Sapa to Halong Bay Bus and Minivan

Sapa and Halong Bay are two of the most beautiful destinations in northern Vietnam. The distance from Sapa to Halong Bay is about 435 km or 270miles. However, the transfer from Sapa to Halong Bay is quite convenient. In this article, we would like to provide some recommendations to get from Sapa to Halong Bay as follows:

* Economy way: Local sleeper bus from Sapa to Halong Bay directly

* Comfortable way (Sapa to Halong shared limousine van - transit in Hanoi): Sapa to Hanoi by a shared luxury limousine van, have a short break then take another shared limousine van from Hanoi to Halong Bay.

* Enjoyable way: Night train from Lao Cai to Hanoi, then change to a private car or shared limousine van to Halong Bay.

Option 1. Economy way: Sapa to Halong Bay by a local sleeper bus

Among many possible options, traveling from Sapa to Halong Bay on a sleeper bus is a perfect choice because it is time-saving and doesn’t require any transit point. However, the downside is that there is no English-speaking staff on the bus, and it would stop sometimes to pick up/drop off the local guests.

Ideally, it would take about 9 hours to get from Sapa to Halong Bay, which is much shorter if you compare it with the normal route that requires a transit in Hanoi. This already includes 2 breaks so that you can have a light meal and go to the toilet.

Option 2. Comfortable way (transit in Hanoi)

To get from Sapa to Hanoi by luxury Limousine (with hotel pick up service in Sapa Town). This vehicle offers a comfortable transfer between Sapa and Hanoi on a high-quality van, you can relax on plush seats with top-notch services and amenities. The limousine van from Sapa departs for Hanoi at 08:00 AM. Arrive in Hanoi around 13:30 - 14:00, have a short break at A21 Tours office before changing to a luxury van to Halong bay. 

After around additional 2.5 hours of transfer via Expressway, the van will drop passengers off at around Halong city

Option 3. Enjoyable way: Night train from Lao Cai to Hanoi – Private car/Shared limousine van from Hanoi to Halong

There is no direct train from Sapa to Halong bay however, a train can join a part of your transfer from Sapa to Halong as follows:

From Sapa take a shuttle bus or car to Lao Cai train station (should leave Sapa at around 6 PM) and take an overnight train from Lao Cai to Hanoi that arrives in Hanoi at around 5:30 AM of the next day, spend some time for breakfast. After that, you have to take a shared limousine van (pick up at your request address) or a Private car from Hanoi to Halong bay that will arrive in Halong around after about 2.5 hours.

This schedule is suitable for the passengers who need to check in their cruise tour in Halong Bay at around 11:00 AM - 12 PM.