—> Travelling on one's own might not be easy when one’s unfamiliar with their surroundings. Here are a few tips to travel from Hanoi to either Cat Ba Island or Halong Bay (depending on where your cruise departure takes place). This quick guide was conceived for you to be able to enjoy your trip at its fullest.
 

Case 1 : The cruise begins at Catba Island

Solution 1 : To rent a private car

From Hanoi to Cat Ba, renting a private car is the simplest.
- you can leave Hanoi at 6:30am to Hai Phong. Around 9am, a boat will take you to Cat Ba Island. Once there (around 10), you can visit Cat Ba central market, or get a foot massage  (2-3 USD/pers.) while waiting for the departure of your cruise at 12.
- you can leave Hanoi at 7:45am to Hai Phong. Crossing by boat around 10:30, arrival at Phu Long 15 minutes later. Once there, another driver will take you to a 50-minute ride along the coast until Ben Beo port.

Solution 2 : The bus “Good Morning Cat ba” (GMCB) (Bus/Boat/Minivan) or APT bus

 
Practical in terms of meeting points (the bus can fetch you in the old city).
 

Price	10-14 USD (can vary according to the touristic seasons)
Duration	3h30
Departures from Hanoi to Cat Ba	AM: 7:15 ; PM 2:00
Departures from Cat Ba to Hanoi	AM: 8:30 ; PM 15:30-16:00

GMCB doesn’t make many stops to fetch hordes of tourists, which shortens the trip by 1h30 in comparison to other companies’s buses. If you’re travelling from Cat Ba to Hanoi, the bus will drop you off at your place of residence. Please agree of the aforementioned's address during the tickets’ booking.
 
Once in Hai Phong, you will take a boat to Cai Vieng (the port situated in the West of Cat Ba), then a minivan will take you to Cat Ba. The ticket fees cover the whole trip.
      
On this map, you can see the halon bay, Hanoi, Hai phong and the catba island :


 

 

Solution 3 : The local bus Hoang Long (BUS/BOAT/BUS)

Generally used by locals, this bus is less practical than the aforementioned one. You will have to take a taxi to go to the bus station, roughly 10km away from the old city.
 

Price	170,000 - 250,000 VND (can vary according to the touristic seasons)
Duration	4h30 (Hanoi to Cat Ba Town)
Departures from Hanoi	Winter: AM: 7:20, 11:20 Summer: AM: 5:20
Departures from Cat Ba	Winter: AM: 9:15 ; PM: 1:15 Summer: AM: 09:15 ; PM: 1:15, 3:15

 
 
 







NB: The company will start its boat only if there are enough passengers on board.

The company’s local address:
Hoang Long Bus Co.
Bến xe Nước Ngầm
Km số 8, đường Giải Phóng, phường Hoàng Liệt, Hoàng Mai, Thành phố Hà Nội
Please make sure to step in the right bus! The Thanh Long Bus looks a lot like the Hoang Long Bus, which is the right one. Look out for the « Hoang Long » Logo, and don’t hesitate to show your tickets to the driver for reassurance.
 
Once in Hai Phong, another bus will take you to the port. A boat will then take you to Cai Vieng (the port situated in the West of Cat Ba). Finally, a last bus will take you to Cat Ba Town. The ticket fees cover the whole trip.
 

Case 2 :  The cruise begin at the Halong Bay

The easiest way to travel is to rent a private car from your hotel to Hon Gai Pier (roughly 3h30-4h drive).
You can also take a public bus at My Dinh bus station (bus Hanoi - Hon Gai), then take a taxi from Hon Gai bus station.
A third option is to take a bus « limousine », like the Hoang Phu bus. Price range is 9-11 USD, depending on the number of seats.