An independent guide to Ha Long Bay, Lan Ha and Bai Tu Long
Plan the journey
From Hanoi to the bay: roads, vans, airports and piers
Nearly every visit starts in Hanoi and ends at a pier, and the pier matters as much as the road. This page compares the ways to get there and explains which pier serves which bay.
The options compared
| Option | Time | Reported cost | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bus from a Hanoi bus station | 2.5 to 3.5 hours | About 120,000–350,000 VND | Lowest cost; ends at Bai Chay bus station |
| Limousine van from the Old Quarter | About 2.5 hours plus pick-up | About 270,000–420,000 VND | Door-to-door or office pick-up; frequent departures |
| Private car | About 2 to 2.5 hours | Up to about 4.5 million VND quoted | Groups, early boats, luggage |
| Package day trip from Hanoi | 10 to 12 hours in total | About 700,000–1,500,000 VND | Transport, boat, lunch and fees in one ticket |
| Flight to Van Don | Domestic flight plus about 1 hour by road | Varies | Travellers coming from Ho Chi Minh City |
All costs are reported ranges from booking sites and travel guides in 2025 and 2026, not offers. Fares can rise around Tet and other public holidays. Check before you go.
Sources: Vinpearl — Hanoi to Ha Long by bus (resort group guide); Baolau — Hanoi to Ha Long bus and van timetable search (booking site); Sun Paradise Land — Hanoi to Ha Long distance and routes (attraction operator); Wikipedia — Van Don International Airport · last checked .
The road
Ha Long is roughly 150 to 170 km from central Hanoi. The usual route is the expressway to Hai Phong, then the Ha Long – Hai Phong expressway, a 25.2 km link that opened in September 2018 and cut the journey from about three and a half hours to about two and a half. Today a car takes about two to two and a half hours in normal traffic. The older National Highway 18, through Bac Ninh and Uong Bi, is about 165 km and slower, with heavy traffic.
Traffic leaving Hanoi is the main variable. Friday afternoons, Sunday evenings and the days around public holidays add an hour or more. Many boats board around midday, so most transfers leave Hanoi early in the morning.
Sources: Sun Paradise Land — Hanoi to Ha Long distance and routes (attraction operator); Hanoi Times — Ha Long–Hai Phong expressway opens · last checked .
Buses
Buses run from several Hanoi stations, including My Dinh, Gia Lam, Giap Bat and Long Bien, to Bai Chay bus station, and some continue to Tuan Chau. Journey times are about two to three and a half hours. On the busiest route, one bus company runs about one departure an hour from 5 am to 9 pm, with earlier starts in peak season. Listed fares were about 120,000 to 350,000 VND per person.
A large bus is the cheapest way to Ha Long but leaves you at a bus station. From there a taxi or ride-hailing car to Tuan Chau or the Bai Chay cruise port takes another 15 to 30 minutes, depending on the pier.
Sources: Vinpearl — Hanoi to Ha Long by bus (resort group guide); Sun Paradise Land — Hanoi to Ha Long distance and routes (attraction operator) · last checked .
Limousine vans
Limousine is the local name for a van or minibus with fewer, larger seats, typically seven to nine passengers, sometimes sixteen or twenty. Many leave from company offices in the Hoan Kiem area of Hanoi and finish at offices in Bai Chay or Tuan Chau, and some offer pick-up from hotels in the Old Quarter. A timetable search for a Friday in late October 2026 showed departures roughly every 30 minutes from 5:30 am to 8:30 pm, with fares from about 270,000 to 420,000 VND and a journey time of about two and a half hours.
Book a seat the day before in high season, and arrive at the office or pick-up point early: one booking site asks passengers to be there an hour ahead. Ask whether the van stops at your pier or only in Bai Chay.
Sources: Baolau — Hanoi to Ha Long bus and van timetable search (booking site); Vinpearl — Hanoi to Ha Long by bus (resort group guide) · last checked .
Air, rail and seaplanes
Air. Van Don International Airport (VDO), about 50 km from Ha Long, opened on 30 December 2018 as Vietnam's first privately built airport. Its scheduled routes are few and change; the route most consistently listed is to Ho Chi Minh City. Most international visitors land at Hanoi's Noi Bai airport. For Cat Ba, Hai Phong's Cat Bi airport is closer.
Rail. A slow rail service towards Ha Long has been reported, taking six to seven hours. It is not a practical way to reach a boat, and almost everyone travels by road.
Seaplanes. The scenic seaplane flights over Ha Long Bay, which began in 2014 and lasted 25 minutes, were reported in March 2026 to be stopping permanently from 1 April 2026. A seaplane route from Tuan Chau to Co To launched in 2023; we could not confirm whether it operates in 2026. Helicopter sightseeing over the bay was halted in 2023. If you are offered a seaplane transfer, check that the service still exists before you pay.
Sources: Wikipedia — Van Don International Airport; Sun Paradise Land — Hanoi to Ha Long distance and routes (attraction operator); Dan Tri International — seaplane sightseeing over Ha Long Bay to end (March 2026); Bac Ninh newspaper — Tuan Chau–Co To seaplane route launched (2023); Vietnamtourism.com — getting to Cat Ba, 2026 transport guide (commercial guide) · last checked .
Which pier serves which bay
| Pier | Where | Mainly for |
|---|---|---|
| Tuan Chau International Passenger Port | Tuan Chau Island, about 12 km west of central Ha Long | Ha Long Bay day and overnight boats; some Lan Ha routes; public ferry to Gia Luan on Cat Ba |
| Ha Long International Cruise Port | Bai Chay, about 500 m from Sun World; opened 2018 | Day routes VHL4, VHL5 and VHL8; Bai Tu Long overnight departures; visiting cruise ships |
| Hon Gai pier | Eastern Ha Long, near the Bai Chay bridge | Mainly Bai Tu Long Bay |
| Ao Tien | Van Don | Bai Tu Long day boats; ferries to Quan Lan and Co To |
| Ben Beo | About 2 km from Cat Ba town | Lan Ha Bay day boats |
| Gia Luan | North of Cat Ba Island | Ferry from Tuan Chau; route VHL6 from Ha Long |
| Got | Cat Hai, near Hai Phong | Car ferry to Cai Vieng on Cat Ba; used for Lan Ha boats before 2022 |
Your ticket names a pier. If you arrive at the wrong one, Tuan Chau and the Bai Chay port are roughly 20 to 30 minutes apart by road, and boats do not wait. Confirm the pier, not just the city, the day before.
Sources: Green SM — Ha Long Bay ticket guide (commercial, July 2025); Halong Bay port guide (published by a cruise company); Vietnamtourism.com — Bai Tu Long Bay overview (commercial guide); Cat Ba ferry guide (published by a cruise company); Ha Long Bay Management Board — fees for three added routes, Resolution 51/2025/NQ-HĐND · last checked .
Getting to Cat Ba and Lan Ha
From Hanoi, the common public route is a bus to Got pier near Hai Phong across the Tan Vu – Lach Huyen bridge, the car ferry to Cai Vieng on Cat Ba, and a road transfer to Cat Ba town: about four to five and a half hours in total. From Ha Long, the public ferry from Tuan Chau to Gia Luan takes about 40 to 60 minutes. Details and costs are on the Lan Ha Bay page.
Sources: Vietnamtourism.com — getting to Cat Ba, 2026 transport guide (commercial guide); Cat Ba ferry guide (published by a cruise company) · last checked .
Common questions
Questions readers ask
How long is the drive from Hanoi to Ha Long?
About two to two and a half hours by car on the expressway through Hai Phong, and two and a half to three and a half hours by bus, depending on traffic.
Is there still a seaplane from Hanoi or over Ha Long Bay?
The sightseeing seaplane flights over Ha Long Bay were reported to stop from 1 April 2026. We could not confirm any seaplane transfer operating in 2026.
Which pier does my boat leave from?
Most Ha Long Bay boats use Tuan Chau or the Bai Chay cruise port; Bai Tu Long boats often use Hon Gai or Bai Chay; Lan Ha day boats use Ben Beo on Cat Ba. Your ticket names the pier.
Can I go straight from Hanoi airport to Ha Long?
Most buses and vans leave from central Hanoi. Ask whether your service offers an airport pick-up, or allow time to get into the city if you land the same morning.
Related
Read next
The bays · Ha Long city
Ha Long city
The city where most trips start: Bai Chay, Hon Gai, the beach, Sun World, markets, food and when to skip it.
Read more
Choose a trip
Day or overnight
The trade-offs between a day trip and a night aboard, and a checklist of questions for any boat.
Read more
The bays · Lan Ha Bay
Lan Ha Bay
The bay beside Cat Ba: beaches, kayaking status, getting there, seasons, costs and when to skip it.
Read more
The bays · Bai Tu Long Bay
Bai Tu Long Bay
The quieter bay to the north-east: Vung Vieng, the national park, piers, seasons, costs and when to skip it.
Read more
Plan the dates
Weather by month
Temperatures, rain, sea temperature, typhoon season and what happens when boats are kept in port.
Read more
Independent guide · Ha Long Bay, Lan Ha, Bai Tu Long
Home
Start here: what the three bays are, how to reach them, and how to plan a first visit.
Read more
Start planning
Send a correction or a question
Tell us which page you mean, what you found, and when. A link to an official notice or a photo of a ticket helps us check it quickly.