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Getting to Ha Long Bay and Cat Ba
By road from Hanoi: limousine vans and buses take 2 hours 30 minutes to 3 hours 30 minutes from the Old Quarter, the Opera House or Noi Bai airport, from about 276,500₫ for October 2026; no train runs. Check your cruise's port, because there are two: Tuần Châu International Port on Tuần Châu island, and Ha Long International Cruise Port in Bãi Cháy. Cat Ba has its own bus-and-boat tickets from Hanoi.
Ha Long Bay at a glance
| Region | North-east coast; Quảng Ninh province, unchanged by the 2025 merger |
|---|---|
| Airport | Vân Đồn (Sun PhuQuoc Airways flights from Ho Chi Minh City, October 2026); Noi Bai in Hanoi |
| Usual way in | Limousine van or bus from Hanoi; flight to Vân Đồn and a taxi |
| Stations and terminals | Tuần Châu International Port; Ha Long International Cruise Port (Bãi Cháy) |
From Hanoi to the right port
From Hanoi by road. Limousine vans and buses leave the Old Quarter, the Opera House, Bến xe Mỹ Đình and Noi Bai airport from about 05:00 to 20:00 and take 2 hours 30 minutes to 3 hours 30 minutes.
Some drop at Tuần Châu, some at Ha Long International Cruise Port, some at Bãi Cháy hotels; the Hanoi to Ha Long Bay page lists which.
Two ports, two places. Bhaya Cruises' June 2026 guide uses Tuần Châu Harbour, Marina and International Port for the one marina on Tuần Châu island. Emperor Cruises' May 2026 guide places Ha Long International Cruise Port in Bãi Cháy, a different part of Ha Long.
No train. The railway listed no Hà Nội–Hạ Long train in either direction for October 2026.
Vân Đồn airport
Flights are running again. After its March 2026 suspension, the airport's August 2026 notice announced Sun PhuQuoc Airways flights from Ho Chi Minh City through 24 October 2026: 9G1560 arriving at 10:55 and 9G1561 leaving at 11:35.
Check the airline for dates after 24 October.
The airport's June 2025 ground-transport notice names the licensed taxis, Khang Linh and Hoàng Quân, plus Đất Mỏ Travel's contracted cars, at the taxi lane outside arrivals; operators must display their fares.
On to Cat Ba, Ninh Binh or back to Hanoi
To Cat Ba. Daiichi's bus-and-boat ticket leaves its office at 4 Ánh Đào, not either cruise port, and takes about three hours; see the section below.
To Ninh Binh. Duy Khang's limousine runs from Tuần Châu to the Bích Động post-office stop in Tam Coc in 3 hours 30 minutes.
Back to Hanoi or Noi Bai. The same vans run back from both ports and from Bãi Cháy; several go straight to the airport.
Hanoi to Cat Ba: bus and ferry on one ticket, three hours
One ticket covers the bus and the boat. For October 2026, Good Morning Cat Ba left 128 Trần Nhật Duật in Hanoi's Old Quarter at 08:00, 10:30 and 12:30 and reached its Cat Ba office three hours later, for 293,441₫ online, with the ferry connection marked guaranteed. Back to Hanoi it left at 09:00, 12:30 and 17:00, same fare.
| Usual way | Bus and ferry on one ticket |
|---|---|
| Where it departs | 128 Trần Nhật Duật, Hanoi Old Quarter |
| Where it arrives | Good Morning Cat Ba office, Cat Ba |
This goes to Cat Ba island, not to Ha Long's cruise ports. If your cruise starts on Cat Ba, this is the bus to book; if it starts at Tuần Châu or Bãi Cháy, it is not.
Ninh Binh to Ha Long: Tam Coc to Tuần Châu
Duy Khang's limousine is the direct way: for October 2026 it left the Bích Động post-office stop (Bưu điện Bích Động) in Tam Coc at 07:30, 11:30 and 12:00 and reached Ha Long Happy Travel at Tuần Châu 3 hours 30 minutes later, for 378,000₫ online. The return left Tuần Châu at 12:00, 12:30 and 18:30, for 389,250₫.
| Usual way | Limousine van |
|---|---|
| Where it departs | Bưu điện Bích Động, Tam Coc |
| Where it arrives | Ha Long Happy Travel, Tuần Châu |
The drop-off is a travel office at Tuần Châu, not your cruise's pier; if the cruise boards at Bãi Cháy, allow for the ride across.
Ha Long to Cat Ba: Daiichi's three-hour ticket
For October 2026, Daiichi Travel's ticket left its office at 4 Ánh Đào, Ha Long, at 12:30 and reached its Cat Ba office at 15:30, for 435,000₫ online; the return left Cat Ba at 07:30 and arrived at 10:30, same fare. The pickup is that office, not Tuần Châu or the cruise port.
| Usual way | Daiichi's office-to-office ticket |
|---|---|
| Where it departs | 4 Ánh Đào, Ha Long |
| Where it arrives | Daiichi Travel office, Cat Ba |
The ticket card names only the two offices, not the water crossing between them; Daiichi can say which ferry it uses.
Hai Phong airport to Cat Ba: bus, speedboat and car
From Cat Bi airport in Hai Phong, APT Travel sold a bus, speedboat and shared-car ticket at 17:00 reaching Cat Ba Island Central at 18:36, for 612,000₫ online for October 2026 departures. Cat Ba Express went the other way from its island office at 09:30, 12:30 and 15:30, reaching Cat Bi airport 1 hour 45 minutes later, for 666,000₫.
| Usual way | Combined bus, speedboat and car |
|---|---|
| Where it departs | Cat Bi airport, Hai Phong |
| Where it arrives | Cat Ba Island Central; return from the Cat Ba Express office |
These tickets start or end at the airport. Cheaper tickets in the same search named a Hai Phong pickup that their own card placed in Uông Bí, a different town; check the exact pickup before buying one.
Tuần Châu and Bãi Cháy are two different ports
Cảng tàu khách quốc tế Tuần Châu
Tuần Châu International Port, also called Tuần Châu Marina or Harbour, is on Tuần Châu island, separate from Ha Long International Cruise Port in Bãi Cháy. The cruise operator gives the exact berth.
Cảng tàu khách quốc tế Hạ Long
Ha Long International Cruise Port is in Bãi Cháy, a different place from Tuần Châu International Marina. The cruise confirmation names the port and the meeting point.
Cat Ba and Ninh Binh connections
- Hanoi to Ha Long Bay by limousine van or busVan · Bus
- Tam Coc to Cat Ba: one ticket, bus and ferryBus
- Hanoi to Cat Ba: bus and ferry on one ticket, three hoursGood Morning Cat Ba from the Old Quarter, 293,441₫.Bus
- Ninh Binh to Ha Long: Tam Coc to Tuần ChâuDuy Khang's limousine, 3 hours 30 minutes.Bus
- Ha Long to Cat Ba: Daiichi's three-hour ticketFrom 4 Ánh Đào, not from a cruise port, 435,000₫.Bus
- Hai Phong airport to Cat Ba: bus, speedboat and carCat Bi airport to the island in about 1 h 40, from 612,000₫.Bus
Ha Long Bay ports, flights and islands: what people ask
Are Tuần Châu and Ha Long International Cruise Port the same place?
No. Tuần Châu International Port is the marina on Tuần Châu island; Ha Long International Cruise Port is in Bãi Cháy. The cruise confirmation names the port.
Can I take a train from Hanoi to Ha Long Bay?
The October 2026 timetable listed no train between Hà Nội and Hạ Long, in either direction. Vans and buses take 2 hours 30 minutes to 3 hours 30 minutes.
Is there an airport at Ha Long Bay?
Vân Đồn. Its August 2026 notice announced Sun PhuQuoc Airways flights from Ho Chi Minh City through 24 October 2026, arriving at 10:55.
How do I get from Hanoi to Cat Ba?
On one bus-and-ferry ticket: for October 2026, Good Morning Cat Ba left 128 Trần Nhật Duật at 08:00, 10:30 and 12:30 and reached its Cat Ba office three hours later, for 293,441₫ online.