From Ninh Binh to Lan Ha Bay without going back to Hanoi

Ninh Binh to Lan Ha Bay is a common leg on a north-Vietnam trip, and it works well without a night back in Hanoi. The question is where you are going. Most branded Lan Ha overnight cruises check in at Tuan Chau in Ha Long, so you need a van to Tuan Chau. If you want Cat Ba island, its day boats or a small Cat Ba-based cruise, you take a bus to Cat Ba town instead. These are two different roads, and the booking voucher tells you which one you need.

Most big Lan Ha cruise lines check in at Tuan Chau in Ha Long; a few boats and most Cat Ba day trips start on the Hai Phong side. Check your voucher.

Ninh Binh to Tuan Chau for a Lan Ha cruise

This is the route for Peony, Mon Chéri, Aspira, Azura, Capella, Orchid, La Pandora and most other overnight ships. Three shuttles are published:

The early departure is the one that matters. Cruise check-in at Tuan Chau runs from about 11:30 to 12:30, and the boats do not wait: if you miss the tender, some lines make you pay for a private speedboat. Take the 07:00–07:30 van, not a later one.

Coming back, the Good Morning Cat Ba van leaves Tuan Chau at 12:30, and the Peony and Mon Chéri shuttle leaves Ha Long at 12:00. Most two-day cruises dock between 11:00 and 12:00, so either works. You are back in Ninh Binh in the late afternoon.

Ninh Binh to Cat Ba island

If you are heading for Cat Ba town, Ben Beo pier, the national park or a Cat Ba day boat, take the Good Morning Cat Ba tourist bus. It costs USD 13 (about 350,000 VND) and takes 4.5–5 hours: bus to Cat Hai island, a crossing to Cat Ba by speedboat or the car ferry from Dong Bai (the Cat Hai piers, formerly Got), then a bus to your hotel.

Drop-off in Ninh Binh is at the city, the railway station or Tam Coc. The same buses are sold on GetYourGuide as a Ninh Binh to Cat Ba transfer from $18 and a Cat Ba to Ninh Binh limousine from $20. A private taxi from Cat Ba to Tam Coc is from $95 per car.

The car ferry stops when the wind reaches about Beaufort 4, and from 1 September 2026 the last ferry leaves Cat Ba at 17:30. In summer, cars cannot board toward Cat Ba from 09:00 to 13:00 on weekends and holidays. If your bus is late, it may switch you to the speedboat or the cable car. See how to get there for every crossing.

There is no public bus from Ninh Binh to Gia Luan, the ferry pier on north Cat Ba. You could ride to Tuan Chau and take the ferry over, but it sails only with at least 30 passengers and the last boat leaves Tuan Chau at 15:30 in summer and 15:00 in winter. The direct bus is simpler.

Cruises with Ninh Binh pickup

Some cruises sell a Ninh Binh pickup inside the price, which saves you arranging the van:

• Venezia runs a two-day Lan Ha cruise from Ninh Binh, from $125 with 4.8 from about 50 reviews. Its small boats (5 and 10 cabins) leave from Ben Beo on Cat Ba, so this is a Cat Ba road trip, not Tuan Chau. The route stays in Lan Ha: Ba Trai Dao beach when access, tide and weather allow, then Viet Hai village. Read the Venezia review.
• Generic Ninh Binh listings on GetYourGuide such as Ninh Binh: Lan Ha Bay 2D1N with bike tour and kayak (from $109) and Lan Ha and Ha Long with private balconies (from $117) are sold by agencies. Check the ship name, the pier and the meeting point before paying.
• Le Journey is sold as a Hanoi or Ninh Binh two-day cruise from $122. It is a Hera Group brand that sails Lan Ha. The "6-star" in the title is a sales label: Vietnam's rating stops at 5 stars.

Kayaking in the Cat Ba bays has been under an official suspension since November 2024, re-confirmed in late 2025. Some ships offer it only in a designated area or replace it with a bamboo boat, tender or swim. If a listing promises kayaking, ask the operator in writing. More in kayaking.

GetYourGuide2D1N

Ninh Binh: 2D1N Lan Ha Bay boutique cruises with small group

4.8 (52)

from $125Check dates

GetYourGuide2D1N

Ninh Binh: Lan Ha, Halong bay cruises with private balconies

4.8 (108)

from $117Check dates

GetYourGuide4 hours

Cat Ba: Limousine bus to Ninh Binh, small group,high quality

4.6 (67)

from $20Check dates

5★

GetYourGuide3D2N

Hanoi 3-Day: Lan Ha - Ha Long Bay & Ninh Binh 5-Star Cruise

4.7 (55)

from $221Check dates

GetYourGuide4.5 hours

Cat Ba Island: Ninh Binh Transfer by Multiple Timing Bus

4.4 (54)

from $18Check dates

GetYourGuide4.5 hours

Ninh Binh: Cat Ba Island Transfer by Multiple Timing Bus

4.3 (59)

from $18Check dates

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

The "3 days Ninh Binh and Lan Ha" packages

The most-booked combos on GetYourGuide, such as 3 Days Ninh Binh, Ha Long and Lan Ha Bay (from $225, 4.8 from about 2,100 reviews) and its twin g417077 (from $220), start in Hanoi. They are one day in Ninh Binh plus a two-day, one-night cruise, with one night in a hotel. They are not three days on the water.

That can be exactly right if you have three days and want both places with one booking. Just compare it with doing it yourself: a night in Ninh Binh, the 07:30 van to Tuan Chau and a two-day cruise of your choice. Doing it yourself lets you pick the ship. With the package, the agency picks it. Our three-day cruises page explains what a real three-day, two-night cruise looks like.

Which order: Ninh Binh first or Lan Ha first?

Both work, because the vans run in both directions on the same morning schedule. Two practical points decide it:

• Weather. Cruises are cancelled by the port authority in storms, mostly from June to November, and sometimes at short notice. If you do Lan Ha first and the cruise is cancelled, you can move to Ninh Binh and try again on the way back to Hanoi. Keep a buffer day before your flight either way. See best time.
• Return to Hanoi. From Tuan Chau to Hanoi is 2.5–3 hours, and most cruise lines run their own shuttle. From Ninh Binh to Hanoi is shorter. Ending in Ninh Binh means an easy last leg; ending on the cruise means you can take the cruise shuttle straight to Hanoi.

Where you are going

Tuan Chau is on the Ha Long side, in Quang Ninh province; the cruise then sails 1–1.5 hours into Lan Ha. Dong Bai and Cai Vieng are the two ends of the car ferry to Cat Ba, and Ben Beo, 2 km from Cat Ba town, is where Cat Ba day boats and Venezia start. For every pier, see cruise piers.

Day trips from Ninh Binh

A same-day round trip from Ninh Binh to Lan Ha means 9–10 hours in a vehicle, which leaves little time on the water. We would not do it. If you are moving between the two anyway, there are better options:

• Cat Ba to Ninh Binh with a bay day: Lan Ha Bay tour and transfer to Ninh Binh (from $31) combines a day on the bay with the onward ride.
• Serenity Premium from Cat Ba sells a Ninh Binh drop-off after the day cruise for USD 55–65 per person. See day cruises.

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