Cheap and quite reliable transport is provided by regular public transport buses supplemented by comfortable airport minibuses and a plethora of taxis.

Most travellers use mobile taxi apps like Grab.

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Taxi, Grab

Classic taxis and Grab mobile app taxis are the most widely used transport option.

Taxi stands are in front of all terminals and there are always plenty of cars. However, at peak times, taxi queues can be up to 20 minutes long.

Taxis do not run according to a meter, but have set prices to specific parts of the city. However, taxi drivers always try to negotiate an individual price. Payment can only be made in cash.

For many travellers, the most convenient taxis will be via mobile apps, where you can see the price in advance and pay by credit card.

The most commonly used taxi app in Hanoi is Grab.

Taxi prices from Tan Son Nhat Airport to Ho Chi Minh City centre are roughly as follows:

• Regular taxi - around 160 000 vnd, but the taxi driver will often ask for an amount in excess of 1 million dong!
• Grab - around 150 000 vnd

The prices already include the toll for the entrance to the airport area worth 15 000 vnd.

If you'd like to save money, just walk about 500 metres from the airport to a residential area where there are plenty of hotels, and especially a taxi via the Grab app can be up to 20% cheaper.

City buses to the city centre

Bus lines 109 and 152 run from the airport to the city centre. Line 103 goes to the western and northern suburbs and is of no practical use for tourists.

Normally the journey to the centre takes around 40-50 minutes in the morning and evening and between 50 and 75 minutes during the day.

There is no all-night public transport to the airport. The first buses from the centre leave around 5:00 am and the last buses from the airport leave between 10:00 pm and 10:30 pm.

While there is no web-based overview page on buses in Ho Chi Minh City, in contrast, the BusMap Ho Chi Minh mobile app (available at: Google Play / App Store). However, ticket prices on this app are not very up-to-date.

Stops, lines and prices

Buses (with the exception of line 17) always stop at both terminals.

Line 152 offers a significantly lower price because it is operated by a different company than line 109.

• Route 109 - runs through the entire centre of Ho Chi Minh City (District 1) and is served by air-conditioned yellow modern buses or red minibuses.
  • Price. 20 000 vnd
  • Frequency - 40 to 50 minutes
  • Last bus from the airport - 22:00
  • First bus from Saigon Bus Station - 5:45am
  • Map and stops: map.busmap.vn/route/109
• Route 152 - travels through the entire downtown area on a very similar route to line 109 and continues further south. There are air-conditioned green buses running here and there is virtually no difference in comfort or speed compared to line 109.
  • Price - 5 000 vnd
  • Frequency - 15 minutes
  • Last bus from the airport - 19:00
  • First bus from the centre - approx. 5:35
  • Map and stops: map.busmap.vn/route/152

Where to buy tickets?

You can buy a ticket for bus 109 at the airport at the kiosk near the bus stop. On the way from the centre, you pay the driver.

If you travel on the 152 or 103 line, the ticket is paid inside the bus to the conductor, who walks through the car himself and collects the money.

Tickets can only be paid in cash.

Bus to Vung Tau

Direct buses of line 72-1 also run from both terminals to the popular resort of Vung Tau, 93 km away.

The buses are operated by Avigo, but online ticket booking at bus.avigo.com.vn is only available in Vietnamese.

• Price - 200 000 vnd
• Frequency - every hour on the hour at XX:00 from 9:00 to 16:00
• Travel time - 120 minutes