HOW TO GET TO CAT BA ISLAND

The best way is to take the private car/van from Hanoi to Cat Ba. There is a ferry but when you have a private car to this island. You could be able to discover Cat Ba National park and get around on the island by your own private car/van.

How to get to Cat Ba Island?

Cat Ba island is usually part of the itinerary of a Halong Bay cruise. Some Lan Ha Bay Cruises like Orchid Cruises, Azalea Cruise, Peony Cruise, La Regina Legend, Era Cruise, Ylang Cruise, Heritage Line Ginger Cruise, V’ Spirit Premier, Scarlet Pearl, Stellar of the Seas, and Perla Dawn include the island in their itinerary. Tourists typically stay overnight at Cat Ba en-route to Halong Bay.

Gia Luan Pier, where boats from Ha Long City and Tuan Chau dock, is on the northern coastline. From there you can go to the main town, where most of the islanders live and most of the accommodation, tourism services and dining options are located. Alternatively, you can buy a ticket from Luong Yen Bus Station. After a three-hour bus ride to Hai Phong City, you’ll spend another 30 minutes on a hydrofoil to Phu Long Pier. From there, it takes another hour for buses to arrive in Cat Ba Town.

From Hanoi to Cat Ba island (~124 km)

For a hassle-free journey, book a bus from Hanoi to Hai Phong. From Hai Phong, you can take a ferry to Cat Ba Island. This scenic route offers stunning views of Halong Bay.

The most comfortable way by 2 night cruise from Hai Phong to Lan Ha Bay. The Itinerary has day 2 to discover Viet Hai Village and Cat Ba Island.

The second best way is to take the private car/van from Hanoi to Cat Ba. There is a ferry but when you have a private car to this island. You could be able to discover Cat Ba National park and get around on the island by your own private car/van.

Or hopping on a Hanoi-Haiphong highway bus will get you from Hanoi to Cat Ba island in around 3-5 hours (4 hours on average). There are various operators, but try Cat Ba Express, Good Morning Cat Ba for reasonable price and good service.

Bus + speedboat

Starting from Hanoi to Got pier through Sea Bridge Tan Vu – Lach Huyen (*). Then speedboat to Phu Long pier where you meet another bus for transfer to the centre of the town)
* At the beginning of September 2017, in Hai Phong city, the longest bridge crossing the sea in Vietnam, but also in South East Asia, Tan Vu – Lach Huyen (Tân Vũ Lạch Huyện) was opened. The bridge begins in Hai Phong city on the highway leading from Hanoi ends up on Cat Hai island. The length of the bridge cross the sea is 5.4km. Cat Hai island is about 1.5km from the largest island in Halong Bay – Cat Ba island.

Bus + Cable car

Starting from Hanoi to Cable car station (*) at Cat Hai through Sea Bridge Tan Vu – Lach Huyen to Phu Long station where you meet another bus for transfer to the center of the town

*Cat Ba Cable car – the largest cable car in the world. This project is owned by Sun Group, connects 4km Cat Hai – Phu Long operation on 6/6/2020 with a capacity of 4500 passengers / hour. There are 60 cabins and maximum 30 passengers can accommodate in one cabin.

Operation hours: everyday, except Tuesdays
Morning: 9.00 – 11.30
Afternoon: 13.30 – 16.00 (weekdays) or 13.30 – 18.00 (Saturday, Sunday).
Ticket price: 150,000VND / person
Child policy: 100,000VND / child from 1m-1.4m; Free for child under 1m.

From Halong city to Cat Ba Island (~20 km)

Once in Halong, the best way to get to the island is to take a ferry. There is Tuan Chau ferry to Gia Luan harbour – Cat Ba island. From there it’s about a 40-minute drive to Cat Ba town. There’s a bus that costs around 30.000VND. There are taxis as well but be mindful about prices.

The daily ferry so easily as it is operated every 1 hour from 6.00 AM till 18.00 PM. It takes only 45- 50 minutes per ferry journey. In the high season it departs in every 30 minutes. However, please be aware that the ferry operation sometimes depends on the minimum number of passengers to start running.

From Hai Phong city to Cat Ba island (~40 km)

There are multiple ways to travel to Cat Ba island from Hai Phong:

Speedboat (Mekong Hoang Yen): from Ben Binh to Cat Ba pier (~45 minutes)
Bus (Good Morning Cat Ba): Tan Vu Lach Huyen Bridge to Cat Ba (1h40′)
Private Car/Van