itinerary

Cat Ba Island tours, or three days on your own

Cat Ba Island tours from Hanoi are mostly long day trips or cruise packages, but Cat Ba Island and Lan Ha Bay work well as three days on your own, with two nights in Cat Ba town. Day one is the bus and speedboat from Hanoi, 3 hours 15 minutes to 3 hours 30 minutes (approx.) as Cat Ba Express states. Day two is a Lan Ha Bay day boat. Day three is the national park or Cannon Fort, then back to Hanoi.

Costed as one figure, like the Cat Ba Island tours sold as packages: two nights in a Cat Ba town hotel plus one Lan Ha Bay day boat, with the bus and speedboat from Hanoi both ways, come to VND 1,950,000 per person, two sharing a room (about US$76, AUD 111 or GBP 57). No night is spent on a boat.

The ledger below lays out each day of a Cat Ba trip you plan yourself: how you travel, what you do, where you sleep, what you pay and what to book.

Written by Rainer Lang Updated 14 November 2026

Some links on this page are affiliate links: the guide earns a commission when you book through them. The partner sets the price; the guide adds no fee.

Limestone islands under towering cumulus cloud in Lan Ha Bay.

the plan

Three days on Cat Ba Island, row by row

Read down a column for one day, or across a row to see the whole trip at once: every way in and out, every night, every payment. Bus legs are underlined in dark ink, water legs in blue.

Day one

Hanoi to Cat Ba town

The way
Bus then speedboat on one ticket, 3 hours 15 minutes to 3 hours 30 minutes (approx.), as Cat Ba Express states

The day
Leave Hanoi on a morning departure; Cat Ba Express states four a day, the last in the early afternoon. Check in, then walk the harbor front in the evening.

The night
Night one in a Cat Ba town hotel

You pay
Bus and speedboat US$14, as listed on Viator; your half of the room

Book
Bus Hanoi to Cat Ba Island with Cat Ba Express or Hanoi: Transportation to/from Cat Ba
Day two

Lan Ha Bay by day boat

The way
Hotel pickup then day boat from a Cat Ba pier, back to town by evening

The day
The bay with lunch on board; stops as each listing names them, such as Cai Beo floating village or a beach swim. The bay day fee is VND 120,000 per adult per visit, named as included by all three boats.

The night
Night two in the same hotel

You pay
One day boat, US$28, US$32 or US$43.20 per person as listed; your half of the room

Book
Lan Ha Bay Full-Day Cruise and Kayak (small group), or the two other boats under day two below
Day three

Park or fort, then Hanoi

The way
Taxi or on foot in the morning, then speedboat and bus back to Hanoi

The day
Cat Ba National Park, about 9.2 km (5.7 mi) in a straight line from town. Or Cannon Fort on the hill, about 0.5 km (0.3 mi) in a straight line. Leave on an afternoon departure; ask the operator for the times from Cat Ba.

The night
No night: back in Hanoi

You pay
National park VND 160,000 / 80,000 per person per visit (adult / child 6 or over) if you go in; bus and speedboat back US$14

Book
The return seat with the same seller as day one

Three days, two nights, per person

VND 1,950,000

about US$76, AUD 111 or GBP 57

Two nights in a Cat Ba town hotel plus one Lan Ha Bay day boat, bus and speedboat from Hanoi both ways; per person, two sharing a room. The room is the cheaper of the two listed below, the boat the middle one by price. The park fee is not in it.

If the boats stay in port

Swap day two and day three. Spend the stopped day in the national park or at Cannon Fort, and take the boat on day three if it sails, with an afternoon bus back. If the bay is still closed, the land day is already done and the trip loses only the boat.

packaged or not

A Cat Ba Island tour from Hanoi, or the same days on your own

A Cat Ba Island tour from Hanoi sells you the bus, the boat and a guide as one product. The plan above buys the same pieces one by one and adds two nights on the island.

The day tour from Hanoi. Lan Ha Bay Full-Day Tour from Hanoi, Hai Phong: Serenity Cruises picks up in Hanoi's Old Quarter, Hai Phong city or Cat Ba town and sails from Beo pier on Cat Ba, for US$43.20 per person as listed on 14 November 2026. From Hanoi it is a very long day: the bus and the boat to the island alone take 3 hours 15 minutes to 3 hours 30 minutes (approx.) each way, as Cat Ba Express states for the same road. You see the bay, but not the island.

GetYourGuide lists a Hanoi day tour whose title names Halong Bay, Lan Ha Bay and Cat Ba Island, at US$49 per person, read on the same day; day boats do not cross between the two bays, so ask the seller which one you sail.

Lan Ha Bay seascape — Aerial view of turquoise water between forested limestone islands in Lan Ha Bay.Photo: Preparetavalise.com / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

The same days on your own. With two nights in town, the bus is spread over two days and the bay gets a whole day of its own. You pick the boat, the hotel and the third day yourself, and the total for two sharing is the VND 1,950,000 above.

A night on board instead. If sleeping on the water is the point, a one-night Lan Ha Bay cruise does the bay in an afternoon, an evening and a morning; the cruises of the Cat Ba side are compared on Lan Ha Bay cruises. A base and a cruise are set side by side on the Cat Ba Island page.

getting there

Day one: Hanoi to Cat Ba town

No road runs all the way to Cat Ba Island. Every way from Hanoi ends with a boat or a cable car, and the simplest is one ticket by bus and speedboat to Cat Ba town.

Hanoi to Cat Ba town by bus and speedboat, one way, per person: VND 360,000 (about US$14, AUD 20 or GBP 11), the Cat Ba Express ticket as listed on Viator. The company names four departures from Hanoi a day, from the early morning to the early afternoon. Take one of the first two and you have the afternoon in town. Good Morning Cat Ba sells the same trip with a speedboat or a cable car transfer and states a similar time.

Two sellers can be booked here. Bus Hanoi to Cat Ba Island with Cat Ba Express costs US$14 as listed, with a pickup point you choose when booking. Hanoi: Transportation to/from Cat Ba costs US$12 as listed and runs from your Old Quarter hotel to your Cat Ba hotel. Both list free cancellation up to a day before, read on 14 November 2026.

Other crossings. The car ferry from Dong Bai on Cat Hai island to Cai Vieng on Cat Ba Island is run by a joint venture with a fleet of 7 ferries; Cai Vieng is across the island from town, so the bus goes on by road. The Sun World cable car from Cat Hai to Phu Long spans 3,955 m, Sun Group states. Sun Group's timetable published on 9 September 2026 runs it every day except Tuesday, with 6 trips per day, the last ending in mid-afternoon.

Every way in, leg by leg with what can hold each one up, is on Hanoi to Cat Ba Island.

Cat Ba town harbour — Fishing and tour boats moored along the Cat Ba town waterfront at dusk.Photo: Christophe95 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

on the water

Day two: a Lan Ha Bay day boat

The day boats pick up at your hotel in Cat Ba town after breakfast and bring you back in the evening. These three sail Lan Ha Bay from Cat Ba; each card shows the bay as the itinerary sails it, what the price holds and the cancellation terms as listed.

Day
GetYourGuide, Cat Ba Local - Official

Lan Ha Bay Full-Day Cruise and Kayak (small group)

Sails: Lan Ha Bay. Route not stated in the listing. Pier: Cat Ba Island pickup.
- Day cruise, no night on board
- Bay fee in the price
- Starts with a pickup on Cat Ba Island; getting there from Hanoi is not in the price
- Kayak or bamboo boat listed
- Free cancellation up to 24 hours before start for a full refund (as listed)
from US$32 per person for the lowest option on the listing, as listed on 14 November 2026

All in from the pier: VND 820,000 (about US$32)

4.8 from 418 reviews

Check dates: Lan Ha Bay Full-Day Cruise and Kayak
Day
GetYourGuide, Halong Dolphin Travel

Cat Ba: Lan Ha & Halong Bay Full-Day Tour with Biking, Kayaking, Lunch

Sails: Halong Bay and Lan Ha Bay in the title, but day boats do not cross between them: ask the seller which bay you sail. Route not stated in the listing. Pier: Cat Ba Island.
- Day cruise, no night on board
- Bay fee in the price
- Starts with a pickup on Cat Ba Island; getting there from Hanoi is not in the price
- Kayak or bamboo boat listed
- Free cancellation up to 24 hours before start for a full refund (as listed)
from US$28 per person for the lowest option on the listing, as listed on 14 November 2026

All in from the pier: VND 720,000 (about US$28)

4.8 from 1,720 reviews

Check dates: Lan Ha & Halong Bay Full-Day Tour
Day
Viator, Serenity Cruises

Lan Ha Bay Full-Day Tour from Hanoi, Hai Phong: Serenity Cruises

Sails: Lan Ha Bay. Route not stated in the listing. Pier: Beo Pier, Cat Ba Island.
- Day cruise, no night on board
- Bay fee in the price
- Hanoi transfer in the price
- Kayak or bamboo boat listed
- Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience for a full refund (as listed)
from US$43.20 per person for the lowest option on the listing, as listed on 14 November 2026

All in from the pier: VND 1,110,000 (about US$43)

5.0 from 1,296 reviews

Check dates: Lan Ha Bay Full-Day Tour from Hanoi, Hai

The fee. Under Hai Phong Resolution 47/2025, the day sightseeing fee for the Cat Ba bays is VND 120,000 per adult per visit, set by the Hai Phong City People's Council from 1 January 2026. All three listings name entrance fees in what the price includes, so you do not pay it again at the pier. The resolution text is reproduced on Thu Vien Phap Luat, in Vietnamese.

Kayaking. All three name kayaks in their inclusions. Take that as the listing states it and ask the operator on the day whether the stop runs. Which boat to take: the first for a small group and a beach stop, the second if you want a bike ride on the island in the same day, the third for the furthest pier. The middle one by price goes into the total.

Kayaks or bamboo boats in Lan Ha Bay — Yellow sea kayaks tied up at a floating fishing platform below limestone cliffs off Cat Ba Island.Photo: Tuyencabr / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

From the Halong side, cruises that cross into Lan Ha Bay on the connecting itineraries opened on 20 April 2026 are overnight cruises only, the Ministry of Construction states, so a day on Lan Ha Bay starts on Cat Ba.

Cannon Fort view — View over the sea and islands from the hill at Cannon Fort above Cat Ba town.Photo: Jakub Hałun / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0

a land morning

Day three: the national park or Cannon Fort, then home

Keep the last morning on land and take an afternoon bus back. Two places sit close to town, and either fits before lunch.

Cat Ba National Park

The park's point on the map is about 9.2 km (5.7 mi) in a straight line from Cat Ba town, further by road, so take a taxi or a rented bike. The entry fee from 1 January 2026 is VND 160,000 / 80,000 per person per visit (adult / child 6 or over), under Hai Phong Resolution 47/2025. It is not in the total above. Wear shoes for a trail and carry water.

Cannon Fort

The fort sits on the hill over the harbor, about 0.5 km (0.3 mi) in a straight line from town, and the view takes in the sea and the islands. It is the shorter of the two mornings, so it suits a day with an earlier bus.

The way back. The same companies run the trip back to Hanoi. Their pages give the Hanoi departures, so ask the seller for the times from Cat Ba when you book, and book the return with the same ticket as the way out. On a Tuesday the cable car does not run, so a cable car ticket switches to another crossing.

where to sleep

Two nights in Cat Ba town

The hotels, the restaurants and the day-boat pickups are all in Cat Ba town, so the two nights belong there. Prices are per room per night as Booking.com listed them.

Family Home Cat Ba: US$16 per night for a superior double room with breakfast, free cancellation as listed, read on 14 November 2026. The total above uses this room.
Secret Garden Hostel: Wandernest Cat Ba: US$20 per night for a standard twin room with breakfast, free cancellation as listed, read on the same day.

Two nights for two people sharing one room comes to one night's price each, which is how the total counts it. A twin room suits friends; a double suits a couple. Staying near the harbor keeps the pickup short on day two. More areas, on Cat Ba and on the Halong side, are on where to stay.

the fallback

If a storm keeps the boats in port

Every part of this plan except the land morning crosses water: the speedboat in, the day boat and the speedboat out. From summer into autumn, storms can stop boats across the bays for a day or more, and on the Cat Ba bays the order to stay in port comes from the authorities, not from the boat.

The plan has one free swap: put the land morning on the stopped day and the boat on day three. If the bay stays closed, ask the boat's seller what it refunds; the cancellation line on each card above says what each partner states. If the speedboat back is stopped, the car ferry and the cable car are other crossings, and the seller of your ticket decides which one it uses. Storm odds by month are on the best time to visit Halong Bay, and what partners state about stopped trips is on storm cancellations.

change the plan

Shorter, longer, or with a night on board

The three days bend in both directions. Each version keeps the rule that a day count comes with its nights and where they are spent.

Two days, one night. Drop day three: bus in on an early departure, day boat on day two, bus back that evening if the last departure allows it. Ask the seller first; the night is in a Cat Ba town hotel.

Four days, three nights. Add a full land day for the national park and the island's beaches and villages; the things to do on the island are collected on Cat Ba things to do. All three nights are in town.

The green valley around Viet Hai village inside Cat Ba National Park, with limestone hills in cloud.Photo: Jakub Hałun / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0

With a night on board. Swap one hotel night for a one-night Lan Ha Bay cruise from the Cat Ba side: two days on the water, one night on board and one in town. The cruises are on Lan Ha Bay cruises, and what the island itself holds is on Cat Ba Island.

With Ninh Binh. Cat Ba and Ninh Binh both start from Hanoi, so the simplest join is through the capital. Plans that put Ninh Binh beside a cruise, with the road between them, are on Ninh Binh to Halong Bay.

before you go

Cat Ba Island tour questions

Do I need a tour for Cat Ba Island?

No. The bus and speedboat from Hanoi, a Cat Ba town hotel and a Lan Ha Bay day boat can all be booked separately, and the day boats pick up at your hotel. A Cat Ba Island tour from Hanoi saves the planning but squeezes the trip into one long day or a package; on your own, you choose the boat and keep a land day.

How long does it take to get from Hanoi to Cat Ba Island?

Cat Ba Express states 3 hours 15 minutes to 3 hours 30 minutes (approx.) for its bus and speedboat from Hanoi to Cat Ba town, with four departures a day from Hanoi. Good Morning Cat Ba states a similar time with a speedboat or a cable car transfer. The car ferry way ends at Cai Vieng, across the island, which adds a road leg to town.

How many days do I need on Cat Ba Island?

Three days and two nights gives you one day on the bay and one on land, with the bus on the first and last days. Two days and one night fits only the boat. Four days and three nights adds a second land day for the national park and the island's beaches; all the nights are in Cat Ba town.

How much do three days on Cat Ba Island cost?

Two nights in a Cat Ba town hotel plus one Lan Ha Bay day boat, with the bus and speedboat from Hanoi both ways, come to VND 1,950,000 per person, two sharing a room. The national park fee of VND 160,000 / 80,000 per person per visit (adult / child 6 or over) is extra if you go in, and so are meals off the boat.

Can I visit Lan Ha Bay without a cruise?

Yes. Day boats leave from the piers around Cat Ba town and pick you up at your hotel, so you see the bay in daylight and sleep on land. All three listed on this page name the bay fee as included. Cruises crossing from the Halong side are overnight only, the Ministry of Construction states.

Sources

Under Hai Phong Resolution 47/2025/NQ-HĐND (from 1 Jan 2026) the day sightseeing fee for the route on the bays of the Cat Ba Archipelago (Lan Ha Bay) is, per adult per visit, VND 120,000 per adult per visit. Hai Phong City People's Council, Resolution 47/2025/NQ-HĐND (10 Dec 2025), full text as reproduced by thuvienphapluat.vn, 10 December 2025.
Under Hai Phong Resolution 47/2025/NQ-HĐND the Cat Ba National Park entry fee from 1 Jan 2026 is (adult / child 6+) VND 160,000 / 80,000 per person per visit. Hai Phong City People's Council, Resolution 47/2025/NQ-HĐND (10 Dec 2025), full text as reproduced by thuvienphapluat.vn, 10 December 2025.
Booking.com lists Family Home Catba at US$16 per night, total US$17. Booking.com product page (as listed on the read date).
Booking.com lists SECRET GARDEN Hostel - WANDERNEST Cat Ba at US$20 per night. Booking.com product page (as listed on the read date).
GetYourGuide lists Cat Ba: Lan Ha, Ha Long Bay Full-Day Tour with biking, kayaking, lunch at From US$28 per person (adult x 1). GetYourGuide product page (as listed on the read date).
GetYourGuide lists Hanoi: Ha Long Bay to Lan Ha Bay - Cat Ba Island Day Tour at From US$49 per person (adult x 1). GetYourGuide product page (as listed on the read date).
GetYourGuide lists Hanoi: Transportation to/from Cat Ba at From US$12 per person (adult x 1). GetYourGuide product page (as listed on the read date).
GetYourGuide lists Lan Ha Bay Full-Day Cruise and Kayak (small group guaranteed) at From US$32 per person (adult x 1). GetYourGuide product page (as listed on the read date).
Viator lists Bus Hanoi to Cat Ba Island with Cat Ba Express at From US$14 per person. Viator product page (as listed on the read date).
Viator lists Lan Ha Bay full-day tour from Hanoi, Hai Phong - Serenity Cruises at From US$48, US$43.20 shown per person. Viator product page (as listed on the read date).
Viator lists Bus Hanoi to Cat Ba Island with Cat Ba Express with a stated duration of 3 hours 15 minutes to 3 hours 30 minutes (approx.). Viator product page (as listed on the read date).
The car and passenger ferry from Dong Bai (Cat Hai island) to Cai Vieng (Cat Ba Island) is run by a joint venture of Hai Phong Waterway Traffic Assurance JSC and Bayview Cat Ba Co. Ltd with a fleet of 7 ferries. Ministry of Construction news, 'Hải Phòng yêu cầu triển khai đồng bộ các giải pháp bảo đảm an toàn tuyến phà Đồng Bài - Cái Viềng', 07/04/2026 (from Báo Hải Phòng), 7 April 2026.
Ha Long Bay to Lan Ha Bay connecting cruises (itineraries VHL3, VHL4, VHL5 and VHL6 to Lan Ha Bay) are all overnight cruises with no day tours, according to the Ministry of Construction, and started on 20 April 2026. Ministry of Construction news, 'Chính thức vận hành tàu chạy tuyến kết nối Vịnh Hạ Long - Vịnh Lan Hạ', 21/04/2026, 21 April 2026.
The Sun World Cat Ba cable car links Cat Hai island to Phu Long station on Cat Ba Island; Sun Group states the ride takes about 10 minutes over a line length of 3,955 m. Sun Group (Sun Paradise Land Cat Ba), 'Giờ vận hành cáp treo Sun World Cat Ba mới nhất 2026', 09/09/2026, 9 September 2026.
From 7 September 2026 Sun Group runs the Cat Hai to Phu Long cable car every day except Tuesday, with three morning and three afternoon trips, the last ending about 15:45; trips per operating day. Sun Group (Sun Paradise Land Cat Ba), 'Giờ vận hành cáp treo Sun World Cat Ba mới nhất 2026', 09/09/2026, 9 September 2026.
Headline costs. Added up from the listed prices, bay fees and fares each cost names; each part has its own source in this list
Distances in a straight line. Measured on the site from OpenStreetMap coordinates (great circle, 6,371 km earth radius). A straight line between two points, not a sailing or road distance. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).

Photographs

Lan Ha Bay seascape. Photo: Christophe95 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Lan Ha Bay seascape. Photo: Preparetavalise.com / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Lan Ha Bay seascape. Photo: Christophe95 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Cat Ba town harbour. Photo: Christophe95 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Lan Ha Bay seascape. Photo: Christophe95 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Kayaks or bamboo boats in Lan Ha Bay. Photo: Tuyencabr / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Cannon Fort view. Photo: Jakub Hałun / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
Cat Ba National Park forest or trail. Photo: Christophe95 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Lan Ha Bay seascape. Photo: Edgardo W. Olivera from Montevideo, Uruguay / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Cat Ba town harbour. Photo: Christophe95 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Viet Hai village. Photo: Jakub Hałun / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
Kayaks or bamboo boats in Lan Ha Bay. Photo: Tuyencabr / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0