How to go from Halong Bay to Cat Ba Island
Located in Northern Vietnam, Cat Ba Island is adjacent to Halong Bay World Heritage Site. This destination is a lot less touristy than the worldwide famous Halong Bay, making up its unique and serene beauty. For tourists who want to get the most out of the nature in Northern Vietnam, it is really convenient to go from Halong Bay to Cat Ba Island.
An overview of Cat Ba
Nestled on the edge of Vietnam’s magnificent Halong Bay, Cat Ba Island’s landscapes are rugged and spectacular with a wide range of natural ecosystems which are totally perfect for exploring by bike, motorbike or car; but most interestingly on Heritage Cruises.
Cat Ba Island is home to 6 communes with a population of about 13,500 inhabitants. This beautiful island encompasses two distinctive parts regarding Cat Ba Town with a concentration of tourism services and Cat Ba National Park featured by dense forests and its biodiversity.
The only way to go from Halong Bay to Cat Ba Island is travelling on sea. Here in Northern Vietnam, there are 03 options for sea transportations including ferry, hydrofoil and high-speed boat.
1. By ferry
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Departure: Tuan Chau Harbour – Ngọc Châu Ward, Tuần Châu District, Halong City, Quảng Ninh, Vietnam Arrival: Gia Luan Harbour – Road across Cát Bà, Gia Luận, Cát Hải, Hải Phòng |
Tuan Chau – Cat Ba ferry is often described as a journey to connect the two heritage sites, and it is also the most popular way to get to Cat Ba Island from Halong Bay.
This ferry has been operated by Tuan Chau Group since 2009. There are 5-7 ferries operating this Tuan Chau – Cat Ba sea route everyday. During peak season, this number might be adjusted. The earliest ferry departs at 7:30 at Tuan Chau Harbour and the latest one departs at 15:00. Each trip lasts for approximately 45 minutes.
After arriving at Gia Luan Harbour, you can catch a bus to the center of Cat Ba town.
1.1 Timetable
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30 April – 30 September
Departure time: 7:30 | 9:00 | 11:30 | 13:30 | 15:00
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1 October – 29 April
Departure time: 7:30 | 11:30 | 15:00
1.2 Price
- Passenger without vehicles: VND 60,000/ person/ turn
- Passenger with motorbike: VND 80,000/ person/ turn
2. By hydrofoil
From Halong Bay to Cat Ba Island, there are 2 ports for hydrofoil.
2.1 Tuan Chau Harbour (Halong) – Gia Luan Harbour (Cat Ba)
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Departure: Tuan Chau Harbour – Ngọc Châu Ward, Tuần Châu District, Halong City, Quảng Ninh, Vietnam Arrival: Gia Luan Harbour – Road across Cát Bà, Gia Luận, Cát Hải, Hải Phòng |
Tuan Chau Harbour is located in the South of Halong City. Besides ferry service, Tuan Chau Harbour also provides hydrofoil from Tuan Chau to Cat Ba. It only takes 20 minutes to get to Gia Luan Harbour (Cat Ba Island), and another 45 minutes to catch a bus to the Cat Ba Town center.
| Departure time | Time | Price |
| 07:15 | 20 minutes | VND 120.000 |
| 08:30 | 20 minutes | VND 120.000 |
| 10:30 | 20 minutes | VND 120.000 |
| 13:00 | 20 minutes | VND 120.000 |
| 14:30 | 20 minutes | VND 120.000 |
| 16:00 | 20 minutes | VND 120.000 |
2.2 Hon Gai Harbour (Halong) – Ben Beo Harbour (Cat Ba)
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Departure: Hon Gai Harbour – 6A Lê Thánh Tông, Hồng Gai, Thành phố Hạ Long, Quảng Ninh Arrival: Ben Beo Harbour – Cái Bèo, Cát Bà Town, Cát Hải, Hải Phòng |
Hon Gai Harbour is located in the North of Halong City. It takes 40 minutes to go from Hon Gai Harbour to Ben Beo Harbour by hydrofoil. After arriving, you can take a taxi or motorbike taxi to get to Cat Ba Town center – the distance is about 1.6 km.
| Departure time | Time | Price |
| 07:30 | 40 minutes | VND 150.000 |
| 10:30 | 40 minutes | VND 150.000 |
| 14:30 | 40 minutes | VND 150.000 |
3. By high-speed boat
High-speed boats are operated by Good Morning Cat Ba. They follow a fixed route: Hon Gai Harbour (Bai Chay) ⇒ Tuan Chau Harbour (Tuan Chau) ⇒ Gia Luan Harbour (Cat Ba) ⇒ Ben Beo (Cat Ba town).
Each passenger costs VND 180,000/ person. This fare applies to combined passengers with a maximum of 13 passengers/ boat.
