Hanoi to Hai Phong is one of the easiest trips in the north, and the choice comes down to where you start and where you want to land. The train runs four times a day between the two central stations in about 2.5 hours for around 124,000 VND. Express buses leave all day from bus stations and offices and are often faster on the expressway, but they may drop you away from the old center. A private car takes under 2 hours, and if you are coming from the south, you can skip Hanoi and fly straight to Cat Bi.
How we built this guide: on 19 October 2026 we checked Vietnam Railways' own timetable and fare table for Thursday 5 November 2026 in both directions, bus, van and car listings for the same date on Vexere and 12Go, flight listings from Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang on 12Go, Baolau's station details and ferry times, Hoang Long's own site, Grab's Cat Bi page and a December 2025 Bao Hai Phong report on the expressway. We did not make the trip for this guide. Prices are in Vietnamese dong (VND) with US dollar estimates at Vietcombank's selling rate of 26,080 VND per dollar on 19 October 2026.
Which way from Hanoi to Hai Phong suits you?
Take the train for a calm, central arrival, an express bus for frequency, a limousine van for comfort and a car for a group or an airport pickup. Our Hai Phong guide helps you decide whether to stay a night.
| Mode | Time | Price seen for 5 Nov 2026 | From and to | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Train | 2 hours 25 minutes to 2 hours 45 minutes | 124,000 to 154,000 VND (about $4.75 to $5.90) | Hanoi station or Long Bien to Hai Phong station | Central arrival, fixed times |
| Express bus | About 1 to 2.5 hours, depending on pickup | 120,900 to 160,000 VND (about $4.65 to $6.15) | Gia Lam, My Dinh and city offices to Hai Phong offices and bus stations | Frequency, price |
| Limousine van | About 1.5 to 2 hours | 230,000 to 250,000 VND (about $8.80 to $9.60) | Company offices, some with pickup | Comfort, luggage |
| Private car | About 1 hour 40 minutes to 2 hours | From about 1,146,600 VND (about $44) per car | Door to door, including Noi Bai airport | Groups, families |
| Flight to Cat Bi, from the south | About 1 hour 15 minutes to 2 hours in the air | From about 1,068,200 VND (about $41) | Ho Chi Minh City or Da Nang to Cat Bi | Skipping Hanoi |
How does the train work?
Four trains a day cover the 102 km line, all from Hanoi Railway Station. Vietnam Railways' timetable for 5 November 2026 shows:
| Train | Leaves Hanoi | Leaves Long Bien | Arrives Hai Phong | Time from Hanoi |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HP1 | 06:00 | Does not stop | 08:25 | 2 hours 25 minutes |
| LP3 | 09:25 | 09:36 | 12:00 | 2 hours 35 minutes |
| LP5 | 15:15 | 15:26 | 18:00 | 2 hours 45 minutes |
| LP7 | 18:10 | 18:21 | 20:55 | 2 hours 45 minutes |
Every train also calls at Gia Lam, Hai Duong, Phu Thai and Thuong Ly, and the LP trains at Cam Giang too. All four list the same soft-seat fares: 124,000 VND in the basic class, 129,000 and 154,000 VND in two other soft-seat categories, and one category at 309,000 VND. The Long Bien timetable showed the same prices from there.
Which station should you use?
Use Long Bien if you stay in the Old Quarter and take LP3, LP5 or LP7. It sits at the western end of Long Bien Bridge in Hoan Kiem, and it serves the line to Hai Phong, per Wikipedia. Otherwise, start at Hanoi Railway Station at 120 Le Duan. Trains arrive at Hai Phong Railway Station, 75 Luong Khanh Thien, per Baolau, which advises arriving 30 minutes before departure. The station opened in 1902 and is about 750 m from the Opera House, according to VinWonders.
Resellers add a margin. Baolau showed 154,000 VND for its trains on 24 October 2026, and 12Go's train seats started at about 225,800 VND for 5 November.
Which buses and limousine vans run to Hai Phong?
Plenty, mostly on the expressway, from early morning to evening. Vexere lists 24 bus companies on the route and fares from 130,000 to 570,000 VND.
Express buses
These big seated coaches are the cheapest road option and run throughout the day. Examples for 5 November 2026:
- Hai Au: on 12Go, express coaches left 13 times between 07:20 and 20:20 for 130,000 VND, timed at 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 40 minutes, plus an 11-seat limousine at 11:50 for 150,000 VND. On Vexere, its 09:30 coach left Gia Lam bus station and reached its Cau Rao 2 office in Hai Phong in 1 hour 5 minutes, for 150,000 VND.
- Hoang Long: 120,900 VND on 12Go, at 10:00, 16:00, 17:00 and 18:00, timed at 1 hour 30 minutes. Its own site says its red buses run every 20 minutes on National Highway 5A, while Hoang Long Express uses the expressway and takes 1 hour 20 minutes.
- Anh Huy: 130,000 VND on 12Go from 06:20. On Vexere, Anh Huy Travel left 61 Tran Dang Ninh at 13:30 for its office at 18 Lach Tray in 2 hours 10 minutes, and 42 Lang street at 18:20 for Thuong Ly bus station at 97 Hung Vuong in 2 hours 20 minutes, both 150,000 VND after a discount.
- Ket Doan: from its My Dinh office to its Quan Toan office in 1 hour 30 minutes, 160,000 VND, on Vexere.
The trip time depends mostly on the pickup. In these listings the quickest trip started at Gia Lam bus station, east of the Red River, while Anh Huy's departures from Cau Giay and Lang street took more than 2 hours. Our bus companies compared post covers Hoang Long and how to book.
Limousine vans
Vans with 9 to 11 seats cost roughly 1.5 to 2 times the coach fare. On Vexere, Vip Phuong Huy Luxury (from its Co Linh office), Nguyen Gia Limousine (from Cau Giay) and Anh Huy Dat Cang were all timed at 1 hour 30 minutes from 240,000 VND, and Hai Phong Travel from 250,000 VND. On 12Go, AGO Hoang Phuong's nine-seat van was 230,000 VND, timed at 1 to 2 hours.
Watch out: many listings on this route are really Cat Ba trips. On 12Go's results for Hanoi to Hai Phong, the top cards were bus and ferry tickets ending in Cat Ba town, at 265,000 to 320,000 VND. If you only want Hai Phong city, check the drop-off point before you pay.
How long does a private car take on the expressway?
About 1 hour 40 minutes to 2 hours. The Hanoi to Hai Phong Expressway is about 105 km long with six lanes, opened in 2015, and now carries around 65,000 vehicles a day, close to its design capacity, Bao Hai Phong reported in December 2025. It also said congestion already builds at holidays, Lunar New Year and weekends, and that the operator has proposed widening it to 8 to 10 lanes.
On 12Go for 5 November 2026, the cheapest private car was OUROS Travel's three-seat car from Noi Bai airport to central Hai Phong, about 1,146,600 VND and timed at 1 hour 55 minutes. Saigon DMC's car from Hanoi was about 1,165,300 VND for 1 hour 40 minutes, and Viet Technologies Travel's four-seat SUV from Noi Bai was 1,325,000 VND. All are priced per vehicle, all included. If you land at Noi Bai, that skips the city entirely; our Noi Bai to the Old Quarter guide covers the other direction.
Can you fly straight to Hai Phong from the south?
Yes, and it often makes sense if Cat Ba or Hai Phong is your first stop. Cat Bi airport has direct domestic flights, and the city center is about 6 km away, a 20-minute ride for 80,000 to 120,000 VND, according to Grab.
| From | Direct flights seen for 5 Nov 2026 | Flight time | Lowest fare seen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ho Chi Minh City | VietJet Air at 04:30, 05:40, 07:30, 09:00 and later; Vietnam Airlines at 07:50 and 12:20 | About 2 hours | About 1,068,200 VND |
| Da Nang | Vietnam Airlines at 09:35 and 11:20; VietJet Air at 14:55, 15:45 and 16:25 | 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 25 minutes | About 1,068,200 VND |
The times and fares are from 12Go's listings for Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang; 12Go also showed connecting itineraries with long layovers, which we left out. Flying into Noi Bai instead adds the road trip above. Our fly or ride research weighs flying against ground travel on Vietnam's main routes.
Where do you arrive in Hai Phong, and what next?
Trains arrive in the old center; buses arrive at company offices and bus stations around the city. From Hai Phong station you can walk to the Opera House. Bus drop-offs seen on Vexere included Cau Rao 2, 18 Lach Tray, Thuong Ly bus station and Quan Toan, spread around the city, so you may need a Grab for the last stretch.
For Cat Ba, take a taxi to Ben Binh pier. On Baolau for 24 October 2026, catamarans left at 06:00, 07:40, 09:00, 12:10, 14:10 and 15:50, taking 1 hour 30 minutes for 170,000 VND (about $6.50). HP1's 08:25 arrival makes the 09:00 boat tight, while LP3's 12:00 arrival leaves a relaxed connection to the 14:10. Our Hanoi to Cat Ba guide compares this with through tickets, and the Cat Ba and Lan Ha Bay guide covers the island.
Tip: Around Lunar New Year, trains and buses fill early and the expressway jams; see our Tet 2027 guide.
Going the other way: Hai Phong to Hanoi
The same buses run back all day, and four trains return. Vietnam Railways' Hai Phong to Hanoi timetable for 5 November 2026 lists LP2 at 06:05 arriving 08:49, LP6 at 09:10 arriving 11:52, LP8 at 15:00 arriving 17:40 and HP2 at 18:40 arriving 21:15. For more trips from the capital, see Starting from Hanoi and our guide to getting around Vietnam.
Key facts at a glance
- Trains: four a day over 102 km, 2 hours 25 minutes to 2 hours 45 minutes, soft seats from 124,000 VND on 5 November 2026 (Vietnam Railways).
- Buses: 24 companies, fares from 130,000 to 570,000 VND (Vexere).
- Expressway: about 105 km, opened in 2015, around 65,000 vehicles a day (Bao Hai Phong).
- Private car: from about 1,146,600 VND per vehicle, 1 hour 40 minutes to 1 hour 55 minutes (12Go).
- Cat Bi airport: about 6 km and 20 minutes from the center by Grab (Grab).
Limitations
These are listings seen on 19 October 2026 for Thursday 5 November, and fares change with the date, the class and demand, and the same company can show different prices on different booking platforms. Bus durations depend heavily on Hanoi traffic and your pickup point, and some listed times on booking sites look optimistic. We could not confirm current expressway toll rates, so we quote only all-inclusive car prices. Vietnam Railways can change its timetable, especially around Tet, and storms can stop the Cat Ba boats from June to October. Check your pickup, drop-off and departure time with the operator before you travel.
