Ha Long Bay Junk Boat CruiseHanoi to Ha Long Bay: Every Way to Get There
Getting from Hanoi to Ha Long Bay is a road trip of about 150 to 170 km, and most travellers do it by bus, limousine van, private car or the transfer sold with a cruise. This guide compares all five ways, the expressway route, the fares in Vietnamese dong and the five harbours your boat might leave from. It also explains which port belongs to which bay, so you can check the meeting point before you book. If you would rather skip the planning, the Deluxe Day Cruise from Hanoi bundles the road transfer and the bay fees into one price. The bookable tours are compared on all Ha Long Bay junk boat cruises.
The Bai Chay waterfront with the bridge and a cable car tower in Ha Long city. Photo: Pdhadam, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Quick answer The short answer
Hanoi to Ha Long Bay is about 150 to 170 km by road. A car covers it in roughly 2 to 2.5 hours on the expressway, limousine vans take 2.5 to 3 hours and buses 2.5 to 3.5 hours. The easiest option is a day cruise that includes the Hanoi transfer, such as the $40 Deluxe Day Cruise from Hanoi.
Key takeaways
- Cheapest: local buses from My Dinh or Gia Lam cost 120,000 to 250,000 VND and take 2.5 to 4.5 hours, per the fare table below.
- Simplest: the Deluxe Day Cruise from Hanoi at $40 per person includes the Hanoi shuttle and all Ha Long Bay entrance fees.
- For Lan Ha Bay instead, the Serenity Lan Ha Bay Day Cruise at $43.20 also includes transfers, entry tickets and lunch.
- Not sure which bay to sail? Compare Ha Long, Lan Ha and Bai Tu Long in the which bay section of the homepage.
Five Ways from Hanoi to the Bay
There is no passenger train from Hanoi to Ha Long, so every option is by road or by air plus road. The figures below come from published transfer guides and from the transfer terms of the cruise listings on this site.
The Five Options Compared
The table pulls together drive times, the fare ranges quoted by transfer guides, and where each way of travelling actually drops you. Bus fares come from guides quoting My Dinh and Gia Lam departures, and private car quotes span three separate guides. Fares are set by the operators, so treat the ranges as a market spread rather than a fixed price.
Cruise transfers sit in a different category: on some listings the transfer is already inside the ticket price, on others it is an add-on of $10 to $35 per person.
| Way | Time | Cost | Drops you at |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cruise transfer bus | 2.5 to 3 hours | $10 to $35 per person extra on most cruises, included on some | Tuan Chau port or the harbour your boat uses |
| Limousine van | 2.5 to 3 hours | 180,000 to 705,000 VND depending on the guide and van class | Door-to-door pickup, usually your hotel |
| Public bus from My Dinh or Gia Lam | 2.5 to 4.5 hours | 120,000 to 250,000 VND (local buses), express buses 250,000 to 400,000 VND | Bai Chay station, some services to Tuan Chau port |
| Private car | 2 to 2.5 hours | 1,200,000 to 2,350,000 VND one way across the guides | Any address in Hanoi to any port |
| Flight to Van Don airport | Fly to Van Don, then about 40 minutes by road to Ha Long | Not stated in the sources | Van Don airport, about 50 km from Ha Long city |
How to Choose
If you are doing a day trip, the math is simple. A day cruise with transfer already built in beats a bus plus a separate bay ticket, because a standalone day ticket on the main routes costs VND 250,000 per person on top of any fare you pay. The $40 Deluxe Day Cruise from Hanoi carries the shuttle, lunch and entrance fees in one price, and pickup runs from the Old Quarter and fixed points in Hanoi between 7:30 and 8:30 AM.
Travellers heading to Lan Ha Bay should look at the $43.20 Serenity Lan Ha Bay Day Cruise, which sells nine pickup and drop-off combinations between Hanoi, Hai Phong and Cat Ba Town. Transfers, entrance and sightseeing tickets are included.
Overnight cruisers often travel independently the day before. A limousine van with door-to-door pickup at 180,000 to 300,000 VND per Bhaya's guide is the middle road, faster than the local bus and far cheaper than a private car at 1,600,000 to 1,900,000 VND one way. If you sail from a different harbour, check the second section below first, because several boats leave from Hon Gai or Cat Ba rather than Tuan Chau.
Flying is rarely worth it for the bay itself. Van Don airport sits about 50 km from Ha Long city, and road time from Hanoi to the airport runs 2.5 to 3 hours, so flying adds an airport transfer without cutting the total. Hai Au Aviation ended its seaplane sightseeing flights permanently on 1 April, so there is no air option over the bay any more.
Sources: UNESCO, Ha Long Bay - Cat Ba Archipelago, Ha Long Bay Management Board
The Road and the Harbours
Ha Long Bay is not in Hanoi. It lies in Quang Ninh province, and Ha Long city is that province's capital. The drive runs mostly on expressways.
The Expressway Route
The modern route runs Hanoi, Hai Phong, Ha Long. Guides put the whole distance at roughly 150 to 170 km depending on where you start and which port you target: the Hanoi, Hai Phong, Ha Long expressway line measures about 150 km, while the old National Highway 18 route runs about 165 km. One guide counts the Hanoi Old Quarter to Ha Long leg at about 130 km by expressway after the Bach Dang link opened, and Noi Bai airport departures at 160 to 190 km.
Three expressway sections make it possible. The Hanoi to Hai Phong expressway is 105.5 km long and opened on 5 December 2015. The Ha Long to Hai Phong expressway is about 25 km and opened on 1 September 2018. The Ha Long to Van Don expressway is about 60 km and opened to traffic from 1 February 2019. Together they carry cars and buses at 2 to 2.5 hours for private vehicles and 2.5 to 3.5 hours for buses.
Two exceptions matter. Motorbikes and scooters may not use the expressway and must take old road QL18, which stretches the ride to 4 to 5 hours. And a day trip from Hanoi still means roughly five hours or more inside a vehicle, door to door, because the last leg from Bai Chay to Tuan Chau port adds a short drive across the causeway.
A rail fix is coming, but not yet. The Hanoi to Quang Ninh high-speed railway broke ground on 12 April, runs 120.2 km from Co Loa station to a Ha Long station in Tuan Chau ward, and is designed for 350 km/h, cutting the journey to about 23 minutes. It is due to operate in 2028. Until then, road is the only way.
Which Harbour Your Boat Uses
Book the wrong end of the city and you can lose an hour on arrival day. Quang Ninh has several separate piers. The table below lists the harbours named in official route documents and port guides, with what sails from each.
Most day cruises and overnight junks from Hanoi use Tuan Chau. Ha Long International Cruise Port handles the big ocean ships plus routes VHL1 to VHL5 and the short VHL8. Hon Gai, across the Bai Chay Bridge on the city's other side, is the usual base for Bai Tu Long Bay departures. Gia Luan is a wharf on Cat Ba Island, the end point of route VHL5, and belongs to the Cat Ba Island guide rather than this one.
| Harbour | Where | Serves |
|---|---|---|
| Tuan Chau Port 1 | Tuan Chau Island, linked to the mainland by a causeway | Day cruises |
| Tuan Chau Port 2 (International Passenger Port) | Same island as Port 1, capacity for about 2,000 moored boats | Overnight cruises |
| Ha Long International Cruise Port | Beach Road, Bai Chay ward, about 500 m from Sun World Ha Long | International ocean ships, official routes VHL1 to VHL5 and VHL8 |
| Hon Gai | Hon Gai side of the Bai Chay Bridge in Ha Long city | Bai Tu Long Bay cruises |
| Gia Luan wharf | Cat Ba Island, Hai Phong, end point of route VHL5 | Cat Ba and Lan Ha Bay traffic |
What Happens When the Transfer Is Not Included
Check the transfer terms before booking, because the overnight listings split three ways. Some include the road: the Bhaya Classic Overnight Cruise sells round-trip shuttle bus options from Hanoi centre at around 8:30 to 9:00 AM. Others charge for it: the Hanoi shuttle costs $20 per person both ways on the Oriental Sails Junk Cruise and $35 per person on the Bai Tu Long Bay Small Boat Cruise, while the Balcony Suite Overnight Cruise prices its shuttle at $30 or its limousine at $35 per person. On several others the add-on sits between $10 and $25 per person.
If you arrange the road yourself, buses from My Dinh station leave roughly every 30 to 45 minutes, and most drop at Bai Chay station. From there a Grab to Tuan Chau port costs 80,000 to 120,000 VND, a detail worth knowing when a cheap bus fare ends short of the pier. For a DIY plan built around the official routes and the bay fee, see the routes and fees section on the homepage, or browse the full comparison of Ha Long Bay junk boat cruises.
Hanoi to Halong Bay: 6 Best Ways to Travel
Compares the six ways to get from Hanoi to Ha Long Bay. Third-party video by BestPrice Travel | Halong Bay Cruise Expert. This site did not shoot it and has no relationship with the creator.
Transfers Sold with the Cruises
Every listing on this site handles the road from Hanoi differently. Some bundle the shuttle into the ticket, others charge it per person, and a few meet you at the marina instead.
What Each Listing Charges for the Ride
The table below shows how each of the cruises compared on Ha Long Bay junk boat cruises deals with the transfer from Hanoi. Only the US dollar card prices in the listings appear here. Some cruises include the transfer in the base price, while others charge anywhere from $10 to $35 per person extra, and some leave the transfer out of the listing entirely.
The cruises that fold the ride into the ticket include the Deluxe Day Cruise from Hanoi at $40 per person, where the shuttle bus and the entrance fees are both in the price, and the Serenity Lan Ha Bay Day Cruise at $43.20, which sells nine pickup and drop-off combinations between Hanoi, Hai Phong and Cat Ba Town with the transfers included.
| Cruise | Transfer | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Day Cruise with Kayaking | Hanoi Old Quarter hotel pickup 7:20 to 8:20 AM on the pickup option, or the transfer bought separately | $10 per person extra |
| Luxury Day Cruise with Buffet | Round-trip bus from the Old Quarter on the bus option, guests elsewhere meet at 160 Tran Quang Khai Street at 8:00 to 8:10 AM | Included on the bus option, $15 per person to add the bus to the Tuan Chau option |
| Deluxe Day Cruise from Hanoi | Old Quarter hotel pickup, or the Opera House, 211 Hang Bong Street or the Embassy hotel | Included in the $40 price |
| Taliya Lan Ha Bay Day Cruise | Old Quarter hotel pickup 6:30 to 7:00 AM on the From Ha Noi option | not stated |
| Day Cruise with Surprise Cave | Old Quarter pickup 7:40 to 8:20 AM on the Hanoi option, the 11:30 AM option meets at Tuan Chau Marina without a bus | not stated |
| Serenity Lan Ha Bay Day Cruise | Nine pickup and drop-off combinations between Hanoi, Hai Phong and Cat Ba Town | Included in the $43.20 price |
| Bhaya Classic Overnight Cruise | Round-trip shuttle bus from Hanoi centre at about 8:30 to 9:00 AM on the bus transfer options | not stated |
| Bai Tu Long Bay Small Boat Cruise | Transport from and to Hanoi listed under exclusions | $35 per person both ways |
| Oriental Sails Junk Cruise | Shuttle bus from Hanoi, pickups start about 30 to 60 minutes before departure | $20 per person both ways |
| Overnight Cruise, Choose Your Bay | Old Quarter pickup on the options marked with transfer, plus Halong city and Tuan Chau island pickups | not stated |
| Balcony Suite Overnight Cruise | Round-trip from the Old Quarter by shuttle bus or limousine, a Ninh Binh limousine is also sold | $30 shuttle or $35 limousine per person, $20 to or from Ninh Binh |
| 2-Day Lan Ha Balcony Cruise | 8:00 AM pickup in the Old Quarter or 7:00 AM in Ninh Binh | $25 per person round trip |
| 2-Day Junior Suite Cruise | Transportation not included in any option, shared round-trip transfer sold | $25 per person |
| Infinity Pool Overnight Cruise | Round-trip shuttle bus from the Old Quarter, pickup in Hanoi or Ninh Binh | $25 per person |
| 3-Day Lan Ha Bay Cruise | Old Quarter pickup 8:00 to 8:30 AM with the transfer, Ninh Binh pickup by email request | $25 per person |
Pickup Times and Meeting Points
Day cruises that collect guests from Hanoi pick up in the Old Quarter, mostly between 6:30 and 8:30 AM. The earliest stated window is 6:30 to 7:00 AM for the Taliya cruise, and the latest is 8:20 to 8:30 AM at the Embassy hotel for the Deluxe Day Cruise. Guests who stay outside the Old Quarter usually meet a fixed point instead, such as the Hanoi Opera House before 7:30 AM or a named hotel on Tran Quang Khai Street.
The overnight cruises run on a similar pattern. The Bhaya Classic shuttle leaves the Hanoi centre around 8:30 to 9:00 AM, and the Oriental Sails shuttle picks up about 30 to 60 minutes before departure, with the exact time given on reconfirmation. If you already plan to sleep in Ha Long city or on Tuan Chau island, the Overnight Cruise with a choice of bay sells pickups at both places. Check the meeting point on your own booking before you travel, because several listings sell a marina-meeting version without any bus at all.
Bai Chay Bridge spanning the strait in Ha Long city. Photo: Saaremees, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Is the Drive Worth It for a Day
The road between Hanoi and the harbours is 150 to 170 km each way, so the transport math decides whether a day trip makes sense.
The Day Trip Arithmetic
A Hanoi day trip to the bay means roughly five hours or more in the vehicle, because the bus or van covers 150 to 170 km in each direction and the drive takes 2 to 2.5 hours by car or limousine on the expressways, or 2.5 to 3.5 hours by bus. The 12 to 13 hour Serenity Lan Ha Bay Day Cruise shows how long the full round trip can run. The road time is real, but the day cruises do remove all the planning: the cruises with transfers included, plus the $39 Day Cruise with Kayaking with its $10 transfer option, put the whole trip in one booking.
The overnight format changes the equation. A 2-day 1-night cruise such as the Bhaya Classic Overnight Cruise at $120 makes the same drive pay for a night on the bay. You still spend the same hours in the vehicle, but they buy far more time on the bay. If the drive itself is your worry, the cruise transfers listed above hand it to the operator.
Starting Somewhere Other Than Hanoi
Hanoi is not the only pickup base. Several overnight listings sell transfers from Ninh Binh as well: the Balcony Suite cruise quotes $20 per person for a limousine to or from Ninh Binh, the 2-Day Lan Ha Balcony Cruise picks up in Ninh Binh at 7:00 AM, and the 3-Day Lan Ha Bay Cruise takes Ninh Binh pickup by email request. Cruises on the quieter Bai Tu Long side typically leave from Hon Gai, about 165 km from Hanoi, so the drive is much the same.
For Cat Ba and Lan Ha, see the Cat Ba Island guide, since ferries and the Hai Phong side change the picture.
Getting There Tips
Do
- Do check which harbour your boat uses before booking transport, because Tuan Chau Port 1 serves day cruises, Port 2 serves overnight cruises and they sit on Tuan Chau Island
- Do allow 2.5 to 3.5 hours for the bus and 2 to 2.5 hours for a car or limousine, because the 150 to 170 km distance varies with the route and the traffic
- Do compare the transfer add-on with the do-it-yourself bus fare, since local buses from My Dinh or Gia Lam run from VND 117,500 while cruise transfers cost $10 to $35 per person
- Do book a day cruise with the transfer included if you want one booking for the whole trip, as the $40 Deluxe Day Cruise puts the shuttle and the entrance fees in one price
- Do consider an overnight cruise so the same 130 to 170 km drive delivers two days on the water instead of one
Don't
- Don't expect a train, because there is no direct passenger train from Hanoi to Ha Long and the high-speed rail line is not due to operate until 2028
- Don't take a scooter onto the expressway, because motorbikes are not allowed and must use the old QL18 road, a 4 to 5 hour trip
- Don't fly into Hanoi for the bay alone without comparing Van Don airport, which is only about 50 km from Ha Long and about 40 minutes to an hour by road
- Don't assume the bus drops you at the pier, because most buses stop at Bai Chay station and a Grab from there to Tuan Chau port costs 80,000 to 120,000 VND
Hanoi to Ha Long Bay FAQ
What is the best way to get from Hanoi to Ha Long Bay?
For most visitors the simplest route is a limousine van or an expressway bus, which cover the 150 to 170 km in 2 to 3.5 hours. The even simpler option is a day cruise with the transfer built in, such as the $40 Deluxe Day Cruise from Hanoi, where the shuttle bus and entrance fees are both in the ticket.
Can Ha Long Bay be a day trip from Hanoi?
Yes, and it is a long one. The road runs 150 to 170 km each way, so a day trip means roughly five hours or more in the vehicle around the cruise. The Day Cruise with Kayaking is one of the listings built exactly for this, with Old Quarter pickup from 7:20 to 8:20 AM.
How much is a Grab from Hanoi to Ha Long Bay?
No reliable Grab fare for the full Hanoi to Ha Long route is available. What the guides do quote is a private car at VND 1,200,000 to 1,900,000 one way, and a Grab of 80,000 to 120,000 VND for the short hop from Bai Chay station to Tuan Chau port after the bus. The Bai Tu Long Bay guide covers the Hon Gai side, about 165 km out.
Is there a train from Hanoi to Ha Long Bay?
No. There is no direct passenger train from Hanoi to Ha Long. A high-speed line of 120.2 km from Co Loa to a Ha Long station in Tuan Chau ward broke ground and is due to operate in 2028, cutting the journey to about 23 minutes, but until then the road is the only land option.
Which airport should I use for Ha Long Bay?
Ha Long city has no commercial airport. The nearest is Van Don, about 50 km away and about 40 minutes by road, followed by Cat Bi in Hai Phong at about 70 km, with Noi Bai in Hanoi about 160 to 165 km out.
Where do the Hanoi to Ha Long Bay buses leave from?
Buses leave from My Dinh station roughly every 30 to 45 minutes, and local buses also run from My Dinh or Gia Lam for VND 117,500 to 250,000. Most services stop at Bai Chay station, though some drop at Tuan Chau port or the Seafood Market, and the full trip takes 2.5 to 4.5 hours.