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Transport in Vietnam: Things you need to know in 2025

Writer's picture: Afrah FAfrah F

Updated: Jan 25


transport vietnam sleeper train station 2025

Planning our trip to Vietnam was relatively smooth, except for one major concern that kept us up two nights before departure; yes, you guessed right, transport in Vietnam. Due to a delay with our eVisa, our entire plan was disrupted. We ended up booking our air tickets and hotels just two days before the flight. The biggest question on our minds was, "How do we get around in Vietnam?"


Struggling to find the latest information that didn’t contradict itself, we weren’t sure what to expect. That’s why we’re here to share everything you need to know about transport in Vietnam in 2025.



Methods to Get Around in Vietnam


Vietnam Transport is very similar to Thailand. You have your regular taxis, buses and trains. And to travel more conveniently between long distances, there are domestic flights as well. In December 2024 they launched the Line 1 Metro in Ho Chi Minh City, starting from Ben Than Market and going to the Eastern Bus Terminal. Apart from this, you'll find two other Metro lines in Hanoi as well.


military truck in vietnam hanoi

When we went to Ho Chi Minh City, the queue for the newly opened Line 1 was super long so we opted for taxis to save more time.


If you want to explore on your own, you may hire a scooter, though we do not recommend this.



Is Riding a Motorcycle in Vietnam Safe?


While it's pretty convenient for tourists to hire and ride scooters in Bangkok and Bali, in Vietnam it's not safe, especially in Ho Chi Minh City, where we witnessed the most chaotic driving we've seen after Mumbai.


motorcycles in streets of vietnam saigon Ho Chi Minh City
A Glimpse of the Motorcycle Chaos in Ho Chi Minh City

However, we rarely saw damaged vehicles on the road and noticed that all our taxi and Grab drivers were skilful in avoiding accidents and still kept up speed.


But, safety is not the only problem when it comes to transport in Vietnam. There are about 77 million registered motorbikes in Vietnam, and the total population is 98 million. Nearly 4 out of 5 Vietnamese own a motorcycle, so the demand for bike parking is crazy high.



If you park it in a prohibited area, you will be fined. And if you leave it for too long, it may be towed off. They don't show mercy to scooters. So you'll always have to keep your alerts on.


motorcycles parked on the pavement in vietnam
Locals usually occupy a Typical Parking Area - Ho Chi Minh City

But if you still prefer to have your own ride, you can show your International Driving Permit or get your temporary Vietnamese driving license and hire a scooter from your hotel, nearest travel agent, or guest house.



Cost for Transport in Vietnam


Transport in Vietnam is pretty reasonable if you know the places you want to visit, which method to use and when you need to use it.


If you're using road taxis, the kilometre starts from 10,000 VND (0.40$), and 15,000 VND from the second kilometre onwards. If you're using Grab, rates usually start from 40,000 VND (1.57$). These are the most common and convenient ways to move around.



If you're hiring a scooter, daily charges would range between 100,000 VND to 200,000 VND ($5-$8). Fuel charges are not included.


Then you have the buses, trains and domestic flights. Bus charges are between 7,000 and 40,000 VND depending on the distance. A Sleeper ticket on a train for long-distance costs between 850,000 VND ($62) to 3,400,000 ($133). Domestic flights start at 1,000,000 VND (about $40).


da nang to hanoi baolou flight rate
Our Flight To Hanoi from Da Nang on Vietnam Airline - Baolau

As a thumb rule, if the walking distance between two destinations is less than 20 minutes, we would walk. Not only does it save us money, but also helps us explore the local streets.


Does Vietnam have Uber or Grab?


Uber is no longer in Vietnam, but you can find Grab and many other local ride-hailing apps like Be, GoViet and Xanh SM.



Grab is the most popular choice among Viet locals and trust us, we had no complaints whatsoever travelling on Grab. We used the app only in Ho Chi Minh City and once in Hoi An. All the vehicles were comfortable and the drivers were kind and made no fuss.


What's the Cheapest Way to Travel in Vietnam?


If you're travelling within the Districts of Ho Chi Minh City, road taxis are cheap. But Grab would be a more convenient option.


The roads and roundabouts can be confusing, and you'll have trouble communicating with drivers (Many don't speak English). And the pavements are not pedestrian-friendly to walk.


hanoi sightseeing bus ride vietnam 2025
Hanoi Sightseeing Double Decker Bus Ride

Walking long hours during the summer in Saigon can be exhausting. Alternatively, hiring a cab can be affordable if you have a set schedule. During our time in Hoi An, we met a Grab driver who offered taxi services within the city and to Da Nang at a better price than the app or our hotel's transport. However, always ensure the prices they offer are genuinely lower, and double-check your cash change, as the Vietnamese Dong can be tricky to handle.



If you're travelling between main cities like Hanoi - Da Nang, taking the bus is the cheapest. But it's the worst possible way to travel long hours (we are talking 17 hrs, 32 hrs).


The flight is the most practical, comparatively cheap and time-saving method for long-distance travel in Vietnam.



If you have a little time to spare and a bit of a budget, you can take the train like we did once. I'll get to it later in the article.


Airport Transfer in Vietnam


Like in many countries, the airports in all 3 cities we visited (Ho Chi Minh, Da Nang and Hanoi) were at least 1.30 hours away from the heart of the town (usually where tourists stay).



And Grab is not cheap. Plus, if your driver is picking you up from a fee-enabled zone, that would add up to your total at the end of the trip. The driver will type the extra amount. (This happened to us when travelling from Ho Chi Minh City Airport to our hotel in District 1 and we thought we were getting ripped off)


So we recommend requesting a transfer from your hotel to avoid getting ripped off by airport taxis and paying unnecessarily high fees.


hoi an transport vietnam
Vintage Taxi for Sightseeing - Hoi An



It's a good idea to compare prices before confirming. Use the Grab app's rate as a maximum benchmark—anything below that is reasonable.


How can you easily get from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi?


You can travel between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City either via Flight, Train or Bus. The distance and travel time may scare you, but don't be afraid! You can still visit both Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi in one trip. In fact, you can visit both cities in 7 days. 4 Days in Ho Chi Minh City and 3 Days in Hanoi. We'll tell you how!


hanoi aerial view from plane
Hanoi aerial view on Vietnam Airlines

The domestic flight only takes 2 hours between Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. There are many airlines but we recommend Vietnam Airlines. The flight experience is smooth for a domestic one and there were no delays while all VietJet flights had delays.


If not (you prefer long train journeys),


train station ho chi minh city ga saigon
Ga Sai Gon - Train Station in Ho Chi Minh City

You can also take the SE2 train to Hanoi from Ga Saigon station in Ho Chi Minh City. It's 32 hrs long and if you take the morning 6 a.m. train, you'll reach your destination at about 2 p.m. the next day - in time for your hotel's check-in.


However, we don't recommend it if you're short of time or have claustrophobia.



Plus, the luxury 2-person berth costs the same as the standard 4-person berth. So it's quite costly unless you want to share your 4-person berth with 2 random strangers for 32 hours (No thanks).


Instead, you can take a break between by stopping at Hoi An which is 17 hours, like we did.



Travelling in Hanoi on Bus


Travelling around Hanoi is pretty easy. While the city itself is huge, you'd mostly be around the Old Quarter area. And if your accommodation is within the Old Quarter, you can reach all the significant sites just by walking or via the sightseeing double-decker bus.


You can hop off wherever you want, visit the relevant site and hop on the next bus. They provide you with earphones for the audio guide as well. The double-decker bus time schedule can be found across the city. However, we were not fond of our 7$ one-round tour though.


hanoi sightseeing bus schedule
Hanoi Sightseeing Bus Schedule

How do you get from Da Nang/Hoi An to Hanoi?


You can either take the same train SE2 (HCM-Hanoi), which is 17 hours long or the flight, which is 1 hour. We took the flight and it cost 130$ for both of us.


The train station in Da Nang is right next to the airport too. If you want to make your Ho Chi Minh - Hanoi trip a mix of both train and flight, you can make your switch in Da Nang.



How to Book Train & Domestic Flights in Vietnam?


You can check prices and book your air tickets on Baolou or 12Go (This is not a sponsorship). We first checked 12Go for train ticket prices but couldn’t book an entire cabin for ourselves. After reading recommendations from Redditors, we tried Baolau, where we successfully booked a private cabin and later our air tickets as well. Their prices were reasonable, and we received our tickets within an hour. Everything went smoothly at both the airport and the train station.



How Comfortable Are Sleeper Trains in Vietnam?


sleeper train vietnam cabin inside 2025
4-Berth Sleeper Cabin - SE2 Train

My husband and I have vastly different opinions on this. As a germ freak, I was worried at first, but It was not bad. Not only was our cabin super clean, but we also received a goodie bag with snacks, water and beer. I'll write about our full sleeper train experience in another article.


Conclusion


Transport in Vietnam is surely something that requires a bit of preparation before a trip. From bustling cities to scenic train rides, Vietnam offers a variety of travel options to suit different needs and budgets. Whether you’re using Grab for convenience, trains for a unique experience, or flights for long distances, there's no one method for everyone.



We hope this guide helps you plan your trip more confidently and avoid the mistakes we made. With a little preparation and flexibility, you’ll find getting around Vietnam can be an adventure in itself!


Planning to visit Vietnam anytime soon? Ask away your doubts in the comments below!


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