Booking choice: The Cat Ba full day, from $28 per person. Check dates Tour details
The headline did the rounds in December 2025: Cat Ba fees to rise "by up to 100%" from 2026. For Lan Ha Bay the real picture is calmer. The day ticket is VND 120,000 for an adult, the figure Hai Phong has charged since August 2024, and the resolution in force from 1 January 2026 keeps it.
Below: what you pay, who pays less, how it stacks up against Ha Long Bay next door, and what it means if you book a tour. Short version for tour guests: nothing extra to pay at the pier.
The quick answer
Lan Ha Bay costs VND 120,000 per adult and VND 60,000 per child aged 6 and over per visit in 2026, and children under 6 go free. Guests who sleep on a boat in the Cat Ba bays pay an overnight charge of VND 400,000 for one night, 600,000 for two and 650,000 for three. All ten Lan Ha tours on this site list entry fees as included.
How much is the Lan Ha Bay entrance fee in 2026?
VND 120,000 per adult and VND 60,000 per child (6 and over) for a day visit to the Cat Ba bays, roughly $5 for an adult. Sleeping on the bay carries its own charge of VND 400,000 to 650,000.
The figures come from Hai Phong's 2026 fee list as the city's own paper, Hai Phong News, printed it in December 2025. They match the levels VnEconomy reported when they first came in on 1 August 2024. Lan Ha is one of the bay routes of the Cat Ba archipelago, so the bay ticket is the one that applies to a boat trip from Ben Beo.
A child is anyone from age 6 (the 2024 rules also used a 1.2 m height line for the entry ticket). Foreign and Vietnamese visitors pay the same.
| Ticket (per person, per visit) | Adult | Child 6+ |
|---|---|---|
| Cat Ba bay routes, day visit (Lan Ha) | VND 120,000 | VND 60,000 |
| Overnight on the bay, 1 night | VND 400,000 | VND 300,000 |
| Overnight on the bay, 2 nights | VND 600,000 | VND 500,000 |
| Overnight on the bay, 3 nights | VND 650,000 | VND 550,000 |
| Cat Ba National Park routes (Kim Giao - Ngu Lam - Trung Trang Cave; Ninh Tiep - Tien Duc Cave; Phu Long mangroves - Thien Long Cave) | VND 80,000 to 120,000 | Half the adult price |
| Children under 6 | Free | Free |
What did Hai Phong decide, and did the fee really double?
The 16th Hai Phong People's Council passed the new list at its 32nd session in December 2025, in force from 1 January 2026. For the bay itself the 2026 numbers are the 2024 numbers; the big jumps came earlier.
DTiNews, Dan Tri's English edition, wrote on 12 December 2025 that Cat Ba entrance fees would rise "by up to 100%". Hai Phong News reported the same session with the full list and no such framing, and its bay and overnight lines are identical to the ones VnEconomy gave for 1 August 2024. Paid VND 120,000 at Ben Beo in 2025? You pay VND 120,000 in 2026.
The resolution also puts one fee list over the enlarged city. Hai Phong absorbed Hai Duong province in mid-2025, which is why the Con Son - Kiep Bac relic site (VND 20,000) now sits on the same page as Cat Ba.
The long view is steeper. VnBusiness put the Lan Ha, Ben Beo, Rua and Cat Ong bay ticket at VND 40,000 in 2018. In January 2019 it went to 80,000 and the one-night charge to 300,000, with two days' notice to cruise firms; Pelican Ha Long - Cat Ba Cruise's director told VietNamNet the overnight fee had jumped 750%.
| From | Adult day ticket, Cat Ba bays | One night on the bay |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | VND 40,000 | VND 40,000 |
| January 2019 | VND 80,000 | VND 300,000 |
| 1 August 2024 | VND 120,000 | VND 400,000 |
| 1 January 2026 | VND 120,000 | VND 400,000 |
Who gets in free or at half price?
Children under 6 go free, along with Hai Phong school groups on curriculum visits, people with extremely severe disabilities and official guests. Half price applies to the elderly, people with severe disabilities, poor households, ethnic minority residents of disadvantaged areas and students on extracurricular trips.
Those are the categories in the 2026 list as Hai Phong News printed it. Neither that report nor DTiNews says how the elderly and student discounts apply to foreign visitors.
On a tour the question never comes up, because the ticket sits inside the price. Child prices on tours follow each operator's own child policy, which is often based on age bands that differ from the city's.
Is the bay fee included in Lan Ha Bay tours?
Yes, on every tour this site covers. All ten Lan Ha listings name entry fees, entrance tickets or sightseeing tickets among their inclusions.
The wording varies, so the table quotes each listing. Beka's day boat is the most explicit: at Ben Beo pier the guide hands out "tickets for the Cat Ba Archipelago bay route, already included in the tour price". Venezia says it asks guests for no extra government fees at all.
What the ticket line does not cover: drinks on every boat, tips, and holiday surcharges on some. Carnival adds $40 per person on 24 and 31 December and at Lunar New Year, and Azura adds $5 at Tet. Beka's 2-day trip lists "Taxes" as not included, a separate matter from the bay ticket.
| Tour | Starts from | Fee line on the listing |
|---|---|---|
| 2-day 5-star cruise | Tuan Chau, Ha Long | All entry fees and tickets |
| 6-star Azura cruise | Tuan Chau, Ha Long | Entry fees and sightseeing fees |
| Balcony and bathtub cruise | Tuan Chau, Ha Long | Entrance fee |
| 3-day Rita cruise | Tuan Chau, Ha Long | Entrance and sightseeing fees |
| Hanoi day cruise | Tuan Chau (Hanoi pickup) | Admission to Trung Trang Cave, Cat Ba National Park Museum, Lan Ha Bay |
| Venezia 2-day cruise | Ben Beo, Cat Ba | All entrance fees, government fees and entrance tickets |
| Cat Ba full day | Ben Beo, Cat Ba | All entrance fees across Lan Ha Bay, Ha Long Bay |
| Beka day boat | Ben Beo, Cat Ba | Sightseeing tickets |
| Small-group day cruise | Ben Beo, Cat Ba | Entrance fees |
| 2-day kayak and Viet Hai trip | Ben Beo (from Hanoi) | Entrance tickets |
The cheapest way into Lan Ha with the ticket sorted: a full day from Cat Ba with three caves, a swim at Ba Trai Dao and a bike ride in Viet Hai village.
Explore the Cat Ba full day Tour detailsHow does it compare with the Ha Long Bay ticket?
Ha Long Bay costs more: VND 250,000 on its main routes 1, 2 and 5 and VND 200,000 on routes 3 and 4, with overnight stays at VND 500,000 to 750,000.
Those Ha Long prices have held since July 2022, when Quang Ninh ended a half-price stimulus (Bao Van Hoa). In February 2025 the province added three routes from 1 May 2025, per DTiNews: VHL6 to Ba Cua lagoon and Cap Bai islet at VND 150,000, VHL7 (routes 1 to 4 combined) at VND 600,000 and VHL8 at VND 70,000.
Cruises that leave Tuan Chau sail through Ha Long waters before they reach Lan Ha, so they cross both fee zones. The listings on this site fold both into the price.
Where do you pay if you visit Lan Ha on your own?
At Ben Beo pier, before the boat leaves. The Management Board of the Cat Ba Archipelago Bays collects the bay and overnight fees, and Cat Ba National Park collects its own route fees.
Independent travellers usually hire a boat at Ben Beo, 10 to 15 minutes east of Cat Ba town. Ask the boat owner whether the ticket is in the quoted price before you agree on it.
Hiking in Cat Ba National Park is a separate ticket bought at the park, not at the pier. The bay ticket does not cover getting to the island either: the Dong Bai - Cai Vieng crossing has its own fare, set out in our Cat Ba ferry post.
Prefer the ticket, the boat and lunch in one booking? This day from Cat Ba covers all three, with hotel pickup in town.
Check dates for the Cat Ba full dayFrequently asked questions
Do foreigners pay more for Lan Ha Bay?
No. The bay ticket is VND 120,000 for Vietnamese and foreign adults alike; Nhan Dan reported in 2024 that the fee applies whatever your nationality.
Is the overnight charge on top of the day ticket?
It is a separate line in Hai Phong's fee list for guests who sleep on a boat in the Cat Ba bays: VND 400,000 for one night, 600,000 for two, 650,000 for three. The overnight cruises on this site include their fees in the price.
How much is VND 120,000 in dollars?
Roughly $5 at 2026 exchange rates. Children 6 and over pay VND 60,000, about half that.
Will the fee change again in 2026?
The resolution took effect on 1 January 2026 and replaced the earlier rules. No further change to the bay ticket had been announced by late October 2026.
Ready to book
Choose your trip
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before on every option. Prices are from-prices in USD and move with the season.
Cat Ba Full Day: Boat, Kayak & Viet Hai Bike
- Hotel pickup and drop-off on Cat Ba Island
- Boat trip with kayaking through Bright, Dark and Bat caves
- Swim stop at Ba Trai Dao beaches
2-Day Ha Long & Lan Ha 5-Star Cruise
- Balcony cabin with private bathtub, one night
- All meals on board, vegetarian options
- Kayaking, swimming, tai chi, squid fishing, cooking class
Venezia 2-Day Lan Ha Bay Cruise
An overnight that never enters Ha Long Bay
