How to Get From Hanoi to Halong Bay

There are plenty of buses going to Halong Bay from Hanoi. And thanks to the Halong – Hai Phong Expressway, the road journey is around two hours faster than it used to be.

The journey takes 2h 30m - 4h 10m, depending on which bus you take. Fares start from $5.80 (152,000 VND).

Departure and arrival station

TBus and Grouptour depart from their own offices in Hanoi city centre, just a few minutes walk north of Hoan Kiem Lake. Meanwhile, Good Morning Cat Ba, Daiichi Travel and Sapa Dragon Express all offer free pick up in Hanoi’s Old Quarter.

Most buses drop passengers off at Tuan Chau Harbour, where you’ll find the ferries waiting to depart for their Halong Bay Cruise. Double check your booking though, because some buses go straight to their offices in Halong City centre.

Are you up for an adventure? Or maybe you’re already planning to rent your own motorbike while travelling in Vietnam? If your answer is yes to one or both of those questions, then you’ll be happy to know that you can get to Halong Bay from Hanoi by motorbike.

Rates for a motorbike rental in Hanoi start from $10 (270,000 VND) per day and $55 (1,460,000 VND) per week. Note that these rates are for tourists, and only if you’re returning the motorbike in Hanoi. The rental fee goes up by at least $50 (1,320,000 VND) if you’re dropping off the motorbike in Halong Bay or any other city.

Pros and cons of travelling by motorbike

The advantage of taking a motorbike from Hanoi to Halong Bay is that you’ll get to enjoy the route at your own pace. You can depart from Hanoi any time you want and you’ll have a closer look at the beautiful landscapes along the way.

It’s also a great way to travel together with your adventurous buddies. We recommend doing this route in a group just in case you get lost or — hopefully not — your motorbike breaks down along the way.

But there are disadvantages too. Riding a motorbike for 3.5-4 hours can be tiring, even stressful and dangerous if you’re not used to the organised chaos that is Vietnam’s traffic. If you’re not confident enough with your motorbike riding skills, we recommend taking a bus, limovan or taxi instead.

Where to rent a motorbike in Hanoi

Some of the more highly-rated motorbike rental shops in Hanoi include AZ Motorbikes, Phung Motorbike, and Gia Hung Motorbike Rental.

It’s best to rent from a reputable shop or ask your hotel for recommendations. These shops may offer slightly higher rental prices compared to others, but you can also expect better motorbike quality.

Motorbike route from Hanoi to Halong Bay

Before anything else, we highly recommend that you travel with stable mobile data when riding a motorbike in Vietnam. This not only gives you access to Waze or Google Maps, but it also allows you to call for help in case of any emergency.

But even with a mobile guide to tell you the way, you should still know your route beforehand. There are two routes you can take when riding a motorbike to Halong Bay from Hanoi: via Bac Ninh and via Hai Duong.

• Route 1: Hanoi – Bac Ninh – Halong Bay (155 km)The route via Bach Ninh is the shorter one and often the fastest. From Hanoi, find your way to 1A Highway. Take the exit to Noi Bai – Halong/QL18 and follow the road until you reach Halong City. Then take the road to Tuan Chau Harbour.
• Route 2: Hanoi – Hai Duong – Halong Bay (170 km)The Hai Duong route is a bit longer but also easier because you will take the highway. Get on DCT Hanoi – Bac Giang. Continue to follow the toll road on QL5. Follow QL17 to DCT Noi Bai – Halong/QL18 until you reach Halong City. Then take the road to Tuan Chau Harbour.

Limo vans are a more comfortable land transport for the Hanoi to Halong Bay route. They are generally more spacious and luxurious than buses, and only a bit more expensive.

Some of the shuttle van companies operating on this route are Ninh Binh Excursion, Hoang Phu Limousine, Cua Ong Limousine, Phuc Xuyen, Trung Thanh Limousine, Halong Travel Limousine, Green Lion Bus, TBus and Duy Khanh Limousine.

There used to be a direct train operating once daily from Hanoi's Yen Vien Station to Halong Bay. It was an old train and was not the most comfortable way to go around. The journey took 7 hours and the train only had hard seats.

Still, the direct train was a great way to travel like a local. Also, it was very cheap with ticket prices at only $3.40 (90,000 VND). Since the pandemic hit, however, the direct train from Hanoi to Halong Bay is no longer in service.

If you really want to travel by train, you can instead take one from Hanoi to Hai Phong. From here, you can then take a taxi the rest of the way to Halong Bay. Do note that this option is more expensive at around $35 (920,000 VND), and it doesn't really offer any advantage over taking a direct bus or limo van.

If you don’t want the hassle of finding your own way to Halong Bay from Hanoi, you can also join one of many group tours being offered for this route.

Organized tours departing from Hanoi are often cheaper than tours sold by agencies in Halong Bay and another advantage is that you don’t need to organise your transport to get there.

We recommend booking your boat tour online to get the best prices and be certain that you book with a trusted company. We’ve spoken with many travellers who booked boat trips from a random agency on the street and were very disappointed by the service and conditions of their boat.

You can check out our recommended group tours from Hanoi to Halong Bay below or visit Klook and search for Halong Bay Tours for more choices.

Prefer a direct transfer? Taking a taxi to Halong Bay from Hanoi isn’t too expensive when you’re travelling in a group. This is also a good choice if you’re going straight from Noi Bai International Airport to Halong Bay.

Rates for a 5-seater car start from $72 (1,880,000 VND). If you’re in a group of 5, that’s just $16 (410,000 VND) per person.

We recommend booking your taxi via BookAway, which offers excellent customer service as well as comfortable cars with trusted drivers.

If you want to admire the iconic limestone islands from above, you can also take a seaplane as transport from Hanoi to Halong Bay. This will give you a bird’s eye view of its stunning karst landscape.

Hai Au Aviation offers one daily seaplane trip with fares from $370 (9,700,000 VND).

There are tentative departures every day at 9:20 and 10:00 in the morning, as long as there are at least four passengers joining the flight. If not, your trip may be moved to another date. Flight time is around 1 hour.

The seaplane departs from Terminal 1 of Hanoi Airport. It arrives at the Tuan Chau Marina (southwest of Bai Chay Beach), the starting point of most Halong Bay cruises.

You can book this adventure through the Hai Au Aviation website.

Another picturesque yet expensive option would be to take a helicopter from Hanoi to Halong Bay. Vietnam Helicopter Tours offers a flight every Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday. This departs at 09:00 in the morning.

The helicopter journey takes 45 minutes — including an 8-minute scenic tour of Halong Bay.

Helicopter fares from Hanoi to Halong Bay start from $440 (11,600,000 VND) per person. You can book your flight directly on the Vietnam Helicopter Tours website.

Helicopters depart from Gia Lam Airport, which you can find 7 km east of Hanoi’s Old Quarter. They arrive at Tuan Chau Island in Halong Bay.