Vietnam - Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Northern Thailand - page 150

The easiest way to/from Hanoi is via the city's Luong Yen bus station. From here, Hoang
Long ( 031-268 8008) offers a combined bus-boat-bus ticket (240,000d, five hours)
straight through to Cat Ba Town. Buses depart Hanoi at 5.20am, 7.20am, 11.20am and
1.20pm, and return from Cat Ba Town at 7.15am, 9.15am, 1.15pm and 3.15pm.
HALONG BAY TO CAT BA ISLAND (WITHOUT THE HASSLE)
Warning! Travelling from Halong City to Cat Ba Island can be fraught with hassles.
Tourist boats (US$10, four hours) depart from Halong Bay around 1pm for Cat Ba Island. The
trouble is they dock at Gia Luan, which is 40km from Cat Ba Town - and local taxi and xe om mafia
frequently demand up to US$50 for the ride. There is actually a local bus (20,000d) at 5pm - the QH
Green Bus - but this usually departs just before the boats arrive. Funny that…
Many boat owners in Halong Bay are part of the scam, so check if onward transport to Cat Ba Town
is included. Some operators, including Cat Ba Ventures ( Click here ), do include it.
An alternative route is taking the passenger and vehicle ferry (per person 40,000d; one hour;
on the hour 5am-5pm May-Sep & 8am, 11.10am & 3pm Oct-Apr) that travels from the resort island of
Tuan Chau to Gia Luan. (A taxi from Halong City to Tuan Chau is around 150,000d, xe om 50,000d.)
You can then catch a QH Green bus (departures at 6am, 9.30am, 1.10pm, 4pm and 5pm for 20,000d)
to Cat Ba Town.
To travel in the other direction contact Cat Ba Ventures in Cat Ba Town for the latest information.
TO/FROM HAIPHONG
A fast hydrofoil departs Haiphong's Ben Binh harbour and goes straight to Cat Ba Town.
This takes around 50 minutes (200,000d). Cat Ba-bound hydrofoils depart from Haiphong
at 7am, 9am, 1pm and 3pm, and return from Cat Ba Town at 8am, 10am, 2pm and 4pm.
Getting Around
Rented bicycles are a good way to explore.
Motorbike rentals (with or without driver) are available from most of the hotels from
US$5 per day.
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