Getting from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City (and back)

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is the business and financial hub of Vietnam, with a prominent history going back hundreds of years. Nowadays, this city is famously known for its exciting, vibrant metropolis made for food lovers and night owls. Getting from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City is surprisingly simple, with trains, flights, buses, and private transfers readily available. By road, the journey takes between 18 and 35 hours depending on the means of transport. Regular trains and buses (33-36 hours), private tour buses, and private transfers (18-20 hours). There are flights throughout the day, which take around one and a half hours between the two cities. Here are the best options for making the journey.

FLIGHTS FROM Hanoi TO Ho Chi Minh City

This is definitely the fastest and most convenient way to travel from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City. Many fly domestic flights (Bamboo Airway, Vietjet Air, Vietnam Airlines, Jetstar Pacific Airlines) between these two cities. These flights begin at the Noi Bai Airport in Hanoi, about 25km from the Old Quarter, and land at Tan Son Nhat Airport. It takes around one and a half hours, and passengers should be at the airport at least one hour before departure. There are flights once every one or two hours from Monday to Sunday. It costs about 800.000 VND ($35) per person per direction. Therefore, you should book the tickets about a week ahead in advance as the price will be much lower.

Train FROM Hanoi TO Ho Chi Minh City

The public train departs from the Hanoi Gas Station and takes between 33-36 hours to reach the southern city of Ho Chi Minh City. Up to 3 daily departures on the route, which are spread between the day. It takes a much longer time to travel, but the roads are beautiful along the coast. The train schedule and price can be found here. An adult ticket is approx 1,100,000 VND (approx $50) each direction.

Scooter rental FROM Hanoi TO Ho Chi Minh City

Many travelers have a better way to travel from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City. You can rent a scooter (or even buy one) from Hanoi and then visit the places between these two cities: Ninh Binh, Hue, Da Nang, Hoi An, Da Lat, Nha Trang, My Son, Vung Tau. Once you get to Ho Chi Minh City, you can leave the scooter to the scooter rental shop (Or sell it to the shop).

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