Cat Ba to Ha Long Bay: Ferries, Buses and 2026 Prices
Cat Ba and Ha Long are close enough to see each other on a clear day, and the crossing takes one to three hours depending on how you do it. A bus ticket runs $9 to $23, the Tuan Chau ferry is 80,000₫ on foot. The thing that catches people out is the timetable: from 6 September the ferry drops from five sailings a day to three.
The short answer
Two ways across. Either you take a through bus ticket, which is a minivan or coach with the crossing already included and a hotel drop at the far end, or you make your own way to Tuan Chau and take the ferry to Gia Luan on the north of Cat Ba, then a road transfer down to Cat Ba Town.
The bus is easier and barely more expensive. The ferry is better if you have your own motorbike, if you are chasing the view, or if you happen to already be staying near Tuan Chau.
What it costs in 2026
Published fares, checked September 2026.
| Option | Price | Time | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Through bus ticket | $9 to $23, most sit at $11 to $14 | 1 hour 40 minutes to 3 hours | Includes the crossing and hotel pickup. Around 85% of travellers take this |
| Tuan Chau to Gia Luan ferry, on foot | 80,000₫ per person | About 45 minutes on the water | You still need to get to Tuan Chau and down from Gia Luan |
| Hydrofoil | About $7.50 | Faster crossing | Fewer sailings, worth checking the day before |
| High-speed canoe | $12 to $15 | Quickest | Small boats, cancelled first in bad weather |
| Motorbike on the ferry | 100,000₫ for the bike plus your ticket | Same 45 minutes | The reason most riders use this route |
| Car, up to 9 seats | Around $19 for the vehicle | Same crossing | Drive on, stay in the car, drive off |
The Tuan Chau ferry timetable
This is the part worth writing down. The service runs on two seasonal timetables and the winter one is thin.
| Season | Sailings from Tuan Chau |
|---|---|
| Summer, 25 April to 5 September | 07:30, 09:00, 11:30, 13:30, 15:00 |
| Winter, 6 September to 24 April | 07:30 or 08:00, 11:30, 15:00 |
From 6 September there are three sailings a day, not five, and the last one is at 15:00. Miss it and there is no evening backup on this route. If you are travelling in the winter half of the year, build your day around the boat rather than expecting the boat to fit around your day.
The direct bus
Several operators run a through service, with pickups on the Ha Long side at the Sun World area from around 07:00, 11:00 and 14:00, and near Vincom at 07:40 and 12:45. Departures across all operators spread from about 07:20 through to 20:00, so there is more choice here than on the ferry.
The cheaper minivan services do the run in two and a half hours or less because they use the shorter crossing and do not stop. The larger air-conditioned coaches take closer to three hours but are more comfortable and more reliable in poor weather.
Which one to pick
Take the bus. On a route this short the through ticket removes three separate decisions, costs a few dollars more than assembling it yourself, and drops you at your hotel rather than at a pier 25 km from town.
Take the ferry instead if you are riding a motorbike, if you have a car, or if you specifically want the 45 minutes on deck through the karst, which is a genuinely good stretch of water and a lot cheaper than a cruise ticket for the same scenery.
Gia Luan is not Cat Ba Town
The ferry lands at Gia Luan on the northern tip of the island. Cat Ba Town, where almost all the hotels are, is about 25 km south down a winding road through the national park. There are buses and taxis meeting the boat, but they are the last piece of the puzzle and they are not free.
Budget another 40 minutes and a small fare for that leg, and do not arrive on the last winter sailing assuming you will sort it out on the spot.
Doing it as a day trip
People ask about seeing Ha Long as a day trip from Cat Ba, and it is possible on the summer timetable, tight on the winter one. Honestly though, the water you would cross to get there is the same bay system you are already sitting in, and Lan Ha is the quieter half of it. If the goal is the scenery rather than ticking off a name, a boat day out of Cat Ba gets you more of it with less of the road.
Crossing to or from Ha Long?
Tell us which side you are starting from, your date and whether you have a motorbike with you. We will tell you straight whether the bus or the ferry suits you better, and book it either way.
Related Reading
- Cat Ba Transfers: Every Route In and Out, With 2026 Prices
- Cat Ba vs Ha Long Bay: Which Should You Choose?
- Lan Ha Bay: The Quieter Gem Next to Ha Long
- Getting Around Cat Ba: Ferries, Cable Car and Island Transport
- Cat Ba Prices 2026: Entrance Fees, Ferries and What a Day Really Costs
Common questions
Either a through bus ticket with the crossing included, which is what most people take, or the ferry from Tuan Chau to Gia Luan followed by a 25 km road transfer down to Cat Ba Town.
80,000₫ per foot passenger and 100,000₫ for a motorbike on top of your own ticket. A car of up to nine seats is around $19 for the vehicle. The crossing takes about 45 minutes.
15:00 on both timetables. Between 25 April and 5 September there are five sailings a day. From 6 September to 24 April there are only three, so the margin for a missed connection disappears.
One hour 40 minutes to three hours depending on the operator and the crossing they use. Minivan services are quicker, larger coaches are steadier in bad weather.
Yes, on the Tuan Chau to Gia Luan ferry, which is why most riders use that route. The bike costs 100,000₫ and travels on the same sailing as you.
Want to actually do Cat Ba, not just pass through?