Bays Management Board.120,000 VND (child 60,000)Included in most cruise and day-boat fares; check the listing
Lan Ha Bay overnight fee (on board)Figures of 300,000 / 500,000 VND seen online are the child rates or the pre-2024 table.1 night 400,000 VND (child 300,000); 2 nights 600,000 (500,000); 3 nights 650,000 (550,000)Usually in the cruise price (Heritage Line lists the Lan Ha admission fee as excluded)
Cat Ba National Park — whole parkOpen 07:00–17:00. Child = 6–14 or taller than 1.2 m; under 6 / under 1.2 m free; 50% off for Vietnamese citizens 60+.160,000 VND (child 80,000)Pay at the park gate unless your tour includes it
Cat Ba National Park — central route (Kim Giao forest – Ngu Lam peak – Trung Trang cave)The usual ticket for Ngu Lam peak. Older 40,000 / 80,000 VND figures are outdated.120,000 VND (child 60,000)Hikers; cruises that stop at Trung Trang cave normally include it
Cat Ba National Park — Ninh Tiep field – Tien Duc cave (incl. Hai Quan peak)80,000 VND (child 40,000)Pay at the park
Cat Ba National Park — Phu Long – mangroves – Thien Long cave80,000 VND (child 40,000)Pay at the park
Viet Hai village — bicycle or electric car from the wharfVillage service prices reported by VietnamNet (May 2026), not an official tariff. No separate village entry fee found.Bicycle about 50,000 VND per person per day; electric car about 150,000 VND one wayIncluded on most 3D2N cruises and Viet Hai day boats
Cat Hai – Phu Long cable car (Sun World)Fixed time slots; closed on some weekdays. Operator fare, not a state fee.Reported 50,000–150,000 VND one way (sources conflict)Independent travellers to Cat Ba
Cannon Fort (Cat Ba town)VnExpress guide, updated 16 Apr 2026 (not a primary source).80,000 VND; electric car +50,000 VNDPay at the gate
Hospital Cave (Hang Quan Y)VnExpress guide, updated 16 Apr 2026; some guides still say 40,000 VND.80,000 VNDPay at the gate
Monkey Island (Cat Dua)Removed from Hai Phong's fee list in 2024 (no landing pier or visitor facilities). Any 'entrance fee' quoted is outdated or a private charge.No state sightseeing feeBoat trip charged by the operator
Ha Long Bay routes (Quang Ninh) — for comparisonQuang Ninh Resolution 51/2025/NQ-HĐND; VHL6–8 from 1 May 2025 (halongbay.com.vn). How the two provinces' fees combine on the 2026 inter-bay routes is not published.Day: VHL1, VHL2, VHL5 250,000 VND; VHL3, VHL4 200,000; VHL6 150,000; VHL7 600,000; VHL8 70,000. Overnight: route 2 550,000 (1 night) / 750,000 (2 nights); routes 3–4 500,000 / 650,000Cruises boarding at Tuan Chau that sightsee on the Ha Long side

Official fees checked on October 16, 2026. Hai Phong People's Council Resolution 47/2025/NQ-HĐND of 10 Dec 2025 (32nd session, XVI Council), in force from 1 Jan 2026; bay rates unchanged from 1 Aug 2024 ↗

Safety on cheap boats

Wooden hulls are still legal on both bays, and many budget boats are wooden. Both tourist-boat accidents of 2026, a fire in Ha Long Bay in February and a fatal collision near Van Boi in Lan Ha in June, involved wooden boats. Before you book, ask three questions: steel hull? year built? ship name on the voucher?

Since the June collision, Cat Hai Special Zone (đặc khu Cát Hải) requires every passenger to wear a certified life jacket from boarding and throughout the trip, including on small tenders (Tien Phong). A boat that does not hand them out is one to leave.

Storms stop all boats, cheap or expensive: the authorities halt departures, not the operator. Keep a buffer day before a flight.

Getting to a Cat Ba-based budget cruise

Most budget boats and day boats start at Ben Beo on Cat Ba, not at Tuan Chau. From Hanoi, the combined bus and car-ferry trip via Dong Bai (Cat Hai, formerly Got) to Cat Ba town takes about 3–3.5 hours. Good Morning Cat Ba charges $11 ($15 by limousine van, xe limousine) and Cat Ba Express $13. Since 1 September 2026 the last car ferry leaves Cat Ba at 17:30, so do not plan a late return. Full details in how to get to Lan Ha Bay and Cat Ba Island.

Getting to Cat Ba Island
From → toHowTimePrice
Hanoi Old Quarter → Cat Ba townOld Quarter hotel pickup; about 2 h on the expressway, then the Dong Bai–Cai Vieng crossing (speedboat 5–7 min or ferry 25–35 min) or the cable car, then a bus to your hotel.Combo bus + speedboat, ferry or cable car + bus (Good Morning Cat Ba) Check dates →3–3.5 hUSD 11 bus, USD 15 limousine (return USD 22 / 30); +USD 2 if routed by cable car
Hanoi → Cat Ba townFrom Hanoi 06:00, 07:30/07:45, 10:45, 14:00; from Cat Ba 09:30, 12:30, 15:30, 17:00. The Hoang Long bus + speedboat combo is suspended — do not plan on it.Combo bus + crossing (Cat Ba Express) Check dates →about 3.5 hUSD 13 one way, USD 26 return
Hanoi → Cat Ba townSame road + Dong Bai crossing as the combo buses; compare pickup area and the drop-off point on Cat Ba.Shared limousine van (various agencies) Check dates →3–3.5 h230,000–400,000 VND per person
Hanoi / Noi Bai airport (HAN) → Cat BaCars cannot board the Dong Bai ferry toward Cat Ba 09:00–13:00 on weekends and holidays in summer (9 May–30 Sep 2026); the driver may switch you to the cable car or speedboat.Private car + car ferry Check dates →about 3–3.5 h1,200,000–2,000,000 VND per car (agency range)
Noi Bai airport (HAN) → Cat BaOnly works with the bus timetable; for a late flight take a private car.Airport car to the Hanoi office + combo bus (Good Morning Cat Ba)about 4–4.5 hUSD 19 per car (4–7 seats) to the office, then the USD 13 bus; Cat Ba → Noi Bai USD 29
Hanoi → Hai Phong → Cat BaSpeedboat Ben Binh → Cat Ba about 45–60 min; departures reported 07:00, 09:00, 13:00, 15:00 (back 08:00, 10:00, 14:00, 16:00). Operator and timetable not confirmed officially — check locally.Train to Hai Phong + taxi to Ben Binh + speedboatabout 3–4 h incl. connectionsTrain 70,000–150,000 VND; speedboat 200,000–300,000 VND
Ninh Binh / Tam Coc → Cat Ba townFrom Ninh Binh 07:30, 09:00, 09:30, 13:30, 14:00; from Cat Ba 08:00, 09:00, 12:30, 15:30 (limousine 12:30, 15:30).Tourist bus + crossing + bus (Good Morning Cat Ba) Check dates →4.5–5 hUSD 13 (about 350,000 VND); limousine USD 16 on the return
Hai Phong city / Cat Bi airport (HPH) → Cat BaCat Bi is the closest airport to the Cat Hai piers. The listing linked here runs Cat Ba → Cat Bi.Private car via Tan Vu–Lach Huyen bridge + Dong Bai ferry or cable car Check dates →check with the driver (not confirmed)see listing
Dong Bai (Cat Hai island) ⇄ Cai Vieng (Cat Ba)Daily about 05:00–18:30 (to ~19:00 in peak months). From 1 Sep 2026 the last ferry leaves Cat Ba 17:30 and the mainland 18:00. Stops at about Beaufort 4 wind; holiday queues of several hours have occurred.Car ferry (Bayview Cat Ba) — replaced the Got ferry on 1 Mar 202425–35 minWalk-on 10,000 VND; motorbike 45,000; car under 9 seats 190,000 (secondary sources)
Cat Hai ⇄ Phu Long (Cat Ba) cable carNot every day (closed Tuesdays per VnExpress; Wed–Mon 09:00–11:00 and 13:00–17:00 per Sun Group); fixed slots. Good when the car ferry queues or stops in wind.Sun World cable car, about 3.9 km Check dates →8–10 min, then 20–30 min by road to Cat Ba townFare reported between 50,000 and 150,000 VND one way — check the ticket listing
Tuan Chau (Ha Long) → Gia Luan (north Cat Ba)Sails only in good weather and with at least 30 passengers. 16 Apr–30 Sep from Tuan Chau 07:30, 09:30, 11:30, 13:30, 15:30; 1 Oct–15 Apr 07:30, 11:30, 15:00. From Cat Ba: summer 09:00, 11:30, 13:00, 15:00, 16:00; winter 09:00, 13:00, 16:00. Usually keeps running when the Dong Bai ferry stops.Passenger and car ferryabout 50 min–1 h 20; then about 30 min by road to Cat Ba townAbout 60,000 VND per passenger (secondary); car about 450,000 VND

Times and fares checked on October 16, 2026; ferries stop in storms and at low demand.

Ben Beo pier1Cat Ba town2Cai Beo fishing village3Ba Trai Dao beach4Viet Hai village5Dark & Bright cave6Dong Bai ferry pier (Cat Hai)7Cai Vieng ferry pier8
  1. 1Ben Beo pierPierDirections ↗
  2. 2Cat Ba townTownDirections ↗
  3. 3Cai Beo fishing villageVillageDirections ↗
  4. 4Ba Trai Dao beachBeachDirections ↗
  5. 5Viet Hai villageVillageDirections ↗
  6. 6Dark & Bright caveCaveDirections ↗
  7. 7Dong Bai ferry pier (Cat Hai)PierDirections ↗
  8. 8Cai Vieng ferry pierPierDirections ↗
Diamonds: piers; circles: sights and villages; arches: caves; circles with a wave: beaches; triangles: peaks. · Chart: © OpenStreetMap contributors

FAQ

What is the cheapest Lan Ha Bay cruise?

For one night on board, Cat Ba-side boats on GetYourGuide cost about $96–116 per person, and La Pandora on Klook about $104. For a day on the water, a Cat Ba day boat costs 900,000 VND (Cat Ba Expedition) or $35 (Beka).

Is a budget Lan Ha Bay cruise worth it?

Yes, if you accept a smaller cabin without a balcony and an older boat. The route and the scenery are the same as on luxury ships. Check the hull, the ship name and whether the bay fee is included.

Is a cheap Lan Ha cruise better from Cat Ba or from Tuan Chau?

From Cat Ba you reach Lan Ha in minutes from Ben Beo, and the small boats stay in Lan Ha. From Tuan Chau the ship first sails 1–1.5 hours through Ha Long waters. If you are already on Cat Ba, start there.

Does a budget cruise include the bay fee?

Most do. Listings marked "excl. tickets" add 400,000 VND per adult for one night or 120,000 VND for a day trip.

Can I kayak on a budget Lan Ha cruise?

Kayaking has been officially suspended in the Cat Ba bays since November 2024. Some boats still offer it in a designated area or replace it with a bamboo boat or a swim. Ask the operator in writing before you book.

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