How to Travel to Halong Bay from Hanoi?

There are 2 routes to Halong Bay from Hanoi, but this article will provide a transportation guide from Hanoi to Halong Bay on QL18 Highway (Road 18). Halong Bay Cruises normally include transport to and from Hanoi city, meals, some drinks, accommodation, entertainment and excursions.

Hanoi to Halong Bay on QL18 Highway

International visitors to Vietnam annually often cite charming Halong Bay as one of their favourite destinations. In order to get to Halong Bay, travelers need to fly to Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. Most the travelers will spend a day and explore the capital and travel to Halong Bay the next day. You can get from Hanoi to Halong Bay by the 3 main transports, which includes motorbike, shuttle bus and private car. Get started from Hanoi Old Quarter, follow Tran Quang Khai road - Tran Khanh Du road - Nguyen Khoai road to Thanh Tri Bridge (across the Red River) - QL1A Highway - Bac Ninh Province - Pha Lai Power Station (Quang Ninh Province) - Rest stop - Dong Trieu Ceramic and Pottery Village - Mao Khe Coal Mining Area and Halong Bay welcomes you. The traveling time from the Hanoi to Halong only 4 hours by car. So travellers, who have limited time still can visit Ha Long Bay from Hanoi and back in the same day.

Hanoi to Halong Bay Route (Googlemap)

1. The Red River (2 km or about 5 minutes from the Hanoi city centre)

Shortly after leaving the city centre, the vehicle will come to the dike along the Red River. This dike protects Hanoi and its surroundings from annual floods. The Red River originates in southwest China where it is known as the Yuan River and enters northern Vietnam in Lao Cai Province. The river passes Hanoi before separating into two distributaries which empty into the Gulf of Tonkin. The river forms the backbone of the Red River Delta, and fertilizes its rice paddies which feed the millions of residents on the delta.

2. Hanoi Bridges (2 km or 5 minute from the city centre)

Six bridges cross the Red River in Hanoi. The most frequently used on the way to Halong Bay are the Vinh Tuy (built in 2009) and the Thanh Tri (built in 2007). Arriving in Hanoi from Noi Bai International Airport means crossing either the Thang Long Bridge, built with Soviet assistance in 1985, or the Nhat Tan Bridge, the city's newest bridge, built with Japanese support and opened in early 2015. Another bridge worth seeing is Long Bien Bridge, a living historical relic, which was constructed by Daydé & Pillé between 1899 and 1902 during the French colonial period. The Long Bien Bridge is now reserved for trains, motorcycles and pedestrians. Strolling over the bridge offers a different perspective on the Red River and a nice vista of Hanoi.

3. Rice Paddies (30 km or about 20 minutes from Hanoi)

Vietnam is one of the world’s most fertile agricultural countries. The nation is the second-largest rice exporter worldwide. Indeed, rice is a staple of the national diet and is seen as a "gift from the gods”. Vietnamese cuisine has many dishes derived directly from rice, including the famous Pho, Spring Rolls, Bun Cha, and many more. Most work related to rice cultivation is still done manually, although some machinery has begun to be used in recent years. If you see a pleasant rice paddy scene, ask your fellow passengers if they would like to stop to make some photos.

4. Pha Lai Thermal power plant (65 km or about 1.5 hour from Hanoi)

After 1.5 hours, the bus nears two large towers on the left-hand side of the road. This is the Pha Lai Thermal Power Plant, one of the largest power plants in Vietnam. It has a generating capacity of 440 MW and produces around 1.5 billion KWh per year. Hydropower plants are Vietnam's largest energy source, generating 45% of the nation's power, with gas turbines producing 34%. Coal-fired power represents only 15%. Vietnam does not have a nuclear power plant, but a project to build a reactor in the south is currently being studied.

5. Dong Trieu Ceramic and Pottery Village (90 km or about 2 hours from Hanoi)

Easily recognizable thanks to the numerous artisan workshops and retail stores displaying ceramics and pottery of all kinds along the road, this little town is famous in Vietnam for its ceramics. The products are made from a local variety of soft-white clay and Kaolinite. Together with Bat Trang Ceramic village near Hanoi, Dong Trieu is one of the largest providers of bowls, plates, cups and chinaware for consumption in northern Vietnam.

6. Mao Khe Coal Mines (120 km or about 3 hours from Hanoi)

The Mao Khe Mine is the largest coal mining complex in the country and has the biggest coal production output in Vietnam. The mine produces much of Vietnam’s 50 million tons of coal annually. About one fifth is reserved for export, mostly to China. In late March 1951, Mao Khe was the scene of an important, but strategically indecisive, battle between French forces and the revolutionary Viet Minh during the First Indochina War, or the Anti – French Resistance War, as it is known here.

7. Halong Bay

Halong Bay is one of the world’s natural wonders, and is the most beautiful tourist destination of Vietnam, which is a natural heritage and a new natural wonder of the world, is located in Quang Ninh Province. Halong Bay features more than one thousand awesome limestone karsts and islands of various sizes and shapes along the coastline of Halong Beach. The best way to tour, see and enjoy Halong Bay scenery is cruise trips and cruise around the bay's islands. In the early morning, standing on the sundeck and watching the unfurled sails on the sea, you will feel like the blue sky and sea merge into one like an amazing watercolor painting of the sea. In the evening, release your soul in a melodious music under the fanciful moonlight on the bay and enjoy the silence of the sea to completely immerse yourself in the nature. We provides general information for Halong Bay including Halong Bay travel advise, Halong Bay tours and junk boat cruises which range from day trip to 2 days or 3 days overnight in the bay. All the Halong Bay tour and Halong Bay cruise is included transfer and daily departure from Hanoi, Vietnam.