Vietnam Transportation Guide

Vietnam Transportation Guide

There are many options to get around Vietnam: airplane, bus, train, motorbike, private transport, bike. I indicate the different alternatives along with relevant links (bus companies, official train web, maps). This way, you can check timetables, prices and then choose your best alternative. In the last section of the table, I suggest you other three webs, one of them is very useful to know how to go anywhere by various means of transport.

Getting Around Vietnam

Domestic flights in Vietnam

It’s the fastest option, comfortable and not expensive. In 2026, Vietnam Airlines domestic flights on main routes cost 800,000 to 1,500,000 VND one way (about 30 to 55 euro), taxes not included. Vietjet Air is usually 30 to 50% cheaper, but luggage is paid separately. Here there is a map where you can find all the Airports of Vietnam; it includes both domestic and international airports (maps belongs to Northern Vietnam). However, this map differs from the official site: Airports Corporation of Vietnam. On this page, there is another map which has fewer airports. The most important and used ones are those located in Hanoi, Hai Phong, Ho Chi Minh, Hue and Danang.

The main options are Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet Air and Vietravel Airlines, although Vietravel has few frequencies. Jetstar Pacific has been called Pacific Airlines since 2020 and hardly flies. Bamboo Airways suspended all scheduled flights on 1 August 2026.

I suggest you the post Tips to plan your trip to Vietnam – Domestic flights or international from Vietnam to avoid annoyances.

Train in Vietnam

There is a railway which goes along Vietnam, from south to north, and it stops at the main cities. You can check the official map here. Many travelers travel during the night by train because the tickets are cheaper than flights and it’s also a curious experience.

Official Website of Vietnam’s Trains. You can check timetables and buy train tickets at dsvn.vn. Since August 2024, it officially accepts international cards and Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay through VNPAY. It might happen that the payment doesn’t work, as many travellers still report problems.

Another option is Vexere (vexere.com), an official agent selling tickets at the official price. It has an English version, lets you choose your seat and accepts Visa, Mastercard and JCB.

You can also ask your hotel. This was what we did in April 2017, after two failed attempts on the web. Our hotel bought the tickets and charged us 10,000 VND commission per ticket (less than 1 euro in total).

There are more private train companies in Vietnam for tourists. You can find them if you make a search on the webs I recommend at the end of this post. These trains are more expensive than the public train.

Vietnam by Bus

There are several bus companies which go all over Vietnam too. Some of them only work in a specific area (north, south) but the next companies run in all Vietnam:

– TheSinhTourist: check the prices and timetables. It’s important to know where are the offices to buy the tickets (also you can buy them online). Be careful because there are fake offices with the same name!
– Hoang Long Asia: Still runs the north-south route, but the Hanoi to Cat Ba route is suspended. Its old prices page now redirects to the home page.
– Mai Linh Express: Still operating, although mailinhexpress.vn is down and the route map is no longer available. You can find information on this page, but only in Vietnamese.
– Vexere: At vexere.com you can compare bus timetables and prices from different companies and buy tickets online with foreign cards.

Besides, in the cities like Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh, you can use the public transport to go all over the center. In the post Tips to plan your trip to Vietnam, I explain how to use the public bus and the official webs.

Private Transport / Motorbike / Bike

These are the only types of transport without schedule constraints. You can go by your own if you rent a car with a driver, a motorbike or, even, a bike. Obviously, the price is very different between the options. The most expensive is renting a private car; for example, a private car with driver from Hue to Hoi An, stopping at Hai Van Pass and the Marble Mountains, costs 65 to 79$ per car. The best and easiest way to get this type of transport is via your hotel.

In 2026, renting an automatic or semi-automatic scooter costs 80,000 to 200,000 VND per day (3 to 8$). Manual motorbikes over 125 cc start from 400,000 VND per day. I suggest you read Renting a Motorbike for more information.

Before renting, check your driving permit. According to the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (July 2025), Vietnam does not recognise the Spanish international driving permit, so Spanish tourists cannot legally ride motorbikes or drive cars there. Since January 2025, riding without a valid licence carries a fine of about 5 million VND, and the motorbike can be held for 10 to 15 days. A helmet is compulsory.

A bicycle in Hoi An costs 20,000 to 50,000 VND per day (under 2 euro), and many hotels lend them for free.

➜ These prices are for 2026.

Others interesting links for transport

12goAsia and Baolau

These are known webs for transport along Asia although the prices are higher than official sites. Booking bus or train tickets is possible. They are useful to know how to get to a place, but I wouldn’t buy the tickets through those webs because of the high prices. I would rather try on an official site or in the agencies I’ve mentioned before (online or physically there).

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Do you know any transport information web which has helped you?
You can share it with me and I will add it to the list!

And, if you have questions, please write a comment! 😄

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