How to get from Hanoi to Halong Bay

This article explains how to get from busy Hanoi to Halong Bay by bus and give you an overview of buses in Vietnam.

Why Halong Bay not Hanoi

Hanoi is one of the busiest capitals in the world as well as one of the most populated. One would say that it is not that bad. When you travel to Vietnam, usually by plane, you can't feel the busy city at the first moment because Nobai International Airport is situated 21 km from the city center. 

Staying in the city center for a day might be enough for some of you and therefore, you might like to escape the busy city to one place or another. 

Halong Bay is a good choice and I'm going to tell you why. Not only that Halong Bay is one of the destinations where the famous movie King Kong, watched by millions, was filmed, but also because the bay is absolutely stunning! So how to get there?

Hanoi to Halong Bay route

Traveling in Vietnam might be a little bit confusing because most of the people living in Vietnam can't speak English. This is one of the factors that will make your travels in Vietnam more inconvenient. Vietnam, still ranks among the undeveloped countries, doesn't have the best public transport system in the world but it can work fine to travel around.

The night buses are a very popular way to travel around Vietnam. However, this route is not long enough for the night bus. The distance from Hanoi to Halong Bay is approximately 180 km and the duration of your trip depends on the way you travel. Nevertheless, this trip shouldn't take you more than 4.5 hours.

There are few options on how to get from Hanoi to Halong Bay. You can take the bus or private limousine (passenger car). Let's try to cover both in this article!

Halong Bay by bus

As I already mentioned above, traveling by bus is one of the most popular ways to travel around Vietnam and the same applies to this route. 

You can take different buses to go to Halong Bay. Either the buses will be direct or not. I highly recommend taking the direct bus without any change as changing buses might be a little bit confusing. We will cover those buses as we don't want you to get lost.

Most of the buses from Hanoi go from Ha Noi My Dinh bus station. This is the latest built bus station and also the modern one. 

The bus schedule

The buses from My Dinh to Halong Bay run every 30 minutes from 7:00 - 17:00. The bus arrives at the main bus station in Ha Long called Ha Long Bai Chay.

How and where to buy bus tickets

The bus tickets are available to buy at the main building. Make sure that you will go directly to the main building because the drivers might like to follow you and convince you to buy the bus tickets from them. 

What is the price of the bus ticket

Buses in Vietnam are very cheap but quite comfortable. What is the price range? The bus tickets from Hanoi to Halong Bay usually cost around USD 3-5.

Pros

Local experience

Cheap

Cons

Confusing

Bus drivers don't speak English

Halong Bay by private bus (passenger car)

Traveling by private company is more convenient, of course. Why is it this way? The same distance will take you less time because you don't have to be picking up other passengers on the way and the cars are usually more luxurious than the regular buses. Some of them are also equipped with wifi. 

The timetables

There are many companies so it is hard to give you any schedule of cars. The schedule depends on the company you choose. However, they are usually more flexible. There is also not an exact point of departure because every company is different. You don’t have to worry, any company you choose will bring you to Ha Long city. From there, you can easily access any accommodation.

How and where to buy the ticket

You can find a few websites where to buy the tickets. Look up those if you are interested:

http://www.easybook.com/vi-vn

https://12go.asia/en/vietnam

What is the price of the ticket

This also varies depending on the company you choose for your trip to Halong Bay but the tickets are approximately USD 15 and shouldn't exceed USD 20. 

Pros

Comfortable

Fast

On-time

Cons

More expensive

Lan Ha Bay is upgraded Halong Bay

If you are thinking about going to Halong Bay because of the amazing bay, you might like to consider Lan Ha Bay. Lan Ha Bay is as stunning as Halong Bay but not full of tourists. This place has so much to offer from the floating villages to limestone mountains and lovely beaches!