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Which Airport is Closest to Halong Bay?
With Halong Bay continuing to find massive appeal amongst domestic and international tourists, the government has needed to find a way of improving transport links than the one, pot-hole ridden highway that used to connect Halong city to Hanoi. Improved roads and an added highway were a good start to a better quality of travel, but with visitors flying from all over the world, many are asking which is the closest airport to Halong Bay? The two airports that serve Halong Bay can be found in its neighbouring major cities of Hanoi and Hai Phong, both of which offer transfers directly to the bay.
Cat Bi International Airport – Hai Phong
With just 45km between them, Cat Bi international airport is irrefutably the closest airport to Halong Bay, with a travel time of about an hour required to transfer along the beautifully scenic road between the two. The airport is rather small, but given the popularity of Halong Bay, still receives about 17 flights a day – mainly from Ho Chi Minh City, but also from Nha Trang, Da Nang, Pleiku, Phu Quoc and nearby international airports like Seoul, Shenzhen and Bangkok.
Hai Phong Airport Transfer to Halong Bay
Along with Halong Bay, Cat Bi is also the closest airport to Bai Tu Long Bay and Lan Ha Bay. Information about the various distances and time requirements for a transfer to all of the Gulf on Tonkin’s bays are laid out below:
| Harbour and Bay | Distance from Hai Phong Airport | Time Required |
| Tuan Chau harbour – Halong Bay | 45km | 60 – 70 minutes |
| Hon Gai harbour – Bai Tu Long Bay | 55km | 80 – 90 minutes |
| Got harbour – Lan Ha Bay | 30km | 40 – 45 minutes |
Noi Bai International Airport – Hanoi
While not the closest, it could be argued that Hanoi’s Noi Bai airport is the most convenient airport for Halong Bay, as the vast majority of people arriving to see one of the New7Wonders of the world do so from the capital. The fact that almost all of cruise companies’ daily passenger arrivals come with a tour from Hanoi means that most of the government’s efforts on improving transportation links have been focused on the highway between Hanoi and Halong city. Along with this, there is much more to do in Hanoi than there is in Hai Phong, making Hanoi’s airport the main airport for Halong Bay.
Hanoi Airport Transfer to Halong Bay
Improved highways to both Halong and Hai Phong from Hanoi have ensured that travel from the capital to Halong Bay is easy. Most cruise companies offer a direct transfer from Hanoi airport to Halong, Bai Tu Long or Lan Ha bays, but it should be noted that times are longer if going with a tour company compared to going with a private car because of various stops that these companies make on the way.
| Harbour and Bay | Distance from Hanoi Airport | Time Required (without tour) |
| Tuan Chau harbour – Halong Bay | 170km | 3 – 3.5 hours |
| Hon Gai harbour – Bai Tu Long Bay | 180km | 3 – 3.5 hours |
| Got harbour – Lan Ha Bay | 160km | 2.5 – 3 hours |
Source: incredibleasiajourneys
Update day: 15/01/2019
Update day: 15/01/2019
