Booking choice: The Venezia 2-day cruise, from $125 per person. Check dates Tour details
Cat Ba is the island on the edge of Lan Ha Bay, and every Ben Beo day boat starts there. Getting onto it is the part that keeps changing. The car ferry moved in 2024, the cable car rewrote its timetable during 2026, and the 2026 summer timetable added 15 ferry sailings a day.
Times and fares below come from 2026 reports in Hai Phong News and from travel sites that ride these routes. Treat them as a guide and expect seasonal changes. Rather not stitch it together yourself? The Venezia 2-day cruise and both Beka trips offer a bus from Hanoi that runs all the way to Ben Beo.
The quick answer
Most travellers reach Cat Ba on a combined bus and boat ticket from Hanoi, 4 to 5.5 hours door to door. The car ferry now runs Dong Bai - Cai Vieng, about 20 minutes, every 20 to 45 minutes from about 5:00 to 18:30 (later in summer). From Ha Long, the Tuan Chau - Gia Luan ferry takes about an hour; from central Hai Phong, speedboats leave Ben Binh.
Can you still take the ferry from Got pier to Cat Ba?
No. Got pier closed to public ferries in March 2024, and the car ferry now leaves from Dong Bai, 3 to 5 km away on Cat Hai island.
The new Dong Bai ferry port opened on 1 March 2024 (Doanh nghiep Hoi nhap), and Got now handles only buses and tours (Local Vietnam, updated July 2026). Plenty of guides written before then, and a few since, still say Got. Follow the signs to Dong Bai. All five ways in, side by side:
| Route | Crossing | Fare (one way) | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dong Bai - Cai Vieng car ferry | About 20 min | On foot about VND 12,000 - 14,000; car under 9 seats about 194,000 | Buses, cars, motorbikes |
| Ben Binh (Hai Phong) - Cat Ba speedboat | 45 - 60 min | About VND 150,000 - 250,000 | Train or bus to Hai Phong city |
| Tuan Chau (Ha Long) - Gia Luan ferry | 45 - 60 min | On foot VND 60,000; car 300,000 | Coming from Ha Long |
| Cat Hai - Phu Long cable car | 10 - 15 min | VND 70,000 (April 2026) | Foot passengers, ferry queues |
| Hanoi - Cat Ba bus and boat ticket | 4 - 5.5 h in all | About VND 250,000 - 390,000 | One booking, no planning |
What are the Dong Bai - Cai Vieng ferry times and fares in 2026?
Sailings run from about 5:00 to 18:30, every 20 to 45 minutes, and to about 19:00 in the May to August peak. A foot passenger pays about VND 12,000 to 14,000 and a car under 9 seats about VND 194,000.
The operator, Bayview Cat Ba Co., Ltd, raised the daily count from 23 to 38 sailings for the peak from late April to the end of August 2026, putting ferries of 180 tonnes and more on the busy hours (Hai Phong News, 29 April 2026). Low season is thinner: Local Vietnam gives about 5:30 to 18:00, roughly every 30 minutes, stretching to 45 around midday.
Fares from Local Vietnam's July 2026 update, paid in cash: bicycle about VND 12,000, motorbike with rider about 44,000, buses 215,000 to 336,000 by size. Hai Phong's Decision 20/2026/QD-UBND has cut fares since 1 April 2026, but only for Cat Hai residents and local students.
On summer and holiday weekends the car queue is the problem. VnExpress has reported jams at the ferry from before dawn into the afternoon, and the cable car next door is the way around it. Cai Vieng sits on the island's north-west corner near Phu Long, about 17 km and 20 to 30 minutes from Cat Ba town.
How does the Ben Binh speedboat to Cat Ba work?
Speedboats leave Ben Binh in central Hai Phong and reach Cat Ba in 45 minutes to an hour, for about VND 150,000 to 250,000. Most sailings run in the summer season.
This is the one to pick if you come by train: Hanoi to Hai Phong takes about 2 h 25 to 2 h 52, and Ben Binh is in the city centre. Sun Paradise Land's February 2026 list names Mekong Hoang Yen (from VND 250,000, up to seven departures each way a day, under-6s free), the Cat Ba Island high-speed boat (about VND 250,000, three a day) and Hadeco (VND 130,000 to 150,000, from about 7:00 to 16:45, and it takes motorbikes).
Winter is the catch. Local Vietnam calls the low-season timetable thin, and Hanoi Eco Tour says the Hai Phong boats stop between September and April. Check where yours lands, too: Local Vietnam describes the run as Ben Binh to Cat Ba town, while Hanoi Eco Tour lists Ben Binh boats arriving at Cai Vieng, 17 km out. Book a day ahead from May to mid-August.
Rather skip the timetables? The Venezia cruise has a Hanoi bus option that runs all the way to Ben Beo, then two days in Lan Ha.
Check dates for the Venezia 2-day cruiseCan you get from Ha Long (Tuan Chau) to Cat Ba?
Yes. The Tuan Chau - Gia Luan car ferry takes 45 to 60 minutes, with three sailings a day in winter and five in summer, at VND 60,000 on foot.
Vietnam Coracle's timetable (last updated June 2024, still the most detailed published) has Tuan Chau departures at 7:30, 9:00, 11:30, 13:30 and 15:00 from 25 April to 5 September, and 8:00, 12:00 and 15:00 the rest of the year. Return sailings leave Gia Luan at 9:00, 11:30, 13:00, 15:00 and 16:00 in high season, and 9:00, 13:00 and 16:00 in low. A motorbike and rider pays VND 80,000, a car VND 300,000.
Gia Luan is on the quiet north side of Cat Ba, 22 to 25 km from town. A minibus meets the ferry for about VND 50,000 (Local Vietnam) and taxis wait too. The first boat often leaves late while it fills. Tuan Chau Express also runs a catamaran on the Ha Long side for about VND 250,000.
Is the Cat Ba cable car worth taking?
For foot passengers, usually yes: about 4 km over the sea in 10 to 15 minutes, VND 70,000 a trip in April 2026, and no ferry queue. Check the day's timetable, because it changed more than once in 2026.
Sun World's line runs from Cat Hai, beside Dong Bai, to Phu Long on Cat Ba: 3,955 m, in cabins for about 30 people. From 8 April 2026 it ran every day, Wednesdays included, with six trips each way at 9:00, 10:00, 11:00, 13:30, 14:30 and 15:30, and children under 1 m rode free (Hai Phong News, 9 April 2026). By late September, Sun Paradise Land's own page listed service from 8:30 on Fridays to Sundays only. Outside summer, assume weekends.
Sun's travel pages also quote other fares from the April figure, so check at the station. Electric buses run from Phu Long station to Cat Ba town, about 17 km. Storms shut it with the ferries: for the August 2025 tropical depression, Cat Hai stopped the cable car from 14:00 on 18 August.
Which bus from Hanoi to Cat Ba should you book?
A combined ticket that covers the bus to the coast, the crossing and the last leg to Cat Ba town, from about VND 250,000 to 390,000 one way. Plan on 4 to 5.5 hours door to door.
VinWonders' list names Good Morning Cat Ba (from VND 280,000), Cat Ba Express and Daiichi Travel (from VND 300,000), Hoang Phu (from 250,000) and Go Easy (VND 390,000), most with Old Quarter pickup. There are two kinds. Some tickets put you on a speedboat or the cable car as a foot passenger, with a second vehicle waiting on the island. Others keep you on the bus while it drives onto the car ferry. That one is slower on summer weekends, and your bags never leave the bus.
Operators quote 3 to 3.5 hours. The 4 to 5.5 hours in vietnamtourism.com's 2026 transport guide is the honest figure once you add hotel pickups and the ferry wait. A private car takes 3 to 4 hours.
Or skip the island crossing: this day cruise picks you up in Hanoi, boards at Tuan Chau at 11:00 and sails into Lan Ha with a stop on Cat Ba Island.
Explore the Hanoi day cruise to Lan Ha Tour detailsFrequently asked questions
Does the ferry still leave from Got pier?
No. Got closed to public ferries in March 2024. The car ferry now runs from Dong Bai to Cai Vieng, a few kilometres away.
How early should I get to Dong Bai?
With a car on a summer or holiday weekend, as early as you can: queues have run from dawn into the afternoon. On foot, take the cable car or the next ferry; 20 to 45 minutes is the usual gap.
Do the ferries and the cable car run in bad weather?
Not in storms. Hai Phong suspended sea activities from 13:00 on 24 August 2025 for Typhoon Kajiki and reopened at 10:00 on 26 August. Tour boats cancel at the same time.
Can I pay for the ferry by card?
Bring cash in dong. Local Vietnam's 2026 fares for Dong Bai - Cai Vieng are cash prices.
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Free cancellation up to 24 hours before on every option. Prices are from-prices in USD and move with the season.
Venezia 2-Day Lan Ha Bay Cruise
An overnight that never enters Ha Long Bay
Hanoi Day Cruise: Ha Long to Lan Ha & Cat Ba
Lan Ha in one long day from Hanoi, transfers included
Beka Day Boat: Lan Ha Bay Full Day
A smaller boat, kayaking and spring rolls at sunset
