How to go → NHA TRANG to HA LONG? ☀️

1. Train + Bus to Ha Long
2. Flight to Ha Long Bay
3. Sleeper Bus to Ha Long
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🎫 Book Ticket to Ha Long

Travel distance from Nha Trang to Ha Long is about 1300 km by land.

• • There are 3 options how you can get to Ha Long from Nha Trang: transfer by train + bus via Hanoi or Ninh Binh, direct flight to Hai Phong or you can travel by sleeper bus. The most fastest and cheap way how to get from Nha Trang to Ha Long Bay is to take a direct flight to Hai Phong. There are flights from Nha Trang to Hai Phong – Cat Bi Airport. Direct flight from Nha Trang to Hai Phong takes only about 2 hours and it costs about $60-210/pp. It is the fastest way how to reach Halong Bay. From Hai Phong (about 40 km from Ha Long town) you can travel by bus to Ha Long or you can take a boat/ferry to Cat Ba Island. You can also travel by land by train + bus via Hanoi or Ninh Binh.
  • There are trains from Nha Trang to Hanoi or Ninh Binh and from these cities there are buses or minivans to Halong Bay, Cat Ba Island or Hai Phong. In December 2018 there was opened a new international airport in Van Don Island (more information) and probably there will be some direct flights between Nha Trang and Van Don (Cẩm Phả). Book and buy your train and bus tickets or flights to Ha Long / Hai Phong from Nha Trang online. From Halong Bay you can travel via Hanoi to Cao Bang or you can go to Sapa in the north of Vietnam.

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From Nha Trang to Ha Long Bay you can travel by train+bus or plane.

• • Ha Long Bay is a top tourist attraction in the north of Vietnam. One of the most visited places in Vietnam, written in UNESCO heritage list. It is a famous place for various boat cruises and trips. About 2000 various small and big islands, isolated beaches, tourists resorts and also a lot of visitors from all the world. From Ha Long / Tuan Chau Island you can also travel by boat/ferry to Cat Ba Island. It is easy to get there from Hanoi, but from Nha Trang in the south of Vietnam it is a bit different, the best and cheap way how to get there is to take a flight to Hai Phong.

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How do I get from Nha Trang to Ha Long Bay?

1. TRAIN + BUS from Nha Trang to Ha Long (via Hanoi)

If you are looking for a cheap and relatively comfortable transport option from Nha Trang to Halong Bay, it is advisable to use a train and a bus/minivan with a transfer in Hanoi. It is a popular travel route through the capital city of Vietnam, Hanoi. However, expect a very long journey and transfer to a bus / minivan in Hanoi. It is also possible to take a train to Ninh Binh and from there a bus to Ha Long / Cat Ba.

So the first step is a train transfer from Nha Trang to Hanoi, which takes approximately 26-31 hours. Each train may have a slightly different journey time and there are approximately 6 trains running regularly each day. On this route, you can use regular trains of Vietnam Railways, which offer you seats or sleeping beds in cabins for 2, 4 or 6 passengers.

Seats are always the cheapest option on these trains and sleepers are always more expensive. However, for this long route, you should choose sleeping berths in the cabins. Mostly there are cabins for 4-6 passengers, some trains also have cabins for 2 passengers – this is the most expensive option on the train.

Trains depart from Nha Trang Railway Station and arrive at Hanoi Railway Station (120 Le Duan), see Vietnam Railway Map. You can easily search and buy train tickets from Nha Trang to Hanoi online even in advance. Transfer by train from Nha Trang to Hanoi costs between $30-55/pp (soft seats, 4-6 berth sleeper cabin), 2 berth cabin is even more expensive. Regular trains also accept train tickets in a smartphone / tablet, so there is no need to print them.

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The second step is a bus/minivan transfer from Hanoi to Ha Long city or Cat Ba Island. This is a very popular route and there are a number of different companies and different types of buses or smaller minivans on offer. Buses depart from various locations in Hanoi and arrive at various locations in Ha Long or can be combined with a boat transfer to Cat Ba Island.

A bus transfer from Hanoi to Ha Long costs approximately $4-23/pp, prices depend on the type of bus. Private and modern minivans are usually a more expensive option, classic larger buses are usually a cheaper option.

Traveling by bus to Ha Long from Hanoi takes approximately 2.5-4 hours, please note that sometimes the buses may be late and the time may therefore change slightly.

A similar transfer option can be used via the very interesting city of Ninh Binh. Trains also go through Ninh Binh, so you can get off here, explore the area, and then take a bus to Ha Long or Cat Ba Island. Ninh Binh is about 100 km south of Hanoi. So there are more options and it’s up to you which one you choose.

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2. FLIGHTS from Nha Trang to Hai Phong

If you are looking for the fastest transfer option from Nha Trang to Ha Long, you can use a direct flight to Hai Phong. This larger coastal town is approximately 40 km from Ha Long City and also a short distance from the popular Cat Ba Island. And you can easily get to Cat Ba Island from Hai Phong by local or tourist bus + ferry via Bến phà Gót port. So it is an ideal option if you are planning to visit this island.

However, you should also know that the flight schedule between Nha Trang and Hai Phong is very limited and you need to plan this trip in advance. The direct flight time from Nha Trang to Hai Phong is approximately 2 hours. But if we include the transfer to Cam Ranh International Airport, which is approximately 40 km from Nha Trang, and the wait before departure, the total time of this transfer is about 7 hours.

Even so, it is very advantageous compared to a transfer by train or sleeper bus, you will save many hours of your time. Flights are operated from Cam Ranh Airport to Cat Bi Airport in Hai Phong, see also Vietnam airport map. VietJet Air and Hanh Air Systems operate flights from Nha Trang to Hai Phong.

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VietJet Air will offer you low-cost flights, it is a popular and well-rated airline, the private smaller company Hanh Air Systems offers only smaller planes for a limited number of passengers. Direct flights from Nha Trang to Hai Phong cost between $60-140/pp, cheaper flights are always from VietJet Air.

From Hai Phong, you can either take a local bus to Ha Long or take a bus + ferry to Cat Ba Island. It is advisable to go straight to Cat Ba Island from there, some companies also operate connections to this island directly from the airport.

An air transfer can also be used, for example, from Nha Trang to Hanoi, and a bus transfer to Ha Long can be used from Noi Bai Airport. So there are more variants and you can combine them in different ways.

3. BUS from Nha Trang to Ha Long (via Da Nang)

Another low-cost transfer option from Nha Trang to Ha Long or Cat Ba is a sleeper bus. If you would like to go to Ha Long, you can travel, for example, by sleeping intercity buses with a transfer in, for example, Da Nang. However, it is a very long journey, it is not very comfortable and it is better to go by train.

So it is rather an alternative form of transport, but still used and relatively cheap, suitable if you also want to visit the city of Da Nang in central Vietnam. The total travel time by bus from Nha Trang to Ha Long can be approx. 25-32 hours, depending on waiting for the next bus in Da Nang.

Transfer by bus from Nha Trang to Da Nang takes about 9-12 hours and by bus from Da Nang to Ha Long it is about 13-19 hours. Companies that you can use for a bus transfer between the cities of Nha Trang – Da Nang – Ha Long are, for example, Grouptour, Duy Khanh Transport, New Way Travel, Sapa Discovery Travel, Vietnam Easy Go Travel, Vietnam Luxury Travel, Hanh Cafe, Lien Hung and next.

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Most of these companies will offer you classic sleeper buses, some are already very modern and new and offer great comfort. Intercity sleeper bus transportation from Nha Trang to Ha Long with a transfer in Da Nang can cost you about $45-65/pp in total, depending on the type of bus.

You can search and buy bus tickets to Ha Long online, search for each route separately. As it is a very long route, it is rather better to choose transport by train, however, the bus may not be bad for shorter routes.

❓ FAQ + Tips – Travel route from Nha Trang to Ha Long Bay:

BOOK a TOUR / ACTIVITY in Halong Bay ➜

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BOOK your HOTEL in Ha Long ➜

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🎫 Book your train, bus tickets or flights from Nha Trang to Ha Long:

(You can change your departure and arrival place, eg Nha Trang > Hanoi, Hanoi > Ha Long Bay, Hanoi >Tuan Chau…)

Da Nang to Ha Long ➜