How to go from Hanoi to Cat Ba island ? All means of transportation

 

What are the means of transportation to go from Hanoi to Cat Ba?

Several means of transportation are available to you to reach Cat Ba Island from Hanoi:

• The most comfortable and expensive: renting a private car;
• The most economical and clever choice: a private bus;
• The longest and complicated: the train;
• Through the itinerary of a cruise company.

Let’s explore these various possibilities in detail.

 

From Hanoi to Cat Ba by private car 

You have the option in Vietnam to easily rent vehicles, whether motorcycles or cars. We do not recommend renting motorcycles in big cities or for highway journeys, such as the case for traveling to Cat Ba Island from Hanoi. However, it is entirely possible to rent a private car and the services of a driver for this journey. It is prohibited for tourists in Vietnam to drive cars, so the services of a driver are mandatory.

Here is the price we offer for the round trip Hanoi – Cat Ba. As the car must return to Hanoi, an round trip is necessary.

 

Car type	Total price (en USD)
7 seats car	180
16 seats car	200

 

This price includes the rental of the vehicle and the services of the driver, highway tolls (round trip), and ferry tickets (round trip) to reach Cat Ba Island.

Expect about 2 hours and 30 minutes of travel to reach the Pha Got port. You will then need to take the ferry (30 minutes of wait time and a 20-minute crossing) to reach the town of Cat Ba (30 minutes). In total, you will arrive in the town of Cat Ba after approximately 4 hours of travel.

 

Deck of the ferry to go to Cat Ba. Photo: Mathieu Arnaudet

 

From Hanoi to Cat Ba by bus

In our opinion, this is the cleverest choice. There are indeed several bus companies that operate the Hanoi – Cat Ba Island route (and vice versa) multiple times a day.

The prices of the companies below include the bus journey AND the ferry ticket price to reach Cat Ba. In the high tourist season, from May to September, during the peak of the heat, the ferry may be crowded. In this case, the transport price includes the fast boat crossing. In this case, you will arrive by boat directly to the town of Cat Ba. If you take the ferry with the bus, you will continue by bus to the town of Cat Ba (allow about 30 minutes to travel from the North to the South of the town).

 

Compagny	Schedule	Duration	Price (USD)
Cat Ba Express	07h30 – 11h00 10h45 – 14h15 14h00 – 17h30	3h30	15
Good Morning Cat Ba	07h30 – 11h00 10h00 – 14h00 14h00 – 17h30	3h30	13
Daiichi Travel	08h00 – 12h00 10h30 – 14h00 12h30 – 16h30 14h30 – 18h30	4h 3h30 4h 4h	12

Parfum d’Automne collaborates daily with the Daiichi company, which has offices in Hanoi, Cat Ba, and Tam Coc. The buses are comfortable, spacious, and equipped with air conditioning, and most of the time, WIFI is available. In all buses, an English-speaking customer service representative is present to assist and provide information.

 

Bus from Daiichi company

 

From Hanoi to Cat Ba by train… and then boat

If you haven’t had the chance during your stay in Vietnam to take the “Reunification Train,” you can take it to get to Cat Ba Island. It won’t take you directly to the island, of course…

Indeed, you can take the train from Hanoi to the city of Hai Phong. The journey takes about 2.5 hours and costs 70,000 VND. Once in Hai Phong, you have two options:

Take the ferry from the Pha Binh port: 10 minutes by taxi and 45 minutes by boat to reach the town of Cat Ba (south of the island). The boat transport costs about 10 dollars per person.

 

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

 

Boat from Mekong Hoang Yen

 

Take the ferry from the Pha Got port: this is the port where buses take the ferry. If you are in Haiphong, we do not recommend choosing this option. You will need to take a new bus on Cat Ba Island to take you to the town of Cat Ba. It will also cost you more in taxi fare since the Dinh Vu port is located 25 km from the city of Hai Phong!

 

Book a tour !

This is undoubtedly the easiest solution: by booking a cruise in Lan Ha Bay from the Ben Beo port, you will be transported from Hanoi to Cat Ba Island, and this service is included in the reservation. It might be a bus from one of the companies mentioned above (as is the case with Parfum d’Automne) or the cruise company’s own bus.

We recommend staying an extra day on Cat Ba Island after your cruise to make the most of the activities on the island.

 

Our Four Seasons Junk 

 

How to access Cat Ba Island?

We have mentioned the various ways to access Cat Ba Island, but we will summarize them here:

 

Access to Cat Ba Island by ferry from Pha Got

This is how you will access Cat Ba Island if you take the bus from Hanoi on your own or if you book a cruise in Lan Ha Bay from the Ben Beo port in the south of the island. Using this route, you will arrive in the north of Cat Ba Island. You will then need to continue by bus to reach the town of Cat Ba located in the south of the island.

 

Itinerary on the map : 

 

Access to Cat Ba Island by speedboat from Pha Got

During the peak tourist season from May to September, the ferry is often crowded. Bus companies then collaborate with speedboats to transport their customers to Cat Ba Island. The boat goes directly to the town of Cat Ba. It won’t cost you more!

 

Speed boat from Pha Got to Cat Ba island. Photo: Mathieu Arnaudet

 

Access to Cat Ba Island by boat from Pha Binh (Haiphong)

For those taking the train from Hanoi to Haiphong or if you are already in Haiphong, we suggest going to the Pha Binh port, located 10km from the center of Haiphong. From there, you can take a boat from one of the companies mentioned earlier, which will take you to the town of Cat Ba. You can buy a ticket either at the port or at your hotel in Haiphong.

 

Here is the itinerary to get to the port from the center of Hai Phong:

 

An access by cable car

Vietnam has a penchant for cable cars, much like the French have a fondness for roundabouts. So, a cable car has been constructed, connecting the port of Pha Got to Cat Ba Island! As of the time this article is written – May 2023 – the cable car is not in operation.

You now have all the information to travel to Cat Ba Island from Hanoi!

Feel free to contact us to visit Cat Ba and Lan Ha bay