A private boat from Ben Beo is quoted per boat, not per person, so a group of six often pays close to what a couple pays — but the number moves with the season, the boat and how far you want to go, so we quote it for your dates rather than print a price list here. This page explains what you are actually paying for, which boats are allowed to carry tourists, what is never included, and how we arrange it for guests staying with us in Viet Hai.
Private boat from Ben Beo — the short version
| Where it leaves from | Ben Beo harbour, 10 minutes by taxi from Cat Ba town |
| How the rate works | Per boat, for a fixed route and time — not per passenger |
| What decides the rate | Season, boat size, half or full day, and whether kayaks and lunch are included |
| Always paid separately | Lan Ha Bay entrance ticket: 120,000 VND per adult, 60,000 VND per child |
| Ben Beo to Viet Hai | About 15 minutes by speedboat, then about 10 minutes by electric car up to the village — 25–30 minutes in all |
| Who to ask | WhatsApp +84 363 934 325 with your dates and group size — we reply with a firm quote |
Why the price is per boat, and why we do not print it
Every boat on Lan Ha Bay is chartered as a whole. The captain does not care whether two or eight people step aboard; his cost is the diesel, the crew and the day. That is why a private boat feels expensive for a couple and very reasonable for a family or a group of friends who split it.
For the price of a private boat, please contact us and we will talk through the details with you: your dates, how many of you there are, the route you have in mind, and whether you want kayaks and lunch on board. Message us on WhatsApp at +84 363 934 325 and we will reply with the options that fit your trip.
What we can tell you for free is how the pieces fit together, which is most of what people are really asking when they search for a price.
What a private boat from Ben Beo usually includes
A private charter on Lan Ha Bay is normally sold as a route and a duration. The route is the part you should pay attention to, because it decides what you see and how long you are on the water.
| Option | Who it suits | Time on the water | Bay ticket | How it is quoted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transfer only, Ben Beo to Viet Hai | Guests arriving with luggage who just want to get to the village | About 15 minutes by boat, 25–30 minutes to the village in all | Included in the transfer arrangement we make for guests | Per boat, fixed |
| Half-day private boat | Couples and small families who want a swim and a kayak without a full day out | 3–4 hours | Paid separately, 120,000 VND per adult | Per boat, by season |
| Full-day private boat | Groups of four to eight who want the far side of the bay, lunch on board and kayaking | 7–8 hours | Paid separately, 120,000 VND per adult | Per boat, by season and lunch choice |
| Overnight on a licensed cruise boat | Anyone who wants to sleep on the bay | Two days | Included in the cruise | Per cabin, see the 2-day, 1-night cruise |
Whatever you book, ask three questions before you pay anything: does the quote include the bay entrance ticket, does it include kayaks, and does it include lunch. Those three items are where most of the confusion at the harbour comes from. Our cruise or day tour comparison walks through the same trade-off for the scheduled options.
Which boats are allowed to carry you
This is the part of the page we would ask you to read twice. Walk down the pier at Ben Beo and you will be offered a boat within a minute. Some of those boats are licensed passenger vessels with a registered captain, life jackets counted against the number of seats and an inspection certificate. Some are working fishing boats or private runabouts whose owners are happy to take your money for a trip they are not permitted to sell.
We do not book the unlicensed boats for our guests, and we would rather lose a booking than send you out on one. The reason is not paperwork for its own sake. When a storm closes the bay the port authority stops licensed boats at the pier; an unlicensed one has no reason to stop, and no insurance if something goes wrong. Our Lan Ha Bay boat safety guide explains what to look for, and our typhoon season page explains what happens on the days the bay is shut.
The private boats we arrange run through a licensed operator we have worked with for years, the same company behind our three-day cruise. You can ask us for the licence number and we will send a photo of it.
What is never in the boat price
Three things sit outside any private boat quote on Lan Ha Bay, and it is worth knowing them so a low first number does not surprise you later.
The first is the bay entrance ticket. Lan Ha Bay charges 120,000 VND per adult and 60,000 VND per child, collected at the harbour, and no captain can waive it. The second is the electric car between the Viet Hai pier and the village, 50,000 VND per person each way, about 10 minutes, which is how you reach us once the boat drops you. The third is anything you eat or drink on board unless the quote says lunch is included — on a half-day boat it usually is not.
If you are counting every dong, our Cat Ba budget guide and our money and ATMs page cover the rest of the trip. There is no ATM in Viet Hai, so bring cash for the small items.
How group size changes the answer
Because the rate is per boat, the same trip costs a couple far more per head than it costs a family of five. That does not mean a couple should skip it. It means a couple should look at the scheduled full-day Lan Ha Bay tour first, where the boat is shared and the cost is per person, and only pay for a private boat if they want to choose the route and the pace.
For four people or more the private boat starts to make sense on its own. For six to eight it is often the cheaper option per head, and you get to decide whether the afternoon goes to the floating fish farms, a quiet beach, or an extra hour of kayaking. Tell us how many of you there are and we will say plainly which option we would take.
Booking a boat from Viet Hai instead of Ben Beo
Guests who are already staying with us do not need to go back to Ben Beo to start a boat trip. A private boat can pick you up at the Viet Hai pier, take you around the bay, and either bring you back to the village for the night or drop you at Ben Beo at the end of the day with your luggage on board. That second version is popular on the last day of a stay, because it turns the transfer back to Cat Ba town into the day’s activity rather than a chore.
The how to get to Viet Hai page has the timings for the public speedboat, which is the cheap option if you only need the transfer. Our two days in Viet Hai package already builds a private boat day into the stay, if you would rather not assemble it yourself.
How we arrange a private boat for guests
Send us your dates, the number of adults and children, and whether you want a half day, a full day, or a transfer that doubles as a trip. We check the licensed boats that are free, tell you what the quote includes and what it does not, and confirm in writing before you pay a deposit. If your dates fall inside the storm season we say so, and we tell you what happens to the booking if the port authority closes the bay. We will tell you honestly whether a shared tour would serve you better than a private boat; we sell both and have no reason to push one.
Questions we get about private boats
How much is a private boat from Ben Beo to Viet Hai?
It is quoted per boat for the crossing, about 15 minutes (25–30 minutes to the village with the electric car), and the rate changes with the season and the boat, so we do not print a figure. Message us on WhatsApp with your date and group size and we send a firm quote the same day. Guests who book a room with us get the transfer arranged as part of the stay.
Do I pay the Lan Ha Bay entrance fee on top of the boat?
Yes, on almost every private boat. The Lan Ha Bay ticket is 120,000 VND per adult and 60,000 VND per child, collected at the harbour, and it is separate from what the captain charges. Only overnight cruises and our packaged stays fold it into the price.
Can the boat driver take us kayaking too?
On licensed boats, yes — kayaks are either on board or picked up from a floating base in the bay, and the quote should say whether they are included. On an unlicensed boat there are usually no kayaks and no life jackets sized for children, which is one of the reasons we do not book them.
Is a private boat cheaper than a shared tour?
For two people, almost never. For four it is close. For six or more a private boat is often cheaper per head and you choose the route. We sell both and will tell you which one fits your group.
Something we have not covered? Send us a message and a member of the family will answer.
Read next
Ben Beo harbour: a practical guide · Lan Ha Bay: cruise or day tour? · How to get to Viet Hai village · Cat Ba scams to avoid
