Ninh Binh to Halong Bay
A private car from Ninh Binh to Halong Bay covers about 200 km in about 3 to 3.5 hours. It goes from your hotel in Tam Coc, Trang An or Ninh Binh city to your hotel or cruise port in Halong Bay, and the same price applies the other way. Prices start at 2,200,000 VND (about 85 USD) for the whole car.
Quick facts
| Distance | ~200 km |
|---|---|
| Drive time | ~3–3.5 h |
| Price | From 2,200,000 VND (about 85 USD) for the whole car |
| Pickup | Your hotel door, or any address you send us |
| Included | Car, driver, fuel and tolls. VAT included |
| Booking | One way, whole car. Same price for the way back, or 30% off if you return the same day |
| Cars | 5 to 29 seats |
Choose your car
Included with every car
- Free drinking waterBottled water in the car for the whole trip
- Free change of carA similar car keeps the same price. If you choose a different class, you pay the price of that class
About this route
Link Vietnam's two best-known limestone landscapes in one drive, without going back to Hanoi in between.
Planning the drive
- Allow about 3 to 3.5 hours on the road, plus a rest stop.
- Catching a cruise? Check the check-in time on your ticket and leave Ninh Binh at least 4 hours before it.
- Going the other way, after a cruise? Send us the port and the time your boat returns, and we plan the pickup around it.
Two landscapes, one trip
- Trang An and Halong Bay are both UNESCO World Heritage Sites: one inland among rivers and rice fields, one at sea among limestone islands.
- A common plan is one or two nights in Ninh Binh, then straight on to an overnight cruise in Halong Bay.
- Send us the exact port name from your cruise ticket, such as Tuan Chau Marina or the international port in Bai Chay.
What’s included
- Private car and driver, door to door.
- Tolls included in the fixed price.
- Driver name, phone and vehicle plate sent before pickup.
- VAT included: 8% for trips to 31 December 2026, 10% from 1 January 2027. Invoice on request.
Not included: hotels, entrance tickets and your meals.
Good to know
- Prices and payment are in Vietnamese dong (VND). We explain how to pay once your booking is confirmed.
- One fixed price for the whole car. Tolls are included.
- Stops under 30 minutes are free. A stop of 30–60 minutes costs 50,000 VND, then 50,000 VND for each further 30 minutes.
Read our full prices and policies or see how booking works.
Frequently asked questions
The simplest way is a private car from your Ninh Binh hotel to your cruise port or hotel, with no change in Hanoi. Book on this page and we reply with your car.
Yes. One price covers either direction.
About 3 to 3.5 hours for about 200 km, plus any stops you make.
Both are limestone landscapes, but you see them in different ways: by small rowing boat along rivers and rice fields in Ninh Binh, and by cruise among islands at sea in Halong Bay. That is why many itineraries include both.
Yes. The drive is about 3 to 3.5 hours, so you can leave Ninh Binh in the morning and board an afternoon cruise. Check the check-in time on your ticket first.
Spring, from March to May, and autumn, from September to November, usually bring the mildest weather. Summer storms can change cruise schedules.
No. The price covers the car, the driver, fuel and tolls, and tipping is not expected in Vietnam. If you want to thank your driver, that is up to you.
Yes. Tết, the Lunar New Year, falls on 6 February 2027. Cruises and hotels at both ends fill up over the holiday, so book them before the car. Book as early as you can.
Yes. Lan Ha Bay boats leave from two places, and your ticket shows which. To the pier in Hai Phong, we drive you straight from Ninh Binh, from 2,000,000 VND (about 77 USD) for the whole car. To Tuan Chau, where many Lan Ha cruises pick up, the drive is this route, from 2,200,000 VND (about 85 USD). Going to a pier in Hai Phong? Type the pier name from your ticket as the drop-off address. For Cat Ba Island itself, see our Hanoi to Cat Ba Island route: hotel to hotel with the car ferry, from 2,000,000 VND (about 77 USD) for the whole car, ferry tickets not included.
Related routes
- Starting from Hanoi?Hanoi to Ninh Binh
- Going to the bay from Hanoi instead?Hanoi to Halong Bay
- Heading back to Hanoi after the cruise?Halong Bay to Hanoi
Written by Alotrips, with AI assistant Huyen My. Reviewed by Pham Ngoc Chien, Director, on 9 November 2026.
Updated 9 November 2026. Distances and times are estimates and depend on traffic. Check opening hours and rules with each site before you travel. Sources: UNESCO: Trang An Landscape Complex · UNESCO: World Heritage sites in Viet Nam.