Hải Phòng
Vietnam's third-largest city and its biggest port — a French colonial centre most tourists skip, used mainly as the launchpad for Cát Bà island and Hạ Long Bay.
Hải Phòng is the kind of city you pass through, eat a remarkable bowl of noodles in, and forget to remember. It is Vietnam's third-largest urban area (population 2 million), the country's biggest container port, and the closest mainland city to Cát Bà and the southern fringe of Hạ Long Bay. What it is not is a tourist town. That is also what makes it good for a day.
What's distinctive
The colonial centre around Điện Biên Phủ street is intact and largely unrestored — pastel facades, peeling shutters, an opera house from 1904 modelled on a smaller Hanoi original. Wandering the old quarter and the riverside on foot for a morning is the most rewarding way to use the city.
| Site | What it is |
|---|---|
| Hải Phòng Opera House | 1904, French colonial, occasionally still hosts performances |
| Hai Ba Trung Market | The food-stall market — best for bánh đa cua |
| Du Hang Pagoda | Quiet 15th-century temple |
| Đồ Sơn | Beach resort suburb 20 km out; faded, with a casino |
| Naval Museum | Free, mostly captured American hardware |
The city has the only legal casino on the mainland that admits Vietnamese citizens (Đồ Sơn), a curiosity rather than a destination.
How to get there
| From | Mode | Time | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hanoi | Limousine van | 2 hours | 200,000 VND |
| Hanoi | Train (Hanoi → Hải Phòng line) | 2.5 hours | 100,000 VND |
| Hanoi | Domestic flight | 35 min + transfers | rarely worth it |
| Da Nang | Direct flight (Vietjet, Bamboo) | 1.5 hours | from 1.2 m VND |
| Sai Gon | Direct flight | 2 hours | from 1.5 m VND |
The Hanoi–Hải Phòng train runs from Long Biên or Hanoi station several times a day and is the most relaxed approach. Buses leave from Gia Lâm.
Onward — the real reason to be here
Hải Phòng is the mainland gateway to two big destinations:
- Cát Bà island: Ferry from Bến Bính or speedboat from Got pier. 45 min–1 hour. See Cát Bà.
- Lan Hạ Bay / Hạ Long Bay cruises: Several boutique operators (Indochina Sails, Bhaya) sail from Hải Phòng to skip the Tuần Châu crowds at the Hạ Long Bay end.
When to visit
The same delta weather as Hanoi: hot wet summers, cool grey winters, brief spring and autumn shoulder weeks that are the best. June–September is typhoon season — Hải Phòng catches them squarely and ferries to Cát Bà cancel for days at a time. See best time to visit.
Where to stay
Most travellers don't. If you need a night before an early ferry, Manoir Des Arts and Avani Harbour View are the two solid mid-range options near the centre (US$60–100). Pearl River Hotel is the budget standby at around US$25.
Food — the actual reason to stop
Bánh đa cua is the regional dish and one of the great Vietnamese noodle bowls — flat reddish-brown rice noodles, freshwater crab paste, pork rib, fried tofu, water spinach and a deep tomato-tinged broth. Quán Bà Cụ on Cát Dài street is the long-standing favourite; bowls run 40,000 VND.
Other things to eat:
- Bánh mì cay — finger-sized chilli baguettes, Hải Phòng's contribution to the bánh mì family
- Nem cua bể — square deep-fried crab spring rolls, sea-crab not freshwater
- Lẩu cua đồng — field-crab hotpot, group dish
A serious eater can easily justify a full day in Hải Phòng on food alone. See northern cuisine for context.
Honest take
Hải Phòng will not show up on most itineraries and probably should not. But if you have a ferry to catch, give the city a morning, eat the noodles, walk the old quarter, and you will not feel cheated. For everything else north, see Northern Vietnam.
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