How to get from Hanoi to Cat Ba - The complete guide

How do you get from Hanoi to Cat Ba? Well, there are a few ways to make the trip, but for tourists, these two are the top picks:

• Route 1: Hanoi → Haiphong → Got Ferry (Cat Hai) → Cai Vieng Port → Cat Ba Town  
• Route 2: Hanoi → Tuan Chau Harbor (Halong Bay) → Gia Luan Port → Cat Ba Town Center

At A21 Tours, we're here to guide you through both routes, complete with transfer options, travel times, and prices, trusty bus company... so you can choose the one that fits your travel style best!

1. Route 1: Hanoi - Haiphong - Got ferry (Cat Hai) -  Cai Vieng port - The town of Cat Ba

This is the fastest way from Hanoi to Cat Ba in which might take you just 3 hours of transfer with expressway Hanoi to Hai Phong and also new bridge Dinh Vu launch on 2017. This Route contains 3 small tracks:

• From Hanoi to Got Ferry, which is located in Hai Phong (about 130 km)
• From the Got Ferry to Cai Vieng port, the West-port of Cat Ba island. (about 3.5 km)
• From Cai Vieng port to your hotel destination in Catba Island (about 10-30km depend your accommodation in Cat Ba island)

Track 1: From Hanoi to Got Ferry (Hai Phong)

From Hanoi, you can choose among many means of transportation for going to Hai Phong. If you want to go directly to Got Ferry, you can take a tourist Bus or a private Car for the most convenience.

Tourist Bus 

The tourist bus, which is customized for international travellers, are in total 3 trips/day. The bus is equipped with modern technology including air conditioner and wifi, your trip will be as comfortable as possible. 

The bus will pick you up at your hotel in Hanoi and directly transport you straight to Waiting Hall of Got ferry in Cat Ba town. The price is also quite reasonable at $10 for a one-way trip and $21 for a round trip. 

Bus to Cat Ba

Private car

You can choose which car you would like to use or when to go. Another advantage of a private car over other means of transport is that it gives you more privacy which you often have to give up when traveling in bus.

A private car is also ideal for a family trip or a group of friends as travelling in a small group often creates a feeling of coziness, which helps strengthen the bond between individuals.

Private car

Train 

The three possible stations are Hanoi, Gia Lam and Long Bien and Ha Noi station is situated in the city center so it will be the most convenient if your hotel is in the Old Quarter.

The departure time is fixed so it’s best to book in advance and be on time if you don’t want to miss the train. When get to Hai Phong, you can take a cab to get to the Got station. 

If you're seeking for a bit of adventure, you could rent a motorbike ride to the Got Ferry. Below are the summarise of all means of transport that could get  you  from Hanoi the Got Ferry:

Track 2: From the Got Ferry to Cai Vieng Port (Cat Ba island)

Once reach the Got Ferry, you will get on a ferry and depart to Cai Vieng port in Cat Ba island Cai Vieng.

If you travel by Tourist Bus or Private Car, the ferry fee is included in the ticket price, you just have to sit down and relax.

If you travel by train or motorbike, make sure you arrived at the Got Ferry 30 minutes before departure time to get your ticket, which is about $1 for each passenger. 

Motobike to Cat Ba

Track 3: From Cai Vieng Port to Cat Ba Center Town

When you arrived at the Cai Vieng Port, you are now on the land of Cat Ba island. For getting to the center town of Cat Ba island, you need to take the public bus. The detailed information on the public bus is:

• Bus Itinerary: Cai Vieng Port - Cat Ba Town
• Soonest bus departure at 05:10 AM; Last bus departure at 18:00 PM
• Departure Frequency: every 20 minutes
• Duration: 40 minutes
• Ticket Price: ~1 USD (15,000VND) per ticket

Once you are at the center of Cat Ba town, it would be very easy to get to your hotel for relaxation. If you travel by tourist bus, the bus would drop you of at the lobby of your hotel, so you don't have to worry about how to get to your hotel.

If you want to travel directly from Hanoi to your hotel in Cat Ba without having to switch your vehicles so often, you could try the Cat Ba Express tourist bus, which departs daily from Hanoi, the information of this bus is shown below:

1. Cat Ba Express Bus:
   • Price: One-way: USD 12, Round-way: USD 21
   • Departure Time:
     • From Hanoi: 08:00 AM, 11:00 AM, 14:00 PM.
     • From Cat Ba: 09:00 AM, 13:00 PM, 16:00 PM.
   • Check Availability: Cat Ba Express Bus

Route 2: Hanoi - Tuan Chau Habor (Halong Bay) - Gia Luan Port - Cat Ba Center Town

This Route contains 3 small tracks:

1. From Hanoi to the Tuan Chau Habour, which is located in Halong Bay. (about 170km)
2. From the Tuan Chau Habour to Gia Luan port, the North-port of Cat Ba island. (about 9km)
3. From Gia Luan port to your hotel destination in Catba Island. (about 18km)

Track 1: From Hanoi to Tuan Chau Habor

Getting from Hanoi to Tuan Chau Habor is basically getting from Hanoi to Halong Bay. Now, there are many transfer options for you to choose.

If you need a direct transfer from Hanoi to Tuan Chau Habor, you can take a limousine bus, which would take about 2,5 hours of driving time.

If you want to travel in a small group, private car transfer is a perfect fit. If you seek for adventurous, you can rent a motorbike and ride from Hanoi to the Tuan Chau Habor.

Also, from the Hanoi airport, you can either get to Tuan Chau by car or just take a seaplane and fly to the Tuan Chau Habor, which would take you about 45 minutes.

Seaplane in Cat Ba

Note: Please note that on this route, all means of transport would drop you off at the Tuan Chau Habor. From there, you  would get to the Cat Ba island by yourself

Check out our blog on How to get from Hanoi to Halong for more detail

Track 2: From Tuan Chau Habor to Gia Luan Port:

Once reach the Tuan Chau Habor, you will get on the ferry and depart to Gia Luan port in Cat Ba island. There are in total 5 daily ferries from Tuan Chau to Cat Ba and vice versa.

The ferry departs according to a fixed schedule, and the tickets often sold out quickly, so it’s important to show up at the Tuan Chau Habor 30 minutes before departure time to get your ticket.

The ferry tickets is price of $3/pax, if you travel by motorbike, you need to pay extra fee of 4 USD for the vehicle.

Cat Ba island

Ferry Departure Time

Ferry Departure Time From 16th Apr to 30th Sep

Ferry Departure Time  From 1st Oct to 15th Apr

Track 3: Gia Luan Port - Cat Ba Center Town

Arrived at Gia Luan Port, get off the ferry, you now land on Cat Ba island. From Gia Luan Port, if you don't use the tourist bus service, you'll need to take the public bus to the central town, where most of the island’s facilities are situated. Below are the bus information:

• Bus Itinerary: Gia Luan Port - Cat Ba National Park - Cat Ba Town
• Soonest bus departure at 06:50 AM; Last bus departure at 16:50 PM
• Departure Frequency: every 20 minutes
• Duration: 40 minutes
• Ticket Price: ~2 USD (30,000VND) per ticket

Arrived at the Center of Cat Ba Town, you can easily get to your hotel for relaxation.

Conclusion

To sum up, there are two ways for you to travel from Hanoi to Cat Ba. If you start from Hanoi, going to Cat Ba through the Got Ferry is more convenient. If you have stayed at Halong for a few days and want to get to Cat Ba, take the ferry at the Tuan Chau Habor and get to Gia Luan Port is the most adequate way.