Cat Ba Cable Car: Prices, Timetable and Whether It Beats the Ferry (2026)
The Cat Hai to Phu Long cable car costs 70,000₫ one way and crosses to Cat Ba Island in about nine minutes, hanging from the tallest cable car pylon in the world. It runs only between 08:30 and 15:45, it does not take motorbikes, and it lands you 20 km from Cat Ba Town. Here is when it is the right call and when the ferry still wins.
The short answer
Sun World runs a cable car across the channel between Cat Hai and Phu Long, on the northwestern corner of Cat Ba Island. It is 3,955 metres of cable, the crossing takes nine to fifteen minutes, and a one-way ticket is 70,000₫.
It is genuinely the nicest way to arrive on the island, and it is the fastest crossing available. It is also the least flexible: six or seven departures a day on a fixed schedule, no vehicles, and a last car at 15:45 that does not wait for anybody.
Prices in 2026
| Ticket | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| One way | 70,000₫ | Same price for adults, children and island residents |
| Return | 110,000₫ | Only worth it if you are coming back the same way, which most people are not |
| Children under 1 metre tall | Free | Measured at the gate, not by age |
| Bus from Hanoi plus cable car, combo | From 140,000₫ one way | Sold by the bus operators as a package |
| Sun World electric shuttle combo | 130,000₫ | Covers the buggy transfer at the station end |
| Full transfer from Hanoi with cable car | $13 to $19 | Cat Ba Du Ky around $14, Cat Ba Express around $16 |
The timetable, and the 15:45 rule
The cable car operates 08:30 to 15:45 daily, with departures on the half hour at the following times.
| Departure times | Direction |
|---|---|
| 08:30, 09:30, 10:30, 11:30, 13:30, 14:30 | Six runs across to the island |
| Same slots plus a 15:30 and a final 15:45 | Seven runs back to the mainland |
15:45 is the number that catches people out. If your bus leaves Hanoi after about 15:00 you will not make the last cable car, and the operator will move you onto a ferry instead, or you will wait. Book a morning departure if the cable car is the part you are looking forward to. There is also a long midday gap: nothing runs between 11:30 and 13:30.
What the ride is actually like
Two towers carry the line, and the taller one stands 214.8 metres, which Guinness recognises as the tallest cable car pylon in the world. From the cabin you get the channel underneath, the shipping traffic heading into Hai Phong on one side, and the first of the Cat Ba karsts rising out of the water on the other.
Nine minutes is short. That is the honest limit of it: this is a river crossing with a very good view rather than a sightseeing ride, and if you are picturing the long mountain cable cars at Ba Na or Fansipan, this is not that. What it is, is the only arrival on Cat Ba that starts your trip with the bay already in front of you rather than a car park.
Cable car or ferry?
| Cable car | Dong Bai ferry | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | 70,000₫ | About 12,000₫ on foot |
| Crossing time | 9 to 15 minutes | 30 minutes |
| Frequency | 6 or 7 a day, fixed times | Every 30 minutes |
| Operating hours | 08:30 to 15:45 | 05:30 to 18:30 |
| Motorbikes and cars | Not carried | Yes, about 2 USD for a bike, 8 USD for a car |
| In bad weather | Suspended in high wind | Runs unless the sea is genuinely rough |
| Lands you at | Phu Long, about 20 km from Cat Ba Town | Cai Vieng, about 15 km from Cat Ba Town |
Take the cable car if you are travelling light, arriving in the middle of the day, and want the arrival to be part of the trip. Take the ferry if you have a motorbike, if you are arriving late, if the weather is poor, or if you simply want the cheapest way over.
In July and August there is a third argument for the cable car: the ferry queues at peak weekends can eat an hour, and the cable car does not queue in the same way because it runs to a fixed schedule with fixed capacity.
Getting to the station, and getting away from the other end
The mainland station is on Cat Hai, reached from Hai Phong over the Tan Vu to Lach Huyen bridge. If you are coming from Hanoi on a through ticket this is handled for you. If you are making your own way, this leg is a road transfer of about two and a half hours from Hanoi.
At the island end, Phu Long is not Cat Ba Town. It is roughly 20 km down the island road, another 30 to 40 minutes by bus or taxi. Every through ticket includes that leg, but if you buy the cable car ticket on its own, budget for it and do not assume there will be a taxi waiting on a quiet afternoon.
Is it worth 70,000₫?
Yes, once. It costs a few dollars more than the ferry, saves twenty minutes, and gives you a view you would otherwise pay for on a tour. Where it stops being worth it is on the way home, when you are tired, when your departure time is fixed by a flight, and when the ferry runs six times more often. Most people we meet come in on the cable car and leave on the boat, and that is the right way round.
Not sure which crossing fits your day?
Tell us what time you are leaving Hanoi and where you are staying on the island. We will tell you straight whether you can make the last cable car or whether the ferry is the sensible choice, and book the whole transfer either way.
Related Reading
- Cat Ba Transfers: Every Route In and Out, With 2026 Prices
- Cat Ba Ferry Schedule: Every Crossing and Its Last Sailing
- How to Get from Hanoi to Cat Ba Island
- 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
70,000₫ one way and 110,000₫ return, the same price for adults and children. Children under one metre tall travel free. Prices checked September 2026.
Between 08:30 and 15:45 daily, with departures roughly on the half hour and a long gap between 11:30 and 13:30. The last car of the day is 15:45 and there is no later service.
Nine to fifteen minutes to cover 3,955 metres between Cat Hai and Phu Long. It is the fastest of the three ways across to the island.
No. The cable car carries foot passengers only. If you are riding to Cat Ba you need the Dong Bai to Cai Vieng ferry, where a bike costs about 2 USD, or the Tuan Chau ferry from the Ha Long side at 100,000₫.
It is faster, more scenic and a few dollars more. The ferry is cheaper, runs every 30 minutes from 05:30 to 18:30, carries vehicles and is more reliable in poor weather. Most travellers arrive by cable car and leave by ferry.
Want to actually do Cat Ba, not just pass through?