How to get from Hanoi airport to Halong Bay

The distance from Hanoi airport to Halong Bay is 193 km or 119 miles. Normally, it would take around 3 – 3.5 hours to get from Hanoi Airport to Halong Bay. In general, there are 2 ways from Hanoi airport to Halong bay:

• Direct transfer from Hanoi Airport to Halong Bay: recommended if you need to check-in for a cruise tour at noon, suitable for travelling in a big group
• Transfer from Hanoi Airport to Halong Bay with a transition in Hanoi: cheaper for travelling in a small group, yet longer travel time

Thanks to the new ExpressWay, travel time of Direct transfer from Hanoi Airport to Halong bay could be shortened to only 2 – 2.5 hours, much faster than transfer with a transition in Hanoi.

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In this post, we would like to introduce possible ways to get from Hanoi Airport to Halong Bay and a step-by-step guide on how to travel for each option.

Direct transfer from Hanoi airport to Halong Bay

• Private car: $60 –$80 for 1 car and from 2 to 4 hours.
• Taxi: about $57 for 1 car and around 3 hours.
• Seaplane:  around $400/person/trip and only 45 mins

Transfer from Hanoi Airport to Halong Bay with a transition in Hanoi.

From Hanoi Airport to Hanoi center:

• Express Bus Route 86: $2 per ticket and 2 hours
• Private car or taxi: from $12 to $22 per car and 1 hour

From Hanoi to Halong Bay:

• Limousine Van: from $16 per ticket and 2.5 hours
• Local Coach: from $6 to $10 per ticket and around 5 hours
• Train: from $4 to $5 and 6 to 8 hours.

Direct transfer from Hanoi airport to Halong Bay

You can book a Private Car, Taxi or SeaPlane to directly get from Hanoi Airport to Halong Bay.

Private car transfer from Hanoi Airport to Halong Bay

The most convenient way to transfer from Hanoi Airport to Halong Bay is to book a private car. Our driver, who is able to speak basic English, would be ready to pick you up at Noi Bai airport (HAN) when you’ve arrived.

Pick-up-point: Arrival Hall, First floor of T1 (Domestic Flight) or T2 (International Flight) Terminal

Travel time: 3.5-4 hours via Normal Way (190km)

Price range: USD 60 – USD 80 for 1 car

Upgrade to go via the new Expressway:

Travel time: shortened to 2-2.5 hours

Toll fee: extra fee of USD 12/way for one car.

Find more detail about Noi Bai Airport to Halong by our private car service. 

Hanoi Airport to Halong Bay Private car

Pros and Cons of Private car

Pros

Save Time: You can travel from Hanoi to Halong in minimally 2 hours, more time for the activities in Halong.

On-Demand: You can ask for the pick-up time according to your own preference, even at midnight.

Privacy: You don’t have to share the car with strangers

Cons

Higher price for small-group travellers

Taxi from Noi Bai Airport to Halong Bay

If you want to take a taxi from Hanoi Airport to Halong Bay, there are 14 taxi brands allowed to pick-up passengers at the airport, so it’s not hard to find a ride.

Note:

Use a meterxi driver before the ride.

As the local taxi drivers can only speak Vietnamese, it would be hard for you to explain and bargain with those taxi drivers in other language.

They may charge you more when they take a longer route than necessary.

Mai Linh taxi (the green cab) is recommended as that is one of the two trustworthy brands in Vietnam

Seaplane from Noi Bai Airport to Halong Bay

 

At the moment, Seaplane is the only option if you want to fly from Hanoi to Halong Bay.

Travel time: 45 minutes to travel from Hanoi Airport to Halong bay by seaplane.

How to book: Contact directly with Hai Au Aviation, the only service provider in Halong Bay

Ticket Price: around $400/person/trip.

Traveling by seaplane you will get an amazing view of Halong Bay from above, given that all other means of transfer cannot provide. However, for such a short distance, you don’t have enough time to enjoy the fantastic view from above. Plus, the seaplane service is usually fully booked for most of the time.

Transfer with a transition in Hanoi

If the price is what you concern as you are travelling on a budget, then transfer from Hanoi Airport to Halong Bay with a transition in Hanoi may be the best choice. Above all, it is definitely more economical than direct transfer, especially in case you travel alone or in a group of two.

Firstly, you need to get from Hanoi Airport to Hanoi City. Then, you can head to  Halong Bay from Hanoi City. (Travel time vary around 4 hours – 8 hours depend on transportation)

Track 1: Getting from Hanoi Airport to Hanoi City Center

For this track, you can either opt in for Express Bus, Taxi or a Private Transfer.

Express Bus Route 86

Bus No 86 runs from Hanoi Airport to Hanoi city.

Pick-up point: Bus stop outside Arrival Hall (first floor) of T1 and T2 terminal

Drop-off point:

The Old Quarter: Hanoi Post Office, Hoan Kiem Lake

Hanoi Train Station: No. 137 Lê Duẩn Street, Hanoi

Travel time: +1.5 hours

Ticket price: VND 30,000 ( USD 2) for a ticket

Departure time: 05:10 AM to 22:00 PM daily

 

 

 

Private Transfer or Taxi from Noi Bai Airport to Hanoi City Center

Recommended pick-up service: Noi Bai airport – Hanoi city center (by: A21 Tours)

Pick-up point: Arrival Hall, First floor of T1 or T2 Terminal

Drop-off point: Around Hanoi Old Quarters area

Travel time: +1 hours

Travel price: USD 12 to USD 22 for a car

Departure time: On demand

 

Track 2: Getting from Hanoi City to Halong Bay

You can use either the service of Limousine Van Transfer (specialized to serve international traveller) or Local Coach (mainly serve the domestic customers).

Beside Limousine Van and Bus, you can also choose to travel from Hanoi to Halong Bay by Train.

Limousine Van from Hanoi to Halong Bay

Most comfortable not to mention the most economical way of travel from Hanoi to Halong Bay.

Travel time: 2.5 hours (via the new Expressway)

Capacity: Luxury Van carry max 9 passengers, MiniVan carry up to 5 passengers

	Luxury Minivan  USD 17/ticket Detailed Schedule: hourly from 5 AM to 7 PM See more at Luxury Minivan Hanoi – Halong
	9-seat Limousine van  USD 16/ticket, extra USD 2 to upgrade to a VIP seat. Detailed Schedule: 6:30; 7:30, 09:00, 11:00 See more at Limousine Van Hanoi – Halong

Recommended Limousine Van/ Minivan Operators:

Local Coach from Hanoi to Halong Bay.

The cheapest way so you can definitely save a lot of money (total USD 6 – 10 / person).

Quite time-consuming because it may take up to 4-4.5 hours to get from Hanoi to Halong with occasionally stop on the road to pick up more customers.

During the holidays, it can be very crowded as people flood to their hometown.

The bus driver can only speak Vietnamese, so you will have to overcome the language barrier.

 

Recommended Local Coach:

1.Kumo Viet Thanh (45-Seat Coach)

Pick-up Point: My Dinh Bus Station

Schedule: From 08:00 AM to 16:30 PM, every 30 minutes

Price: VND 120.ooo (USD 6)/ticket

Contact number: (024) 3533 3888

2.Phuc Xuyen

Pick-up Point: My Dinh Bus Station

Schedule: From 05:45 AM to 17:45 PM, every 30 minutes

Price: VND 120.ooo (USD 6)/ticket

Contact number: (020) 3247 3536

3.Ka Long

Pick-up Point: My Dinh Bus Station

Schedule: 19:00 PM, 20:30 PM, 21:30 PM

Price: VND 230.ooo (USD 10)/ticket

Contact number: (024) 3236 3236

3. Train from Hanoi to Halong Bay.

Travel time: 6.5 to 8 hours. As a result, Train from Hanoi to Halong is notorious for being slow.

Train Station:

In Hanoi: Yen Vien Station (10 km from the Old Quarters)

In Halong: Halong Station (10 km from the Tuan Chau Harbor)

Train ticket: VND 70.000 to VND 100.000 (USD 4 to USD 5) for one ticket

Note: There some risks related to cleanliness and hygiene because the train is quite old and badly maintained in recent years.

In Conclusion, there are 2 ways to transfer from Hanoi Airport to Halong Bay for you:

1. Direct transfer from Hanoi Airport yo Halong Bay by Private transfer, taxi and seaplane( expensive, but fast and convenient)
2. Transfer from Hanoi Airport with a transition in Hanoi:

• By Bus and train( cheap and slow)
• By private transfers( fast, convenient and private but expensive a bit)

We are always willing to help you with our transfer service.