How to Get from Ha Long Bay to Lan Ha Bay

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Last updated: July 31, 2026

Quick Summary: There are three ways to get from Ha Long Bay to Lan Ha Bay — an all-in-one guided day tour, the public ferry if you're already nearby, or a private speedboat charter for the fastest crossing.

There are three ways to reach Lan Ha Bay from Ha Long Bay. Book an all-in-one guided day tour from Hanoi, or take the public ferry independently if you're already nearby. A private speedboat charter is also available for the fastest crossing.

What are the ways to get from Ha Long Bay to Lan Ha Bay?

Travelers crossing from Ha Long Bay to Lan Ha Bay generally choose between three options, depending on budget, time, and travel style:

Guided day tour / combined cruise: the most convenient route - boats depart directly from Ha Long or Hanoi, covering the core waterways of both bays in one itinerary.
Public ferry (Tuan Chau to Gia Luan): the most budget-friendly route - the ferry carries passengers and vehicles from Tuan Chau Marina to Gia Luan Pier on Cat Ba Island, where you connect onward to Lan Ha Bay by road and local boat.
Private speedboat: the fastest route - boats can be chartered directly from Tuan Chau to cross into Lan Ha Bay in around 15-20 minutes.

Method	Travel time	Estimated cost	Best for
Guided day tour	Full day (6-8 hrs)	$35–$95 market range. Beka Travel Ha Long Bay to Lan Ha Bay Day Tour: $50 adult, $38 child	First-time visitors, families, hassle-free travel
Public ferry	45 minutes (ferry only)	About $3 (75,000 VND) per foot passenger	Backpackers, budget travelers, DIY itineraries
Private speedboat	15-20 minutes	$30-$60	Small groups, tight schedules, custom transfers

What does the Ha Long Bay to Lan Ha Bay day tour actually include?

Beka's Ha Long Bay to Lan Ha Bay day tour runs as a single planned day from Hanoi, with the boat portion crossing from Ha Long Bay into Lan Ha Bay around midday. The full schedule:

07:15-08:00 - Hotel pickup in Hanoi's Old Quarter or Opera House area, then a highway transfer with a short rest stop.

11:00-1:15 - Board the cruise at Tuan Chau Harbor and get a welcome drink.

11:15 onward - Buffet lunch on board while the cruise sails from Ha Long Bay into Lan Ha Bay, arriving at Cat Ba Island around 12:15.

12:45-14:00 - Visit Trung Trang Cave and Cat Ba National Park's museum by electric car, then return to the boat.

14:30 onward - Cruise deeper into the Tra Bau area of Lan Ha Bay for kayaking, swimming, and time on the sundeck.

18:00 - Arrive back at Tuan Chau Harbor for the transfer to Hanoi, reaching your hotel by around 21:00.

The boat leg itself, from Tuan Chau Harbor to Cat Ba Island, takes about an hour - the rest of the day is spent inside Lan Ha Bay rather than in transit.

How much does it cost to visit both bays in one day?

Beka's own Ha Long Bay to Lan Ha Bay day tour is priced at a fixed $50 per adult / $38 per child, all-inclusive - no separate entrance fees or transport costs to add on. Across the wider market, total cost to combine both bays in one day ranges more broadly depending on independence and comfort level:

Budget independent route ($15-$25 per person): Tuan Chau ferry ticket (~$3), local transport from Gia Luan to Ben Beo Pier (~$5-$8), plus Lan Ha Bay boat ticket (~$8-$12).
Mid-range guided day tour ($35-$65 per person): a day-cruise ship, seafood lunch, kayaking, entrance fees, and guide services departing from Ha Long - this is the tier Beka's own $50/$38 tour sits within.
Luxury / expressway package ($75-$110+ per person): limousine transfer from Hanoi, a luxury day cruise with jacuzzi or sundeck, premium buffet lunch, and a full activity itinerary.

Why are there two sets of bay tickets?

Ha Long Bay and Lan Ha Bay sit in two different provinces and charge two separate government fees. Ha Long Bay is Quang Ninh's, priced by numbered route. Lan Ha Bay and the other Cat Ba bays are Hai Phong's, priced by day visit or overnight stay. Cross between them and both apply.

The Ha Long side works on eight numbered itineraries, VHL1 through VHL8, each with its own price. The one that matters for this journey is VHL5, priced at 250,000 VND per adult for a day visit, because VHL5 is the route that legally ends at Gia Luan Pier on Cat Ba Island. It is the only Ha Long itinerary designed to finish on the Cat Ba side rather than loop back to Tuan Chau.

The Hai Phong side is simpler: 120,000 VND per adult for a day on the water, 60,000 VND per child, rising to 400,000 VND per adult if you sleep on the bay.

Neither fee is optional and neither replaces the other. A traveller crossing both bays independently pays both. On a booked tour they are usually folded into the price, which is the main reason the arithmetic of a DIY crossing rarely works out as cheaply as it looks on paper.

Is the Tuan Chau to Gia Luan ferry a good independent option?

The Tuan Chau to Gia Luan ferry works well if you are already staying on Cat Ba Island or in Ha Long City and only need the water crossing itself, without a full guided day built around it. It is the more budget-conscious route for independent travelers, but you are responsible for your own transport to the harbor on each end and for planning what to do once you arrive, since no guide, meals, or activities are included.

One logistics note worth planning around: the ferry lands at Gia Luan Pier on the north side of Cat Ba Island, not directly in Lan Ha Bay. From there it's roughly a 30-minute taxi or bus ride to Ben Beo Pier on the south side of the island, where local boats into Lan Ha Bay actually depart.

Beka Insight (updated July 2026): the public ferry costs 75,000 VND (about $3 USD) per foot passenger one way, or 120,000 VND return, not including a vehicle. The crossing only sails with at least 30 passengers on board, so a quiet winter departure can be cancelled. About half of travelers who inquire about Beka's combined day tour are already trying to work out how to see both bays in one trip, which is exactly what that tour is built to solve.

The crossing runs on two different timetables depending on the season:

Season	Tuan Chau to Gia Luan	Gia Luan to Tuan Chau
Summer, 25 April to 5 September	07:30 · 09:00 · 11:30 · 13:00 · 15:00	09:00 · 11:30 · 13:00 · 15:00 · 16:00
Winter, 6 September to 24 April	08:00 · 12:00 · 15:00	09:00 · 13:00 · 16:00

The crossing covers about 7.8 kilometres and takes roughly 50 minutes. Note the drop from five summer sailings to three in winter: the last useful departure in the winter months is 15:00, and missing it means an unplanned night in Ha Long City.

Two things to know before you build a day around the ferry.

The boat sails only when it has at least 30 passengers. Outside the summer peak that is not guaranteed, especially on the first and last departures, so the ferry is a reasonable plan when you have a spare afternoon and a poor one when you have a train to catch.

Ferry pricing is also no longer set by the city. Hai Phong withdrew the state price framework for these crossings in September 2025 and operators now set their own fares, so treat any published figure as a guide and confirm at the pier.

Which option should you choose?

Choose a guided day tour if: you want the highlights of both bays in one day, prefer seamless transport from Hanoi or Ha Long, and want kayaking and meals fully arranged - book the Beka Travel Ha Long Bay to Lan Ha Bay Day Tour, $50 adult and $38 child.
Choose the public ferry if: you're backpacking, on a tight budget, or using Ha Long Bay as a stepping stone to explore Cat Ba Island for a few days.
Choose a private speedboat if: you're traveling with a group, value privacy, or need a quick transit between a Ha Long cruise port and a Lan Ha resort.

If you are still weighing up what to do once you are on the water, our Lan Ha Bay travel guide covers the bay itself rather than the crossing.

Beka Travel holds 4.9 out of 5 from 1,140 reviews on TripAdvisor and won a Travelers' Choice award in 2026.

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Frequently asked questions

Can you visit Ha Long Bay and Lan Ha Bay on the same day?

Yes. The Ha Long Bay to Lan Ha Bay day tour covers both in a single day, departing Hanoi around 07:15-08:00 and returning by about 21:00.

How long is the boat transfer from Ha Long Bay to Cat Ba Island?

About one hour on the guided cruise route, sailing from Tuan Chau Harbor into Lan Ha Bay while lunch is served on board.

How far is Lan Ha Bay from Ha Long Bay?

Lan Ha Bay sits directly south of Ha Long Bay and the two share a geographic border. Actual crossing time depends on your transport choice - from around 15-20 minutes by private speedboat up to about an hour on a guided cruise.

Is Lan Ha Bay part of Ha Long Bay?

No, though they're often grouped together. Lan Ha Bay is administratively part of the Cat Ba Archipelago in Hai Phong, while Ha Long Bay sits under Quang Ninh Province, even though the two share the same limestone karst formations and connecting waters.

Do I need a separate ticket for Lan Ha Bay?

Yes, and it is worth knowing before you go. Lan Ha Bay and the other bays around Cat Ba carry their own sightseeing fee set by Hai Phong city: 120,000 VND per adult and 60,000 VND per child for a day visit, rising to 400,000 VND per adult if you stay a night on the water. If you book the Ha Long Bay to Lan Ha Bay day tour, admission to Trung Trang Cave and the Cat Ba National Park Museum is already included in the $50 adult / $38 child price.

What time does the Tuan Chau to Gia Luan ferry run?

It depends on the season. From 25 April to 5 September the ferry runs five sailings a day from Tuan Chau, the first at 07:30 and the last at 15:00. From 6 September to 24 April it drops to three, at 08:00, 12:00 and 15:00. Times can shift with demand, so confirm locally before you travel.

What happens if the weather stops the crossing?

Storm season in the Gulf of Tonkin runs June through September, and northern Vietnam sees one to two landfalling storms in an average year. Each one closes the ferry routes and stops boat trips for one to three days.

The closure is not an operator decision. The bay management board issues a stop order and it applies to every boat on the water that day, which is why nobody is sailing while we sit in port. When it happens you choose what comes next: a refund, a change of date, or an alternative route on land.

Ready to book the crossing? See the full Ha Long Bay to Lan Ha Bay day tour above for live departure dates and pricing, or browse Lan Ha Bay tours to compare it against Beka's other day tours and overnight cruises. If you are still deciding which bay suits your trip best, our Halong Bay vs Lan Ha Bay comparison guide breaks down crowds, cost, and scenery in more detail.

For the wider picture, see our Cat Ba Island travel guide covering what to do once you arrive. When you are ready to lock in the crossing, book direct with Beka Travel and skip the third-party markup.