Hanoi to Lan Ha Bay: the Road, the Time and the Bus

There are two ways from Hanoi to Lan Ha Bay. Most two-day cruises check in at Tuan Chau in Ha Long, about 148 km by road from Hoan Kiem Lake, and sail south into the bay; the cruise buses allow about two and a half to three hours. The small boats leave from Ben Beo pier on Cat Ba Island, about 152 km from Hoan Kiem Lake by road, including the short car ferry from Dong Bai to Cai Vieng. If you have only one day, a day trip that starts on Cat Ba keeps you in Lan Ha Bay the whole time: Tinny Travel’s Hanoi/Cat Ba: The most luxurious day cruise in Lan Ha Bay picks up in the Old Quarter at 7:00 to 7:30, from $53 in current promotion (usually $79) a person (checked November 2026).

The calendar above is that day: about three hours by bus each way (with a pickup in Cat Ba town instead, if you are staying there), the coast road from Cai Vieng to Ben Beo, then a boat past the Cai Beo floating village, lunch on board, an electric cart or bicycle through Viet Hai village, a swim, the boat’s slide and kayaks, and a sunset snack on the way back to the pier.

The two routes

Distances and free-flow times from a route planner on public road data (Hoan Kiem Lake to each pier), November 2026; bus times from the cruise listings.

There is no bridge to Cat Ba Island. The car ferry from Dong Bai on Cat Hai to Cai Vieng replaced the old Got to Cai Vieng ferry on 1 March 2024, and it stops with the boats when a storm closes the sea: in August 2026 it was held from 22 to 26 August for storm Narra. Tuan Chau and Cat Ba are about 22 km apart in a straight line, across the water where Ha Long Bay meets Lan Ha Bay; the ships from Tuan Chau make that crossing on board, with lunch.

The cruise buses

Most cruises sell a shared bus from Hanoi’s Old Quarter as an extra, and the price is in the listing:

• BAT Group's two-day cruise: US$25 a person for the round trip, pickup in the Old Quarter or Ninh Binh.
• Carnival's two-day cruise and three-day cruise: US$25 a person, round trip, from the Old Quarter, Ninh Binh or Hanoi airport on request.
• Marvel Travel's two-day cruise: limousine pickup in the Old Quarter at 8:00 (Ninh Binh at 7:00), US$25 a person for the round trip, about 2.5 hours to Tuan Chau with a 20-minute stop, back in Hanoi at about 15:00.
• Cat Ba Eco Tours: a bus from the Old Quarter at 7:20 to the harbour on Cat Ba, US$12 each way.

If you are coming from Ninh Binh rather than Hanoi, several of these cruises pick up there too, and some will drop you back in Hanoi; ask before you book.

See the cruise with the 8:00 Hanoi pickup

One day or a night?

A day trip from Hanoi spends about six hours on the road for about seven on the water. That works if your time in the north is short, but it is a long day, and a night on board gives you the bay at sunset and early morning without the bus either side.

There are also day cruises from Tuan Chau that sell Lan Ha stops, such as Taliya's day cruise, from $57 in current promotion (usually $84) (checked November 2026), with the Dark and Bright Cave by bamboo boat and kayaking at Ao Ech. Read them with one rule in mind: under the scheme Hai Phong and Quang Ninh signed in March 2026 for boats crossing between the two bays, the Ha Long Bay board describes the cross-bay routes as overnight cruises, with no day tours. Ask the operator which stops a day from Tuan Chau really makes. A day that starts on Cat Ba has no such question.

How many days on Lan Ha Bay weighs up the lengths, and which pier explains why most ships leave from Ha Long even when the bay you are paying for is Lan Ha.

Pick your way in

Prices, ratings and review counts from the listings (GetYourGuide checked November 2026). Operators price by date and season, so treat the figures as the shape of the market, not a quote.