If you are traveling to Vietnam for the first time, you will be surprised by Vietnamese driving especially in big cities. It’s confusing and chaotic.
Forget all the rules of conduct you know, none are respected here.
Fortunately, there are several means of transportation in Vietnam ranging from plane, bus, train, private car and motorbike.
In short, in this article, I explain to you how to get around Vietnam easily.
1. Traveling in Vietnam by plane
There are 22 Vietnam airports across the country that connect all provinces and you can travel from the north to the center and south of Vietnam.
Noi Bai International Airport (Hanoi), Da Nang International Airport and Tan Son Nhat International Airport (Saigon) are hubs and destinations for flights from all over the country.
Popular flight routes in Vietnam
Hanoi – Da Nang: This is the most popular flight from North to Central Vietnam, connecting the capital of history and culture with the city of beautiful beaches. It only costs you an hour to travel from Hanoi to Da Nang.
Hanoi – Ho Chi Minh City: It is almost 1600 km from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City. It will cost you at least a day (36 hours) by bus. A much better, more comfortable and faster way to fly costs you 2 hours to travel between the 2 biggest cities in Vietnam.
Let’s look at the table to see where you can fly to and from the 3 largest international airports in Vietnam, and then I will sort of discuss the main airlines in Vietnam.
| International Airport | Destination for customers of | Operating airlines |
| Tan Son Nhat (Ho Chi Minh) | All domestic airports except Can Tho Town, Dien Bien Phu | Vietnam Airlines, Pacific Airlines, Vietjet Air, Bamboo Airways, Vietravel Airlines |
| Noi Bai (Hanoi) | All domestic airports except Hai Phong, Van Don | |
| Da Nang | Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Buon Ma Thuot, Pleiku, Da Lat, Hai Phong |
Main airlines in Vietnam
Vietnam Airlines: The most famous and only 4-star airline (ranked by Skytrax). Vietnam Airlines was born in 1995, which is both the flag carrier of Vietnam and the main carrier in Southeast Asia, operating 94 routes to 22 domestic and 29 international destinations. This is the best option for traveling in Vietnam.
Pacificairway: The first low-cost airline in Vietnam, it offers cheap plane tickets every day. Vietnam Airlines currently holds 98% of the capital of Pacific Airlines.
Bamboo Airways : Bamboo Airways was officially founded in 2017 and has invested heavily to build a new team of modern aircraft. Their prices are quite good.
VietJet Air : Very renowned as a low-cost airline in Vietnam. Their core values are safety, happiness, affordability and punctuality. This is the best way to get around Vietnam on a budget.
Vietravel airlines: the youngest airline in Vietnam, which belongs to the Vietravel Group – a tour operator company, Vietravel Airlines.
2. Traveling in Vietnam by train
Vietnam’s rail network extends to most destinations of interest to a first-time visitor and it is safe, comfortable, not too expensive and allows you to see the countryside at a leisurely pace.
Popular rail routes in Vietnam
Vietnam’s rail system serves much of the country – only the central highlands and the Mekong Delta are left out.
- Hanoi – Ho Chi Minh City
This is the north-south route and often called the Reunification Express. There are more than 100 stations located on the route, belonging to well-known tourist destinations: Hanoi, Vinh (Nghe An), Dong Hoi (Quang Binh), Dong Ha (Quang Tri), Hue, Da Nang (near Hoi An), Quang Ngai, Dieu Tri (near Quy Nhon), Nha Trang, Thap Cham, Muong Man (near Mui Ne, Phan Thiet) and Ho Chi Minh City. Traveling around Vietnam by train, you will have a great opportunity to visit many beautiful places along the way.
- Hanoi – Lao Cai (Sapa)
Currently, Vietnam has the Hanoi – Lao Cai highway to save time. However, the train is safer and more comfortable. You will depart from Hanoi at 9 p.m. and arrive in Lao Cai around 5 a.m. A good night’s sleep on the train will put you in good health for the trekking in Sapa. Some common brands for foreigners are Victoria, Sapaly, Livitrans, King Express and Orient Express.
The different seats on the train
- Hard seat : This means you will sit on the wooden chair and 1 chair is for 2 people. This is the cheapest class. If you travel short distances and want to maximize cost savings, this is the best choice.
- Soft seat : It will be your own seat, more comfortable than hard seats for day trips. You can choose this class if you travel to Sapa, but the fact is that you can’t get a good night’s sleep sitting, even lifting the leg is not easy at all.
- Hard berth : A better option suits your budget and thank goodness you can lie on a thin mattress. There are 6 berths in a cabin, and the price will depend on the floor you choose: the most expensive price is the berth on the ground floor, and the lowest price is for the top floor.
- Soft berth : This is the most comfortable class for tourists. Only 4-6 berths in 1 cabin, or 2 berths even if you have a special request for an extra charge. All berths are marked at the same price.
3. Traveling in Vietnam by bus
The Vietnam bus is always the economical solution for your trip. The bus system connects you to all provinces in Vietnam.
Buses leave every day and at least one or more times a day. Choose between local bus and tourist bus.
Vietnamese local public bus
A local bus is a basic option because it is so cheap.
Also, local buses are equipped with AC power but this may not work well and in some cases they will open the bus windows for natural wind.
Additionally, the local public bus is normally full of people on weekends or public holidays and you can go with 50 people in a 29-seater bus. Also the bus driver barely speaks English, you have to prepare Google to translate if you want to speak with them.
Vietnam tourist bus
A tour bus is a much better option for you. The bus facilities are in good condition and fairly clean. The seats are comfortable and the number of people on the bus is always less than the number of seats on the bus.
Some bus companies offer an open bus ticket, which means you pay for the entire bus journey, for example from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City. Then the bus will stop on the way to their offices (e.g. Hue, Da Nang), you can exit the bus and start your exploration. By informing the bus company of your departure day and returning to the bus office, you continue your journey to the next stop.
So, in this way, you can plan your trip to get on and off wherever you want. Additionally, the tour bus is accompanied by an English-speaking driver, who can help you with any questions.
4. Traveling in Vietnam by private car
If you don’t mind spending your money on comfort or you are a group of friends, try the private car option. This way you are completely free to enjoy and choose when to leave and where to stop.
Renting a private car normally includes a driver, therefore you don’t have to worry about how to get used to driving a car in Vietnam.
If you want to drive the car by yourself, it requires your IDP (International Driving Permit) and local insurance for validation, and the main driver must sit next to you in case of emergency because the rules of the road in Vietnam are different from other countries. It normally costs from $85 / day for a 4-seater car. The price differs for its brands and seats.
5. Getting around Vietnam by motorbike
The motorcycle option is always flexible and you have many options to choose from. Just like renting a car, you are free to go where you want and stop where you want.
Traveling along Vietnam is fantastic and you can do it by renting a motorbike, moreover, don’t worry if you don’t get back to your first destination, you can leave the motorbike at their office on your way, check the places of office before leaving.
They will need your passport as a deposit and you can deposit some money instead if you wish to continue straight and not return.
| Type of motorcycle | Rental price per day (24 hours) | Sale price |
| Manual | 80,000 VND ~ 3.4 USD | From 5,000,000 VND ~ 215 USD |
| Automatic | 120,000 VND ~ 5 USD | From 5,500,000 VND ~ 236 USD |
