Some of you don’t want to waste time and are considering traveling directly from Sapa to Cat Ba. In this article, we tell you everything you need to know to do it: which route, which means of transport, and what the cost is.
And, of course, as always… our best tips!
Get in touch with us to organize your stay on Cat Ba Island.
Means of transportation to get from Sapa to Cat Ba Island
You will have two options to make the journey from Sapa to Cat Ba Island:
- The fastest and cheapest option: a sleeper bus;
- The more comfortable but longer option: a combination of train and boat.
To be upfront: here at the agency, we always recommend taking your time. Night travel is not always safe in Vietnam (risky driving, poor road conditions, etc.). For our travelers, we always prefer to prioritize safety and comfort. The journey from Sapa to Cat Ba Island can be done in a single bus trip, but you should keep this risk in mind.
Women harvesting rice in the Sapa region, Vietnam. Photo credit: Mathieu Arnaudet
With this preamble out of the way, we can now go into detail about these means of transport.
Traveling from Sapa to Cat Ba Island by bus
Traveling from Sapa to Cat Ba Island by direct bus
The journey from the town of Sapa (Lao Cai Province) to Cat Ba Island by bus takes a little over 10 hours. If you don’t mind a long trip and comfort isn’t your top priority, you can give it a try!
Only two companies operate this route: Ket Doan and GroupTour. Unfortunately, both have a rather poor reputation, and we hope they can improve their services and conduct soon… Here are the departure times for Ket Doan:
| Company | Schedule | Duration | Price (USD) |
| Ket Doan | 08h – 18h3020h30 – 07h00 | 10h30 | 25 |
Here’s what Ket Doan’s buses look like from the outside.
If this direct trip from Sapa to Cat Ba Island appeals to you, we recommend choosing the daytime journey for safety reasons. Of course, you’ll save time with the night trip, but at the risk of a more stressful experience…
Traveling from Sapa to Cat Ba Island with a stop in Hanoi
It is also possible to book a combined ticket with two legs: the first from Sapa to Hanoi, and the second from Hanoi to Cat Ba Island.
For example, you could take an overnight sleeper bus with Queen Cafe Bus or Interline Bus to reach Hanoi. These buses depart from Sapa at 10:00 PM and arrive in Hanoi at 3:00 or 4:00 AM. The second leg, leaving at 7:00 AM, is a regular bus, and you will reach Cat Ba town by late morning.
At the cost of little sleep, you’ll only lose half a day to the bus!
| Combined | Schedule | Duration | Price (USD) |
| Queen CaféGood Morning Cat Ba | 22h – 03h07h30 – 11h30 | 13h30 | 25 |
| Interline BusCat Ba Express | 22h – 04h07h20 – 11h20 | 13h20 | 25 |
Here’s the interior of a sleeper bus traveling from Sapa to Hanoi.
Traveling from Sapa to Cat Ba Island by train and boat
An alternative to the bus, and certainly less risky, is to take the train from Lao Cai.
Here is the step-by-step itinerary for your journey from Sapa to Cat Ba Island:
# Step 1: From Sapa to the Lao Cai city train station (same-name province): you can arrange a bus transfer from your hotel in Sapa to the Lao Cai train station. The trip takes about 45 minutes and costs only 60,000 VND.
# Step 2: From Lao Cai to Hanoi by train. The train journey takes about 8 hours and costs 385,000 VND.
- The SP2 train departs at 8:55 PM and arrives in Hanoi at 4:32 AM;
- The SP4 train departs at 9:40 PM and arrives in Hanoi at 5:30 AM.
# Step 3: From Hanoi to Haiphong by train. The journey takes about 2.5 hours and costs 70,000 VND. Arriving at Hanoi station at dawn, you can catch the train to Haiphong departing at 6:00 AM. Sometimes the train from Lao Cai to Hanoi is delayed, and you might miss the Haiphong train. That’s why we recommend buying your Haiphong ticket only upon arrival at Hanoi station.
# Step 4: From Haiphong to Pha Binh Port by taxi. Boats to Cat Ba Island depart from Pha Binh Port. You can take a taxi from Haiphong station to this small port. The ride takes only 10 minutes and costs just 50,000 VND.
# Step 5: From Haiphong to Cat Ba Island by boat. Here are the boat companies you can take:
| Companies | Schedule |
| Cat Ba Island Resort and Spa | 9h – 13h – 16h |
| Mekong Hoang Yen | 7h – 9h30 – 11h30 – 13h30 – 15h |
| Hadeco | 7h – 8h – 10h – 13h – 15h – 16h |
Speedboat of the Mekong Hoang Yen company in Haiphong, Vietnam
The crossing lasts about 45 minutes and costs roughly 12 dollars.
As you can see, choosing the train is by far the longest option! You’ll have to go through several steps before finally reaching Cat Ba Island. In less than 24 hours, you’ll experience almost every type of transport available in Vietnam: bus, train, taxi, boat…
Whether by bus or train, the direct journey from Sapa to Cat Ba Island isn’t the easiest. We recommend taking a bus from Sapa in the early afternoon to arrive in Hanoi in the evening. The next day, you can travel from Hanoi to Cat Ba Island by bus and arrive around noon. This requires booking a night in a Hanoi hotel, but it will save you fatigue… and stress!
