The standard approach from Hanoi is by road — about 160 km and 3 to 4 hours by bus or private car. Several companies run daily bus services from My Dinh and Nuoc Ngam bus stations in Hanoi, typically docking at the Bai Chay bus station. Most cruise operators offer Hanoi-to-cruise transfers as part of their packages, which simplifies the logistics considerably.
The Halong train station (Hạ Long station) is served by occasional services but is not practical for most visitors. Van Don International Airport, about 50 km from the city, opened in 2018 and handles some domestic flights from Ho Chi Minh City; it is expanding as tourism infrastructure develops.