Hanoi center to Halong Bay by Train

Railway to Halong Bay Vietnam

Every day runs a train depart from Yen Vien Railway Station (Gia Lam District, Hanoi) for Halong at 4.50am and arrive at 11.40am.

Railway to Halong Bay Vietnam: Every day runs a train depart from Yen Vien Railway Station (Gia Lam District, Hanoi) for Halong at 4.50am and arrive at 11.40am.

Alternatively: catch train to Haiphong and then transfer to ferry terminal for hydrofoil to Cat Ba. Note that our experience was that 6.00am traim Hanoi actually left at 5.50. The train was running late so we barely made it to the 9.00am hydrofoil.

On the way back, Halong Bay departs at 3:00pm to get back Hanoi at 8:05pm.

Once in Halong Bay there are huge selection of 3 star Halong Bay toursand 4 star Halong Bay tours to choose from. Making the right selection could make or break your holiday. 

Book Halong Bay cruise 2D1N or 3D2N online at www.yourlocalbooking.com

Hanoi center to Halong Bay by Bus

If you want to get to Halong Bay without Junk Boat trip already booked or just get there to see the city, here is what to expect.

From Hanoi, tourists can catch a high quality bus going to Quang Ninh at My Dinh, Luong Yen or Gia Lam Terminal.

Gia Lam bus station (Ngoc Lam St, Hanoi) is the place for buses to points northeast of Hanoi.
Bus ticket: 2 USD
Duration: 3.5 hours
The bus station is 2km northeast of the centre – cross the Song Hong (Red River) to get there. Cyclos can’t cross the bridge, so take a taxi (around 30, 000d) or motorbike.

Loung Yen bus station is in the southeast of town, serving the same places, plus Cao Bang (80, 000d, eight hours) and Ha Giang (76, 000d, seven hours).

Giap Bat bus station (Giai Phong Street, Hanoi) serves points south of Hanoi, including Ninh Binh (28, 000d, two hours) and Hué (80, 000d, 12 hours). It is 7km south of the Hanoi train station.

My Dinh bus station (Pham Hung Street) is another option in the west of town, which serves a range of destinations, including Halong City, Lang Son, Cao Bang, Ha Giang and Dien Bien Phu.

All the buses from other provinces when travelling to Quang Ninh stop at Bai Chay Terminal, which is located quite near Vuon Dao tourism center. Travellers can consider “xe om” (motor-taxi) service (with about VND15,000) or a taxi (from VND20,000-VND30,000) to Vuon Dao Area, where tourists are supposed to reach before heading to Ha Long bay.

Bai Chay Harbor, where travellers can find cruises sailing to Ha Long Bay, is only 2 km from Vuon Dao area. The most convenient way to get there is to use “xe om”, which costs about VND20,000 or a taxi (from VND20,000-VND30,000) to Vuon Dao Area, where tourists are supposed to reach before heading to Ha Long bay.. At the harbor, many kinds of cruises from the three-star, four-star to five-star one and even luxurious private cruises, which are well-prepared with professional services, are provided.

Note: Baggage will have to be placed in front if your late since these public buses pack up everything at the back in the middle and their storage for people sending their items to the buses destination. 

Book private car rental from Hanoi to Halong Bay online at www.yourlocalbooking.com

Hanoi airport to Halong Bay

Halong Bay is about 170 km (105 mi) east of Hanoi and takes about 3 hours to get there by road.

Duration: 3.30 hours

If you booked your junk through a travel agent, then transport there will be provided. Most transfers for the tour outfits in Hanoi depart Hanoi at 8am to 830am for Halong Bay, which is normally a 3.5 hour journey. Traffic in and around Hanoi is always very congested, and thats RUSH HOUR. Most Junks depart the pier at 1200-1230, so not sure how you can make that schedule, as even your arranged transfer can be running late for a host of reasons. If you are landing via a international flight, you have to clear Immigration first, so allow up to 1 hour for that.

The best way to get to Ha Long Bay is to rent a car from Hanoi. It costs approximately US$120 return. From Hanoi: 165km or 3 hrs 30 minutes drive.

Book private car rental from Hanoi airport to Halong Bay online at www.yourlocalbooking.com

Hanoi airport to Hanoi center by bus

Noi Bai Airport's location in Soc Son District about 28 miles north of Hanoi's city center allows guests to arrive in the city center within 40 minutes of exiting from the airport's departure area.

Distance: 40 km
Duration: 40 - 1 hour (depend on traffic)

Two bus services connect Noi Bai Airport with stations in Hanoi. Turn right as you exit the airport terminal for the bus stop. Operating hours for the bus run from 5am to 10pm. Each bus takes about an hour to arrive at its respective bus station, and costs VND 5,000 (about $0.30) per ride. New buses stop by about every 20 minutes.

Bus number 7 runs from Noi Bai to Kim Ma bus station, on the western side of Hanoi (Location: 21.032056N, 105.829437E, Geohack). Bus number 17 runs from Noi Bai to Long Bien bus station, on the northeast side of the Old Quarter

For the return trip from Hanoi to Noi Bai, go to Tran Quang Khai east of the Old Quarter to ride either buses 7 and 17; the route to the airport costs VND 5,000.

The bus is the cheapest way to Hanoi, but also the most crowded and the one that takes the most time.

Minibus: Several "minibus" lines travel from Noi Bai Airport to Hanoi city center. Turn right as you exit the airport terminal for the bus stop. Kumho Viet Thanh, Vietnam Airlines, and Jetstar operate their own buses that serve three different stops in Hanoi:

Jetstar offers both drop-off at, and pick-up from, the Jetstar office at 206 Tran Quang Khai Street. More information from the Travelfish blog here: Jetstar check-in and airport bus in Hanoi (offsite).

Vietnam Airlines offers both drop-off at, and pick-up from, the Vietnam Airlines office at 1 Quang Trung Street, about 1km away from Hanoi Old Quarter. Ticket price is $2 one way.

Kumho Viet Thanh offers both drop-off at, and pick-up from, 204 Tran Quang Khai Street 

Instead of leaving at specified times, the buses wait until all seats are taken, then leave for the destination. Expect to pay about VND 32,000 (US$2) per trip.

For the return trip from Hanoi to Noi Bai, the Jetstar and Vietnam Airlines buses schedule their departures according to their flights leaving the airport. Both ways take about as long as the bus, if you factor in the waiting time.

Book private Hanoi airport transfer online at www.yourlocalbooking.com

Hanoi airport to Hanoi old quater by taxi

Noi Bai Airport's location in Soc Son District about 28 miles north of Hanoi's city center allows guests to arrive in the city center within 40 minutes of exiting from the airport's departure area.

Distance: 40 km
Duration: 40 - 1 hour (depend on traffic)

Taxi: taxi stands can be reached outside Noi Bai's arrival terminals; exit and walk to the first island beyond the arrivals terminal to find the queue of taxis. You may be approached by "helpful" people inside the terminal asking if you need a taxi - do not accept, as these touts will cheat you.

Airport taxis charge a single fixed rate, about $18. Taxis take the fastest to get to town, about 30 minutes depending on the traffic.

Book private airport transfer from Hanoi airport to Hanoi center online at www.yourlocalbooking.com

Hanoi Airport Transfer

Hanoi Airport Transfer

The distance from Hanoi Airport to Hanoi city is 35 kms. It takes about 40 mins for the transportation. The price for the transfer service is 18.00 USD.
There are some notes and tips for the service:

• We discount 5.0% in total for most Round Trip transfer booking which means booking for Transfer from Hanoi Airport to Hanoi city and Transfer from Hanoi city return to Hanoi Airport . So book a Round Trip is cheaper !
• The pickup time should be 2.15 hours before domestic flight and 3 hours before international flight.
• Usually, there are 3 kinds of car: 4-seater cars for maximum 3 passengers, 7-seater for maximum 4 passengers and 16-seater for maximum 10 passengers.
• After you book our service, you will recieve a booking number. Please double check your booking number with our driver to avoid taxi scam.
• Our Driver will hold a Sign Board with Your Name written on it, outside the arrival hall. Never ever accept a ride with anyone who does not know your name and your itinerary.

Avoiding Taxi scam and instance booking

If you want to save yourself some hassles, you can book your private transfers service in advance through Yourlocalbooking.com which is highly recommended on Tripadvisor. Getting from or to airport on time always tends to be a bit stressful. Let us take out your worry about how to get airport transfers into your villa or hotel in a city. You will travel in an air-conditioned vehicle from international or domestic airport to your hotel in the city- without the trouble of picking up a rental car, negotiating unfamiliar traffic and maps. We will double check your arrival time (which sometimes delayed) to ensure that you will have a pleasant and comfortable start of your vacation. Take the easy way - book this efficient private transportation service online now! For this transfer service, we quote per vehicle rather than per person, which means you'll be charged a set fee. Our transfer rates are the same no matter what time of day you travel, and they don't vary with the time spent on the road as is the case with a metered taxi.