Seaplane Hanoi to Halong Bay: Fantastic Way to Experience

Travel from Hanoi to Halong Bay is never easier than it is now. There are many kinds of transportation for you to choose from: train, bus, private car, shuttle bus, and local bus…, however, the most wonderful way is using a seaplane. You might meet many different questions about Hanoi to Halong Bay seaplane like: how much, how long, and how to book, you will find all of these answers in my articles.

About Seaplane from Hanoi to Halong Bay

Using a seaplane is the most luxurious way to travel from Hanoi to Halong Bay. Hai Au Aviation is the only seaplane provider in Vietnam offering a 45-minute scheduled flight from Hanoi to Ha Long Bay and an additional 15-minute for sightseeing.

The seaplane departs from Noi Bai Airport in Hanoi to Tuan Chau Marina, the gateway to Halong Bay day and overnight cruises. It can reach a height of 3,000 meters, but it gives you the best view of the bay at a height of 300 meters.

Each seaplane has spacious windows, which help you to see the beautiful landscape below including 1,600 islands and islets which are scattered beside the Gulf of Tonkin, along with beaches, lagoon, and towering sea cliffs. It has a capacity of 12 passengers who are each allowed 7 kg of luggage.

Hanoi to Halong Bay seaplane

Traveling to Halong from Hanoi by seaplane only takes 45-minute instead of 2.5 hours by car. It is excellent for those looking to maximize their time to see the sights rather than spend traveling, and also makes the transfer possible without being exhausting.

However, this kind of transportation is quite expensive. The cost varies from 175 USD to 385 USD depending on the season and the time of day. Despite the high cost, many tourists would love to try Hai Au Aviation’s seaplanes at least once during their life to experience the professional services and enjoy the best thing to do in Halong Bay other than cruise.

 

Hanoi to Halong Seaplane Schedule & Price

The price and schedule belong to the season and route, please find the detail below:

Fixed Schedule

• Points of Departure: Noi Bai Airport: Counter E09, Lobby E, Terminal 1, Noi Bai International Airport, Hanoi, Vietnam.
• Points of Arrival: Tuan Chau Marina: Villa T7 Tuan Chau Commercial Urban Area, Tuan Chau Ward, Ha Long City, Quang Ninh Province, Viet Nam.
• Departure time:
  • From Hanoi: 9:00, 10:00
  • From Halong: 12:30, 16:00
• Price: From 175 USD to 385 USD
• Duration: 45 minutes (transfer only) & 60 minutes (with the scenic flight over the bay)

Schedule & Price of Hanoi - Halong Seaplane

Route	Departure - Arrival Time	Fare/ One way/ Pax
		High Season	Low Season
601 Hanoi - Halong (with scenic in Halong)	09:20 - 10:20	406 USD	325 USD
602 Halong - Hanoi (with scenic in Halong)	12:30 - 13:30	406 USD	325 USD
603 Hanoi - Halong (with scenic in Halong)	10:00 - 11:00	406 USD	325 USD
604 Halong - Hanoi	16:00 - 16:45	291 USD	233 USD
Roundtrip (02 ways with scenic)	-	582 USD	500 USD

 

Notes:

• Airfare may be changed and adjusted by Hai Au Aviation
• The price in USD might be flexible due to the change in the exchange rate
• Children fare 
  • From 2 years old & up (private seat occupied): 100% Adult Fare
  • Under 2 years old (to be held on a person’s lap and allow a maximum of 2 children under two years old during the flight)
    • Hanoi - Halong/ Halong - Hanoi: 21 USD/ child
    • Scenic flight Halong - Halong: 6.5 USD/ child

Hanoi to Halong Bay seaplane route

 

Charter Seaplane

A Charter seaplane is ideal for a small group of passengers looking for traveling with supreme flexibility and convenience. With a charter seaplane, you can go anywhere, whenever and with whomever you want. The cost of this premium service is extremely high, it can reach thousands of US dollars.

However, charter seaplanes can offer things that other planes can not. Traveling on the seaplane, passengers have an opportunity to interact with the pilots directly, enjoy privacy with no other passengers on board except you and your group, and experience extra special with custom requests including limousine transfer, champagne on board, or fast-track airport check-in service, skip long queues for check-in.

Please see the tariff for charters seaplane Hanoi to Halong below:

Route	Duration	Itinerary	Fare/ One way
TAILOR CHARTER (you could request the time of departure)
Hanoi - Halong or vice versa (with scenic in Halong)	60 mins	Noi Bai - Tuan Chau Marina + Scenic 15 mins	4,324 USD
Hanoi - Halong or vice versa	45 mins	Noi Bai - Tuan Chau Marina	3,603 USD
Scenic flight Halong S25	25 mins	Tuan Chau - Cong Do - Bo Hon - Dau Be - Tuan Chau	1,503 USD
SCHEDULED CHARTER
Hanoi – Halong or vice versa (with scenic in Halong)	60 mins	Noi Bai - Tuan Chau Marina + Scenic 15 mins	3,633 USD
Hanoi – Halong or vice versa	45 mins	Noi Bai - Tuan Chau Marina	2,423 USD
Scenic flight Halong S25	25 mins	Tuan Chau - Cong Do - Bo Hon - Dau Be - Tuan Chau	1,001 USD

 

Notes:

• Airfare may be changed and adjusted by Hai Au Aviation
• The price in USD might be flexible due to the change in the exchange rate
• The rental price does not include the ferry flight fee (if any) for the charter flight

 

Hanoi to Halong Seaplane Tours

The cost of a combo seaplane and cruise from Hanoi to Halong Bay is much cheaper than booking these services separately. Below are some options for you to choose from.

Halong Bay seaplane sightseeing tour

 

Halong Bay Sightseeing Tour

• Points of Departure and Arrival: Tuan Chau Marina: Villa T7 Tuan Chau Commercial Urban Area, Tuan Chau Ward, Ha Long City, Quang Ninh Province.

This tour lasts for 25 minutes, from water takeoff to landing in Tuan Chau Island Marina. As one of the top things to do in Halong Bay, a seaplane sightseeing tour offers completely new perspectives over Halong Bay's magnificent seascape than a cruise ship. From the air, the islands appear as mountain ranges, resembling the undulating body of a dragon, the meaning of “Halong” in Vietnamese.

The seaplane offers a bird’s eye view of prominent islands. The pilots can talk directly with their passengers, offering information on points about the history and myths surrounding Ha Long Bay, and directing tourists to the most stunning corners of the bay such as Dau Be, Cong Do, and Bo Hon. This is a modest budget tour on a seaplane.

Schedule & Price of Halong Bay Scenic Flight

Route	Departure - Arrival Time	Fare/ One way/ Pax
		High Season	Low Season
611 Halong S25	09:00 - 09:25	120 USD	100 USD
612 Halong S25	09:55 - 10:20
613 Halong S25	10:50 - 11:15
614 Halong S25	11:45 - 12:10
615 Halong S25	13:25 - 13:50
616 Halong S25	14:20 - 14:45
617 Halong S25	15:15 - 15:40
618 Halong S25	16:10 - 16:35

 

Combo Seaplane & Halong Cruise

This combo includes hotel pick-up to Noi Bai airport, a 45-minute seaplane, and a cruise to Halong Bay. For this combo, we also offer various options for you like: seaplane + day cruise, seaplane + 1-night cruise, and seaplane + 2 nights cruise. 

Before deciding to book any combo you should have a little understanding about which combo is included, and how much combo is.

• Combo seaplane & 2-day cruise with transfer

It is the best way to experience Halong Bay. Two days is enough amount of time for you to see the beauty of the bay, and join a range of fascinating excursions.

>> You may be interested in Hanoi - Halong Bay Cruise by Seaplane 2 days

• Combo seaplane & 3-day cruise with transfer

The three-day cruise allows you to visit more “off the beaten track” locations, take part in a variety of activities such as kayaking through limestone islands in emerald waters, discover the spectacular karst grottoes, enjoy water activities, and sandy beaches, and visit unique floating villages.

>> You may be interested in Combo: Orchid Cruise & Seaplane 3 days

• Combo seaplane & 1-day cruise with transfer

If you are short on time, but still want to enjoy the fabulous view of Halong Bay, there is an option for a seaplane and day trip, please contact our travel consultant for more detail.

 

Combo Seaplane with Sightseeing & Cruise

This combo includes hotel pick up to Noi Bai airport, 45 minutes seaplane to Halong Bay, additional 15 minutes scenic tour over the bay, a Halong Bay cruise, and an optional transfer from Halong Bay to Hanoi by seaplane or car.

The combo scenic tour allows you to enjoy thousands of limestone karsts jutting up from the jade-green waters from a bird’s eye view and see remote fishing villages before landing on Tuan Chau Island Marina. It is a bit more expensive than the combo without a scenic tour, but it is worth trying.

Boarding for sightseeing tour on Hanoi - Halong seaplane

 

Hanoi to Halong Bay Seaplane Booking

There are 2 main ways to book a seaplane. You can either book it directly with Hai Au Aviation or through tourism agencies

• Book direct with the seaplane company

You can call the Hai Au Aviation hotline directly at (+84) 962 069 689, or book through the website or Facebook page of Hai Au Aviation. The booking process is simple and fast with clear cancellation policies. However, you should read it carefully, as there is a possibility of delay and cancellation.

If you book through a seaplane company directly you might not get any discount or promotion from the public rate.

• Book through BestPrice Travel

Another way to book a seaplane is through tourism agencies and BestPrice Travel is one of the top-selling agents for Hai Au Aviation. There are some advantages of booking through a travel agency:

• • The travel agent will be able to arrange the transfer from/ to the airport in Hanoi for you.
  • You can get a promotion if book together with the Halong Bay cruise for you.
  • In case of a delay or cancellation, the travel agency will arrange an alternative transfer so that you can join the cruise as planned.

 

Pros & Cons of Hanoi - Halong Bay Seaplane

Pros

Traveling from Hanoi to Halong Bay is the first choice of many tourists for some reasons:

• Spectacular aerial views: The seaplane offers a bird’s-eye view of rice paddy fields, rivers, rural villages, Hai Phong city, Tuan Chau island, and Halong Bay - the UNESCO Natural Heritage Site with splendid limestone islands.
• Time-saving: It takes only 45 minutes to travel instead of 3- 4 hours by car. Traveling time is shortened dramatically.
• Comfortable & Convenient: Professional services include experienced and well-trained English staff, complimentary Wi-Fi and 4G Internet, and a live commentary in English about Halong Bay. Moreover, the seaplane arrives at Tuan Chau harbor where you can easily take a cruise tour, or watch numerous programs such as performances of circus, dolphins, and crocodiles, and take part in outdoor activities like windsurfing, canoeing, parachuting…
• Safe: The seaplane used for flights between Hanoi and Halong Bay is considered the safest single-engine aircraft in the world. The aircrew is all well-trained and qualified with at least 2,000 flight hours. The company strictly follows safety, security & maintenance regulations.

Happy travelers enjoy a seaplane Hanoi - Halong

Cons

• High price: The lowest price for one-way is 175 USD/person. It is even higher if you travel during public holidays.
  A limited weight of luggage: The luggage allowance per person including both checked and carry-on luggage is 7 kg. Each bag should not exceed the following dimension: H 56cm x W 36cm x D 23cm. The excess baggage charge is VND 118,000/kg. Bag weight should not exceed 25kg each. So pack only the necessary stuff into your baggage.
• Delay and cancellation: There is a possibility of delay and cancellation due to weather conditions or if the travel group is less than 4 people.
• Health condition: Not suitable for tourists who have health problems such as heart disease, or acrophobia.

 

Although the fee for a seaplane tour is not cheap, it becomes more and more popular. It is the best way to see Halong Bay, which will bring unforgettable memories on your trips.

Hope that the above information is helpful for your trip to Halong Bay. If you want any more information or assistance to book any Halong bay tours with the seaplane, do not hesitate to contact BestPrice Travel.

You may also be interested in Hanoi to Halong Bay Helicopter: A Fancy Way to Transfer

Jenny Tran

(Images source: Internet)