How to get to Lan Ha Bay from Hanoi, Ninh Binh and the airports

How to get to Lan Ha Bay depends on one detail most travelers miss: where your boat actually leaves from. Lan Ha (vịnh Lan Hạ, "vịnh" means bay) lies east of Cat Ba island in Hai Phong, but most big overnight ships sold as "Lan Ha cruises" check in at Tuan Chau International Marina in Ha Long, in the neighboring province of Quang Ninh. They then sail 1–1.5 hours south into Lan Ha, or take you by speedboat to a ship anchored off north Cat Ba.

Day boats, small overnight boats and nearly all Cat Ba tours start on the island itself, from Ben Beo pier near Cat Ba town. So there are really two trips: Hanoi to Tuan Chau, and Hanoi to Cat Ba.

First check your voucher: Tuan Chau or Cat Ba?

Before you book a bus, open your cruise or tour confirmation and look for the meeting point. In practice it is one of three places:

• Tuan Chau International Marina (Ha Long). The check-in point for most branded Lan Ha overnight ships. Each line has a numbered lounge: Peony and Mon Chéri share No. 34, Orchid uses Lot 32, Capella 20B, Celina 41A, Scarlet Pearl 41B, La Regina Lot 24, Aspira and Azura Lot 38, La Casta F17, Heritage Binh Chuan 28B. Heritage Line's Ylang and Ginger also use a Tuan Chau welcome lounge.
• Ben Beo (Cai Beo), about 2 km from Cat Ba town. The base for Cat Ba day boats (Serenity, Beka, Cat Ba Expedition, Blue Swimmer) and for Venezia's small overnight boats.
• Gia Luan, on the north tip of Cat Ba. The landing for the ferry from Tuan Chau, and the spot where some Tuan Chau ships pick up guests who are already on the island.

If your listing says "Got pier", it is out of date. The Got ferry terminal closed on 1 March 2024 and the land went to a port industrial zone. The car ferry now runs from Dong Bai on Cat Hai island to Cai Vieng on Cat Ba (VnExpress report on the new pier). Call it "the Cat Hai piers (Dong Bai, formerly Got)" when you ask a driver. Dinh Vu, the industrial port at the end of the Hanoi expressway, has never been a cruise pier, whatever an old blog says.

The full list of piers and which ship uses which is on our Lan Ha cruise piers guide.

Hanoi to Tuan Chau for a Lan Ha cruise

The drive is about 153–160 km on the Hanoi–Hai Phong expressway, across the Bach Dang bridge and up the Hai Phong–Ha Long expressway. Cruise shuttles take 2.5–3 hours including a rest stop of about 30 minutes.

Cruise-line shuttle. Almost every ship sells a shared limousine from the Old Quarter. Pickup is usually 08:00–08:30 for an 11:30–12:30 check-in, and you are back in Hanoi around 14:30–16:00 on the last day. Prices run from free on some luxury listings to about $40 per person return: Sena charges $30 and Scarlet Pearl $35, for example. Peony and Mon Chéri list the transfer as an extra on their own sites. Buses over 16 seats cannot enter the Old Quarter, so bigger shuttles collect you from a meeting point such as the Opera House area rather than your hotel door.

Included in the platform price? Many GetYourGuide and Klook cruise listings bundle the Hanoi shuttle; agency prices usually do not. When you compare two cruises, compare like with like: a $125 fare without transfer is not cheaper than a $150 fare that includes $35 of shuttle. Our booking guide has the full checklist.

Private car. From about $50 per car one way on a cruise line's own price list, up to $200 for a premium van. Book it through the cruise line if you can, so the driver knows the lounge number at Tuan Chau.

Bring your original passport. Operators register every guest with the local authorities, most ask for passport details 24 hours before sailing, and they check the document at the lounge.

Two-day trips make day 2 effectively half a morning, much of it on the road. That is why many travelers who arrive tired from Hanoi pick a three-day cruise or stay on Cat Ba instead. See 2 days 1 night vs 3 days 2 nights and Lan Ha vs Ha Long before you decide.

Hanoi to Cat Ba island by bus and ferry

For day cruises from Ben Beo, climbing, the national park or a cheaper DIY trip, you go to Cat Ba town. There is no road bridge to the island, so every route ends with a boat or the cable car. The easiest way is a combo ticket: bus from Hanoi, the crossing, and a second bus to your hotel, all on one ticket. Total time is 3–3.5 hours: about 2 hours on the expressway and the Tan Vu–Lach Huyen sea bridge to Cat Hai island, then the crossing, then the last stretch.

Prices above are the operators' own. Platform prices today: Cat Ba Express is from $11 on Klook (4.9 stars, 2,000+ booked), slightly under its $13 direct fare, and Good Morning Cat Ba is from $12 on Klook. The most-reviewed GetYourGuide listing is the Hanoi–Cat Ba combo transfer from $12 with 4.6 stars from 539 reviews. Check the official sites for timetables: goodmorningcatba.com and catbaexpress.com.

GetYourGuide3.5 hours - 1 day

Hanoi: Transportation to/from Cat Ba

4.6 (539)

from $12Check dates

Klook

Hanoi - Cat Ba Island Shuttle Bus by Good Morning Cat Ba

4.3 (153) · 3K+ booked

from $12Check dates

GetYourGuide4 hours

Private Transfer: Cat Ba → Hanoi / HAN Airport | Fixed

4.7 (69)

from $83Check dates

GetYourGuide4 hours

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

4.6 (67)

from $20Check 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 crossings to Cat Ba: ferry, cable car and speedboats

You will rarely choose the crossing yourself on a combo ticket, but it matters when you drive, travel on a holiday, or the weather turns.

Dong Bai ⇄ Cai Vieng car ferry. The main link, 1.86 km and 25–35 minutes, run by Bayview Cat Ba. In peak season (late April to the end of August) it runs 38 trips a day, usually every 20 minutes. Daily hours are about 05:00–18:30, a little later in peak months. From 1 September 2026 the last ferry leaves Cat Ba at 17:30 and the mainland at 18:00 (Hai Phong city news). Fares are about 10,000–12,000 VND on foot, 45,000 VND for a motorbike and 190,000 VND for a car under 9 seats.

Cat Hai – Phu Long cable car. About 3.9 km and 8–10 minutes over the water, starting next to the Dong Bai ferry. The Phu Long station is about 17 km (20–30 minutes) from Cat Ba town, so you still need a bus or taxi. Opening days differ between published schedules: one says Wednesday to Monday, 09:00–11:00 and 13:00–17:00, another says fixed slots and closed on Tuesdays. Fares quoted range from 50,000 to 150,000 VND one way; expect about 100,000 VND and check the ticket. Klook sells a Cat Ba cable car ticket from $3. It is the useful backup when the car ferry queues or stops in wind.

Speedboat from Hai Phong city (Ben Binh). About 45–60 minutes, 200,000–300,000 VND. Reported departures are 07:00, 09:00, 13:00 and 15:00 from Hai Phong, and 08:00, 10:00, 14:00 and 16:00 back. The operator and timetable are not published officially, so confirm locally the day before. It pairs with the train from Hanoi: 2–2.5 hours to Hai Phong station for 70,000–150,000 VND, then a 5-minute taxi to the pier. Take an early train to make a morning boat.

Tuan Chau (Ha Long) ⇄ Gia Luan (north Cat Ba) ferry. About 50 minutes to 1 h 20, then about 30 minutes by road to Cat Ba town. It sails only in good weather and only with at least 30 passengers. From 16 April to 30 September it leaves Tuan Chau at 07:30, 09:30, 11:30, 13:30 and 15:30; from 1 October to 15 April at 07:30, 11:30 and 15:00. The passenger fare is quoted at 40,000–60,000 VND; a car is about 450,000 VND. This is a ferry, not a sightseeing cruise: there is no public day boat that tours both bays.

From the airports: Noi Bai, Cat Bi and Van Don

Noi Bai (HAN), Hanoi. The airport is north of the city, so add time. To Tuan Chau it is about 170 km, 2.5–3 hours by private car. To Cat Ba, you can take a private car with the ferry (about 3–3.5 hours, 1.2–2 million VND), a private transfer from $83 on GetYourGuide, or Good Morning Cat Ba's airport car to its Hanoi office ($19 per car for 4–7 seats) to meet the $13 bus. That last option only works with the bus timetable, so it suits a morning landing, not a late one. Going back, the Cat Ba to Hanoi airport private transfer is also from $83, and Good Morning Cat Ba charges $29.

Cat Bi (HPH), Hai Phong. The closest airport to the Cat Hai piers and to the Ben Binh speedboat, and about an hour by road to Tuan Chau (45–75 minutes per the cruise lines). For the return, there is a private transfer from Cat Ba to Cat Bi from $49.

Van Don (VDO), Quang Ninh. Near Ha Long, with estimates from 30 minutes to 2 hours to Tuan Chau. Plan on the longer figure until your driver confirms. It is no help for Cat Ba.

From Ninh Binh to Lan Ha Bay

Ninh Binh and Lan Ha pair well, and you do not need to go back through Hanoi.

Ninh Binh → Tuan Chau (for a cruise). Morning limousines reach an 11:30–12:30 check-in the same day. Good Morning Cat Ba runs a 12-seat limousine for $15 (about 4 hours, first departure 07:30). Peony and Mon Chéri charge $25 per person each way for their own limousine (07:00–07:30, about 4.5 hours), and La Pandora $20.

Ninh Binh → Cat Ba (for a day boat or a stay on the island). The tourist bus costs $13 (about 350,000 VND) and takes 4.5–5 hours with the crossing. Departures from Ninh Binh are at 07:30, 09:00, 09:30, 13:30 and 14:00; from Cat Ba at 08:00, 09:00, 12:30 and 15:30, plus a $16 limousine at 12:30 and 15:30. On GetYourGuide, the Ninh Binh to Cat Ba limousine is from $18 with 4.8 stars, and the return Cat Ba to Ninh Binh limousine from $20. A private car from Cat Ba to Tam Coc is from $95.

There is also a one-day combo that does a Lan Ha boat trip and drops you in Ninh Binh in the evening: Lan Ha Bay tour and transfer to Ninh Binh, from $31, rated 5.0 by 24 travelers. Details and timings for all of these are in our Ninh Binh to Lan Ha guide.

Driving yourself or by private car

A private car is the most flexible way to reach Cat Ba, but in summer it runs into one rule. Cars may not board the Dong Bai ferry toward Cat Ba from 09:00 to 13:00 on weekends and holidays, 9 May–30 September 2026, and also on 25 April–3 May (Hai Phong transport notice, reported by LSVN). The same kind of limit has been used before, so expect it again in future summers.

What that means in practice:

• Cross before 09:00, or after 13:00, on summer weekends.
• Or park on Cat Hai and take the cable car or a speedboat across.
• Out of season and on weekdays, the car ferry is usually straightforward.

Driving to Tuan Chau has no such restriction. Ask the cruise line where to leave the car, since each line's lounge has its own numbered lot.

Already on Cat Ba: joining a cruise, reaching the boats

Joining a Tuan Chau cruise from Cat Ba. You do not have to go round to Ha Long. Peony and Mon Chéri pick up guests at Gia Luan pier between 12:30 and 13:00 by speedboat or tender, for a surcharge (Peony FAQ). Other lines may do it on request; ask before you book. Gia Luan is about 30 minutes by road from Cat Ba town.

Reaching Ben Beo for day boats. Most day-boat operators collect you from hotels in town; Cat Ba Expedition, for example, includes pickup within about 1 km of the center. On your own, Ben Beo is a short taxi ride. Our day cruises guide compares the boats that leave from here, and Cat Ba island covers where to stay.

Getting around the island. Cat Ba town to the national park, Hospital Cave and the viewpoints is easiest with a driver. The Cat Ba eco taxi tour from $8 covers the park, caves and the radio tower in one loop.

Storms, sea bans and holiday queues

The crossings are reliable most days, but two things can stop you.

Storms. Sailing bans come from the authorities, not from your cruise line. Quang Ninh's port authority stops departures from Tuan Chau; Hai Phong issues a sea ban (cấm biển) and halts the Cat Ba ferries. On 22 August 2026, during storm No. 4, more than 1,700 tourists were held on Cat Ba. On 13–14 September 2026 the car ferry stopped at about Beaufort 4 winds and queues to leave the island reached 7–12 hours (VnExpress report). The storm season runs June to November. If a cruise is cancelled before it sails, operators such as Peony and Mon Chéri refund 100%; platforms follow their own terms.

Holidays. Domestic peaks bring long ferry lines: around 30 April–1 May, about 70,000 visitors arrived in two days and the ferry queue stretched 2 km. Summer weekends (May to July is the domestic peak) and Tết, the Lunar New Year in late January or February, are also busy. On those dates, prefer the cable car or a combo bus that can switch to a speedboat, or travel midweek.

The Tuan Chau–Gia Luan ferry can still run on some days when the Dong Bai ferry stops, but it also needs good weather and 30 passengers. When a storm is forecast, ask your operator or hotel the evening before. Month-by-month weather is in the best time to visit.

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How to get to Lan Ha Bay: questions

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