Hai Phong (Hải Phòng) to Da Lat (Đà Lạt): Flights and a 3-Day Plan

In December, Hai Phong settles into its damp northern winter: grey skies, a raw wind off the sea and steaming bowls of crab noodle soup on every corner. The same month in Da Lat, 1,500 metres up in the Central Highlands, is the start of the dry season. Middays are bright and the lake in the middle of town shines, but once the sun drops you will want a proper jacket zipped to the chin.

A flight of under two hours links the two. The trick is picking a day the plane actually flies, choosing the right season and packing for a very different kind of cold.

Direct from Cat Bi, or connect?

Da Lat's airport closed on 4 March 2026 for a runway rebuild and reopened on 19 August 2026. Vietjet resumed the Hai Phong route the same day, with four return flights a week. Guides written during the runway closure may still describe the airport as shut.

We would check the direct flight first. Cat Bi is a short taxi ride from central Hai Phong, so you skip a morning on the road to Hanoi. Open the Vietjet schedule first, find a pair of dates that works, then book your room, and check the schedule again a few days before you fly. Only route via Hanoi if the direct dates do not fit, and accept two extra hours on the road; connecting through Ho Chi Minh City or Cam Ranh is worth it only when you are adding another stop. Around Lunar New Year (Tết) and the 30 April - 1 May holidays, cheap seats on a route this thin go fast.

From Lien Khuong airport into Da Lat

The airport sits about 30 km south of the centre. Cars take the Lien Khuong - Prenn expressway and then the Prenn pass, about 35-45 minutes in all. A taxi costs about VND400,000-450,000 (guide price). Before the runway works the airport bus cost about VND40,000-50,000 a person; since the reopening, check the fare and the time of the last bus at the information desk. Two or more people with suitcases are better off in a taxi or ride-hail car; on your own with a backpack, consider the bus if the information desk confirms a suitable service, then take a car from the drop-off.

Photo: Diane Selwyn

Three days in Da Lat, built around the flights

This plan assumes an arrival late on day one and two nights in Da Lat. Find a pair of flight dates on the airline site before booking a room. If your arrival or departure times differ, drop the far-flung stops rather than cramming.

1. Day 1

   Arrive, then an evening walk by the lake

   Stay near the lake or Da Lat market so you can walk on the first night. Eat something hot, wander the night market and turn in early: tomorrow starts at 5am.
2. Day 2

   Morning mist at Cau Dat (Cầu Đất), the old station after lunch

   The Cau Dat tea hills are about 24 km from the lake by road; go while the mist is still down. Back to town for lunch and a rest, then Da Lat railway station and a café on the hillside streets. Hotpot or grill for dinner.
3. Day 3

   Tuyen Lam (Tuyền Lâm) Lake, gifts, airport

   Morning at Truc Lam (Trúc Lâm) monastery and Tuyen Lam Lake, about 6 km from the centre. Buy candied fruit, artichoke tea or coffee to take home. Check your airline's arrival guidance, then add the 35-45 minute drive to Lien Khuong and a buffer for traffic or rain on the pass when deciding when to leave your hotel.

Photo: ℍmoong

In the wet season, keep the same outline but put the outdoor stops in the mornings and save afternoons for cafés, markets and museums. With older parents along, swap the early Cau Dat run for a slow morning around the lake.

Photo: Schwede66

Adding Nha Trang

If you want a few beach days in Nha Trang on the same trip, we suggest flying Cat Bi to Da Lat, taking a car or bus down the Khanh Le pass to Nha Trang (about 135-145 km), and flying home from Cam Ranh to Cat Bi. Vietjet runs about two flights a day on that return leg, which makes the date easier to pick than the Da Lat one. The reverse works too, but climbing into the hills at the end of a trip with tired legs and all your luggage is the harder way round.

When to go

Da Lat's temperatures barely change through the year; rain is what sets the seasons apart. The table shows long-term averages, a guide to the pattern rather than a forecast for your week.

For month-by-month detail, flower seasons, cloud-hunting spots and cafés, see the Da Lat travel guide from Review Da Lat.

What to pack: a different kind of cold

Northern Vietnam's winter is a damp cold. In Hai Phong's winter, January averages around 21°C by day and 15°C at night. Da Lat's dry-season days are about the same, but January nights average about 12°C. The real difference is the swing: strong midday sun and a gap of about ten degrees to the night, so one heavy puffer jacket worn all day will be too hot by noon.

• Layers: T-shirt, light fleece, windproof jacket; add a warm jacket, scarf and socks for evenings.
• UV gets stronger with altitude, so the cool air is misleading. Bring sunscreen, a hat and sunglasses.
• Dry-season air is dry: lip balm, moisturiser and a water bottle.
• Closed shoes with grip for the hills. In the wet season, a rain jacket and spare socks.
• Riding a scooter early in the morning? Gloves. It is colder on the passes than in town.