Lan Homestay · Viet Hai · Cat Ba
2 Days in Viet Hai
A full day on Lan Ha Bay, then a night in a village with no road in, no traffic and no crowds — inside Cat Ba National Park.
$130 per person · all-inclusive
Solo travellers $160. Covers everything from Hanoi pickup to Hanoi drop-off — transport, boat trip, tickets, room and all meals.
Why this trip is different
Most Lan Ha Bay tours put you on a boat for the night. This one puts you in a village of 300 people that no road has ever reached.
- A village without roads. Viet Hai sits deep inside Cat Ba National Park. You arrive by boat and leave by boat.
- You eat with the family. Dinner is one long table shared with everyone staying that night. Not a restaurant — our kitchen.
- Thatched-roof bungalows. Garden bungalows and mountain-view rooms, each with a private bathroom.
- A real second morning. Most tours put you straight on the road after breakfast. Here you cycle the park or walk to the caves first.
Day 1 — Hanoi to Lan Ha Bay to Viet Hai
- 06:00 — Pickup from your hotel in Hanoi Old Quarter. Road and ferry, roughly three hours.
- 09:10 — Arrive at Ben Beo pier, Cat Ba Island.
- 09:15 — Board and cast off into Lan Ha Bay, cruising past Cai Beo floating fishing village.
- 11:00 — Kayaking through the Bright and Dark Caves — paddle through a low rock tunnel into a hidden lagoon. If tide or weather is against us, your guide swaps in another sheltered spot. We never put kayaks on unsafe water.
- 12:30 — Vietnamese lunch cooked fresh on board, anchored where Lan Ha meets Ha Long Bay.
- 13:30 — On to Ba Trai Dao (Three Beaches).
- 14:30 — Swimming, and jumping off the boat if you fancy it.
- 15:00 — Stop at a working fish farm.
- 15:30 — The boat brings you straight to Viet Hai. No transfers, no backtracking. Check in, tea in the garden.
- 18:30 — Family dinner at the long table.
- Evening — The valley goes quiet after dark. Tea with the family, and a sky full of stars — Viet Hai has no street lighting and no town glow for miles.
Day 2 — Viet Hai to Ben Beo to Hanoi
- 06:00-09:00 — Breakfast in the garden, served whenever you come down.
- 08:00 — Cycle the valley road through the national park, hike the forest trail, or walk to the caves. Bicycles are rented in the village — around 30,000₫ per bike, arranged for you on the spot.
- 10:30 — Lunch at the homestay.
- 11:30 — Check out, then the speedboat back to Ben Beo — 30 minutes across the bay.
- 12:30 — Bus and ferry back to Hanoi.
- ~15:45 — Drop-off in the Old Quarter, with the rest of your day still ahead of you.
🚌 Not going back to Hanoi? Tell us where you are heading
The bus and ferry back to the Hanoi Old Quarter are already included in the tour price — you do not need to arrange anything.
But plenty of guests carry straight on somewhere else after Cat Ba, and we can arrange that instead of the Hanoi drop-off:
- Ninh Binh — departs Cat Ba at 12:30, 350,000₫ per person
- Sapa, Ha Giang, or Noi Bai Airport — message us and we will quote you the current fare and the departure time
Tell us when you book, not on the last morning — seats on the onward buses go early in high season. WhatsApp +84 363 934 325 or info@lanhomestay.com, answered in English and Vietnamese, usually within the hour.
Want longer in the village? Ask for the 16:00 bus.
Tell us when you book and we will put you on the later departure at no extra cost. You check out at 12:00 as usual — we store your bags, and the garden and shared shower room stay open to you, so you can wash and change after the morning ride. The whole afternoon is then yours. Speedboat at 15:00, bus at 16:00, back in Hanoi around 19:15.
We need a day’s notice to hold the later boat, so please ask when you book rather than on the morning itself.
What $130 covers
Included
- Return transport Hanoi to Cat Ba (bus + ferry)
- Speedboat transfers to and from Viet Hai
- Full-day Lan Ha Bay boat trip with kayaking
- All national park and bay entrance tickets
- 1 night in a private-bathroom bungalow
- All meals: 2 lunches, 1 family dinner, 1 breakfast
- Drinking water on the boat
- English-speaking host at the homestay
Not included
- Travel insurance
- Drinks other than water
- Bicycle rental — around 30,000₫ per bike, hired in the village
- Tips
- Solo supplement (+$30, so $160 for one traveller)
Good to know
- Getting there — Hanoi to Ben Beo pier is about three hours by road and ferry, with pickup and drop-off inside the Old Quarter. The speedboat between Ben Beo and Viet Hai takes 30 minutes.
- Group size — Small groups. We do not run this trip with large coach parties.
- Best season — October to April is clearest and driest. July to September is the rainy season — cruises occasionally move or cancel for weather, and we will always tell you honestly in advance.
- Fitness — Easy. The cycling is flat valley road; the forest walk is optional and takes about an hour.
- Bring — Swimwear for the bay swim on day 1, light rain jacket, sunscreen, comfortable shoes, and a small cash reserve — there is no ATM in Viet Hai.
- Special meals — Vegetarian and allergy-friendly meals available. Seafood hotpot or BBQ can be added with one day’s notice.
Check availability
Tell us your dates and we will reply within a few hours. No payment now — we confirm availability first.
| How it runs | Hanoi to Hanoi over two days: pick-up in the Old Quarter, the road transfer and ferry, a full day on Lan Ha Bay, dinner at the long table and a night in the valley. |
| What it costs | Rates move with the season and the size of the group, so we quote per booking rather than print a price that goes stale. Ask and we send the current one, with what is included and what is paid at the gate. |
| Fixed state fees | Lan Ha Bay ticket 120,000 VND adult / 60,000 VND child · electric cart between the pier and the house 50,000 VND per person each way. The same for everyone, set by the state. |
| Paying | Nothing is charged online. You settle at the homestay before you leave — see payment information. |
| If the weather turns | We do not sail when the harbour master closes the water. A cancelled trip is moved to the next clear day or refunded — we never run a boat we would not put our own family on. |
| Getting here | Three to three and a half hours from Hanoi, then thirty minutes across the water. We arrange the whole chain — see getting to Lan Homestay. |
| Who answers you | Chilly and the family, at the house in Viet Hai. No agency in between. Usually within a few hours, Vietnam time (GMT+7). |
Booking questions, answered
Answered by the Lan family in Viet Hai — the people who run the boats, cook the dinner and meet you at the pier.
What exactly does the $130 include?
Return transport between Hanoi and Cat Ba (bus and ferry), both speedboat transfers to and from Viet Hai, the full-day Lan Ha Bay boat trip with kayaking, every national park and bay entrance ticket, one night in a bungalow with a private bathroom, and all four meals — two lunches, the family dinner and breakfast. Drinking water on the boat is included too. Not included: travel insurance, drinks other than water, tips, and bicycle hire in the village, which is around 30,000₫ per bike.
I am travelling alone — what does it cost?
$160. The $130 price assumes two people sharing a room, so a solo traveller pays a $30 single supplement. You still get the same boat day, the same room and the same meals. If you would rather share with another solo traveller on the same dates, tell us when you book and we will say honestly whether anyone else is booked.
What happens if the weather cancels the boat on my dates?
July to September is the rainy season and the bay boat occasionally cannot run safely. We will tell you as soon as we know rather than on the morning itself. If the bay day cannot go ahead we offer the alternatives that still work in poor weather — the cave walk, the valley ride, the national park trail — or we move your dates if there is room. Ask us about payment when you book and we will put the answer in writing before you pay anything.
Can you cook for vegetarians, vegans or allergies?
Yes. Tell us when you book and the kitchen will cook around it — this is a family kitchen, not a set menu, so it is not a problem. Seafood hotpot or seafood BBQ can be added instead of the usual dinner, but we need one day’s notice for those because the seafood is bought fresh off the boats.
Can I take the later bus back to Hanoi?
Yes, and it costs nothing extra. Instead of the 12:30 bus you take the 16:00 one, which puts you back in the Old Quarter around 19:15. You still check out at 12:00, but we store your bags and the garden and shared shower room stay open to you, so you can wash and change after the morning ride. We need a day’s notice to hold the later speedboat, so please ask when you book rather than on the morning.