Hai Phong to Cat Ba Island — 2026 Transport Guide

Last updated: 1 August 2026

Quick Summary: Hai Phong to Cat Ba is a short three-step hop: a land transfer to the coast, a sea crossing, then a road transfer into town. Allow 1.5 to 2 hours whether you start at Cat Bi Airport or in the city centre. Fares run from about 14,000 VND for a foot-passenger ferry seat up to $13 per person for a bundled bus and speedboat service.

Getting from Hai Phong to Cat Ba Island is a three-step journey: a land transfer to the coast, a sea crossing, then a short road transfer into Cat Ba town. Total travel time is roughly 1.5 to 2 hours. Costs run from about 14,000 VND for a foot-passenger ferry ticket up to around $13 per person for a bundled bus-and-speedboat service.

Hai Phong is the closest mainland city to the island and Cat Bi is the nearest airport, which makes this the shortest approach in northern Vietnam. We move guests along it most weeks, so the notes below come from working departures rather than from a timetable alone.

What are the three steps of the journey?

Cat Ba is an island with no bridge to the mainland, so every route through Hai Phong follows the same chain. A land transfer takes you out to the coast, a boat or cable car covers the last channel, then a road leg runs into Cat Ba town. Only step two really varies.

1. Land transfer - from Hai Phong city centre or Cat Bi Airport out to the coast at Dong Bai Pier.
2. Sea crossing - by car ferry, passenger speedboat, or the cable car from Cat Hai to Phu Long.
3. Island transfer - a short road leg from the landing point into Cat Ba town.

Where the options really differ is step two, so that is worth choosing deliberately. If you are not starting in Hai Phong at all, our guide to getting to Cat Ba Island sets out the same three steps from every other city.

Which option should you choose from Hai Phong?

Four packages work in practice. A bundled bus and speedboat ticket is simplest for foot passengers. A taxi straight to the pier suits late arrivals. The car ferry is the only choice if you are bringing a vehicle. The cable car trades speed for views and avoids the water entirely.

The car ferry runs 05:30 to 18:30 on ordinary days, extended to around 19:30 in the peak summer months. For the full sailing list and the fare table by vehicle class, see our Dong Bai to Cai Vieng ferry guide. The cable car runs a much shorter window and closes one day a week, which the Cat Ba cable car guide covers in full.

One point on ferry fares. Hai Phong withdrew the state price framework for this crossing on 11 September 2025, so the operator now sets its own prices. The figures above are the rates the main sources publish, not a legal tariff. Confirm at the ticket window before you queue.

Peak season tip: on summer weekends between May and August, the queue for the car ferry can stretch to one or two hours. If you are travelling on foot or by motorbike, skip the vehicle line and take the passenger speedboat instead. Tickets are sold at the pier window on arrival.

How do you get from Cat Bi Airport to Cat Ba?

Cat Bi International Airport in Hai Phong is the closest airport to Cat Ba Island, sitting roughly 28 km from Dong Bai Pier, considerably closer than Noi Bai in Hanoi. A taxi covers the distance in about half an hour, and there is no need to route through the city centre.

• Cat Bi Airport to Dong Bai Pier: a Grab or standard taxi costs around 250,000 VND and takes 30 to 35 minutes via the Tan Vu Bridge.
• Airport to a bundled bus pickup: one local operator collects Cat Bi arrivals from Nguyen Binh Khiem street, a short hop from the terminal.

Timing warning worth taking seriously: the final ferry of the day leaves Dong Bai Pier at 18:30, extended to around 19:30 in the peak summer months. If your flight lands at Cat Bi after 16:30, collect your bags straight away and take a direct taxi to the pier so you do not miss the last sea crossing.

Landing at Noi Bai in Hanoi instead changes the whole calculation, and our Hanoi to Cat Ba transport guide covers that side.

How do you get there from Hai Phong city centre or the train station?

Take a taxi or Grab straight to Dong Bai Pier, or pick up one of the scheduled tourist buses that leave from Ben Binh. The taxi runs roughly 300,000 to 400,000 VND depending on your pickup point, and the drive takes about forty minutes in normal traffic.

Hai Phong station sits in the middle of town, so the Hanoi train and the Cat Ba bus connect without much walking. The trade-off is the wait: the buses leave on a fixed schedule, and there is no departure late in the evening. A taxi costs more but leaves when you do.

What bus services run from Hai Phong to Cat Ba?

Several operators run the Hai Phong to Cat Ba route as a bundled bus-and-boat ticket, with morning and afternoon departures. Beka Travel sells the transfer at $13 per person one way, and two local companies leave from Ben Binh street at lower fares on the standard car ferry.

Beka Travel, $13 per person one way. The fare bundles the road transfer and the faster speedboat crossing rather than the car ferry, and drops you at Cat Ba town's central bus station, a short taxi or walk from most hotels. Departures run morning and afternoon. Confirm the exact time and the pickup point when you book, as there is no hotel or airport pickup inside Hai Phong.

Independent operators running the standard car ferry charge anywhere from about 15,000 VND for a no-frills seat up to 300,000 VND for a sleeper or private-cabin coach. Bundled tickets that include the faster speedboat crossing sit at the upper end of that range. You are paying for the time saved, not a nicer bus.

Book ahead: three to five days on weekdays, and at least two weeks during holiday periods, to get a seat at the lower fare.

What is the 2026 car restriction at Dong Bai?

Hai Phong's Department of Construction has stopped accepting cars and trucks on the outbound crossing between 09:00 and 13:00. The rule applies at weekends and runs through to 30 September 2026. Foot passengers and motorbikes are unaffected. Cross before nine, travel midweek, or leave the car on the mainland.

This is the single most useful thing on this page for anyone driving. We watch it catch self-drivers most Saturday mornings: a family reaches the terminal at half past ten and loses the rest of the morning waiting on the mainland side. The fix costs nothing.

Three ways around it, in order of how well they work:

• Cross before 09:00. The queue is shortest anyway, and you reach Cat Ba town before lunch.
• Take the cable car. It is the one option the restriction does not touch, though it opens at 09:00 and closes on Tuesdays.
• Leave the car in Hai Phong. Foot passengers and motorbikes cross normally, and taxis and electric carts wait on the island side.

How do you get back from Cat Ba to Hai Phong?

The same chain in reverse, and the timings are tighter than most people expect. Boats leave Cai Vieng for Dong Bai from 05:00 until 18:00 on ordinary days, half an hour earlier than the outbound last sailing. Book the return leg when you book the outbound one.

If you have a flight out of Cat Bi, work backwards from check-in rather than forwards from breakfast. Allow the road leg from Cat Ba town to Cai Vieng, the crossing, and the 30 to 35 minute drive to the airport, then add an hour of slack for the summer queue. Anyone leaving the island on a Sunday afternoon in August should add more than that.

Seasons change how busy every leg gets, and our guide to the best time to visit Cat Ba Island sets out which months fill the boats.

Frequently asked questions

Is Cat Bi the closest airport to Cat Ba Island?

Yes. Cat Bi International Airport is about 28 km from Dong Bai ferry terminal, making it much closer than Hanoi's Noi Bai Airport. It handles domestic flights from Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang and Nha Trang, plus a handful of regional international routes, so it is worth checking before you book into Hanoi.

How much is a taxi from Cat Bi Airport to Dong Bai Pier?

A direct taxi or Grab ride costs approximately 250,000 VND and takes around 30 to 35 minutes. The route runs over the Tan Vu bridge, so there is no queue on the road itself. Agree the fare or start the meter before you leave the terminal forecourt.

Which crossing from Hai Phong is fastest?

The passenger speedboat, at 8 to 10 minutes compared with 20 to 25 minutes on the car ferry. It also lets you bypass the vehicle queue on busy summer weekends. Tickets are sold at the pier window on arrival, so there is nothing to arrange in advance.

What is the last departure from Hai Phong to Cat Ba?

The final ferry leaves Dong Bai at 18:30 on ordinary days, extended to around 19:30 in the peak summer months. Scheduled buses from Ben Binh stop earlier, in the middle of the afternoon. If your flight lands after 16:30, take a taxi straight to the pier rather than into town.

Does Beka Travel pick up from Hai Phong hotels or Cat Bi Airport?

No. Beka Travel runs direct pickup from Hanoi, Ninh Binh, Ha Long and Cat Ba town, but not inside Hai Phong. On this route you make your own way to the departure point, which the team confirms when you book. The transfer itself costs $13 per person one way.

Booking the journey

Once you are on the island, our boats depart daily from Ben Beo Pier in Cat Ba town, running day cruises and multi-day trips into the lagoons, quieter beaches and kayaking spots of Lan Ha Bay. If you are booking the $13 transfer anyway, it is worth asking about a tour at the same time so both are held on the same dates.

Beka Travel holds 4.9 out of 5 from 1,140 reviews on TripAdvisor and won a Travelers' Choice award in 2026. Browse the Lan Ha Bay day tour, pick a bed from our where to stay in Cat Ba guide, or read the full Cat Ba Island travel guide before you go. Tell Beka Travel your arrival time and we will put the right leg in front of it.

[Check Availability]

Share: