Hai Phong travel guide
Hai Phong is one of the largest cities with an important seaport of Vietnam. Hai Phong borders with Quang Ninh Province to the north, Hai Duong Province to the west, and Thai Binh Province to the south. Thanks to the proximity to the East Sea, the weather of Hai Phong is affected by inter-tropical monsoons with the annual average temperature varies between 23 - 24 degree celsius.
Hai Phong is not popular for foreign tourists but it is a hot place for domestic tourists in summer because of Do Son beach and Cat Ba island. Let’s explore the beauty of the province with us.
How to get Hai Phong?
Hai Phong is 100km far from Hanoi so you can get the province easily by road.
By motorbike: you can get Hai Phong by motorbike along the highway No.5 in 2 or 3 hours from Hanoi. However, the road is often busy with big trucks so you should drive slowly and carefully and don’t forget to bring the helmet and driving licenses. You also bring your smart phone to search the map.
By bus: the ticket is not expensive, from 70,000 – 100,000 VND. Hai Phong has 3 bus stations: Tam Bac, Niem Nghia, and Cau Rao bus station. From Hanoi, there are two main buses: Hoang Long in Luong Yen bus station (Hanoi) and Hai Au (Gia Lam bus station in Hanoi). After getting the bus station in Hai Phong, tourists can take a taxi or Xe Om to get your hotel in the city or attractions in Hai Phong.
By train: you also can get Hai Phong easily by train from Hanoi as there are 8 trips Hanoi (Gia Lam train station) - Hai Phong (Cat Bi train station) every day. The ticket is around 45,000 – 90,000 VND depended on the seat’s type. You also don’t need to buy the ticket early except the holiday.
By flight: Hai Phong has Cat Bi airport so you can get the province by flight. However, the tourists only use this way from Danang or Saigon because the distance is too close from Hanoi. You can check the flight online on the official website of the airlines: Vietnam Airline (www.vietnamairlines.com/ ), Jetstar Airline (www.jetstar.com ), Vietjet Air (www.vietjetair.com/ )
Things to do and see in Hai Phong:
Do Son Beach: Do Son beach and Sam Son beach are two of the most popular beaches in the north of Vietnam. The beach is far about 40km from the city and is a hot place for domestic tourists in summer (from May – August – this is also the best time to visit Do Son beach). Although the water is not as blue as the beaches in the South, this beach has a large and long sand shore. The seafood here is also fresh and delicious.
Cat Ba Island: the island was recognized as the Biosphere Reserve Area by UNESCO. To get Cat Ba island, you have to take a boat from Hai Phong or Halong Bay (Quang Ninh province). The best time to visit the island is summer (May – August) if you want to swim at the beach. However, this time is often crowded with a lot of domestic tourists. If you want to see the island and take photos only, Sep – Dec is the great time to visit. Coming to Cat Ba island, the tourists will have a chance to visit many beautiful attractions such as: Lan Ha Bay, Cat Ba national park, Viet Hai fishing village, many beaches; and enjoy a lot of delicious seafood.
Accommodation:
Hai Phong city doesn’t have many luxury hotels for tourists to sleep because most tourists don’t sleep here. They often sleep in Cat Ba island where has many hotels and resorts. Sunrise Cat Ba resort is the most luxury resort in Cat Ba. If you want to stay here, you can contact with a travel agency to book hotels or search on the internet to find the best suitable hotel for yourselves.