Alleyhops

Getting around Vietnam: flights, the North-South train, metros and ride-hailing

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Fly Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City; take the train for shorter overnight hops such as Hanoi to Hue. In cities, use a ride-hailing app, and use the metro in Ho Chi Minh City if it fits your route. Over Tet (6 February 2027), book early: trains and flights sell out.

Where are you going?

  • Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City: fly. It is the country’s busiest air route, served by Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet and others.Vietnam News (opens in a new tab)vietnamnews.vn Vietnam Airlines includes one checked bag of up to 23 kg in economy.Vietnam Airlines (opens in a new tab)vietnamairlines.com
  • Hanoi to Hue or Da Nang: take the North-South train if you want the sleeper experience, or fly. Book trains on dsvn.vn (opens in a new tab), the official site.
  • Short hops along the coast: check the SE trains on dsvn.vn, or fly. Vietnam Railways runs seven daily Thong Nhat pairs, SE1 to SE12 plus SE23/24.Saigon Giai Phong (opens in a new tab)sggp.org.vn
  • Ha Giang, Cao Bang, Sapa, Da Lat or Mui Ne: take a sleeper bus or a limousine van. Details.
  • Within Ho Chi Minh City: ride Metro Line 1 from Ben Thanh to Suoi Tien, or use a ride-hailing app.
  • Within Hanoi: use a ride-hailing app, or Metro Line 2A or 3 if they match your route.

If it doesn’t go to plan

Domestic flights

The North-South train

Long-distance buses

Book a cabin sleeper or a limousine van online, a few days ahead, and choose a drop-off point in town. Expect overnight buses to arrive before dawn.

Which bus?

How to book

Where do buses leave from?

Arriving

  • Overnight buses arrive before dawn. The 22:00 from My Dinh reaches Cao Bang at 05:00.VnExpress (opens in a new tab)e.vnexpress.net Ask your guesthouse about early check-in.
  • Know where you’ll be let off. Coaches still pick up and drop off at the roadside, such as on Do Muoi road, the old Highway 1, in Ho Chi Minh City.Tuoi Tre, October 2025 (opens in a new tab)tuoitre.vn Choose your drop-off point when you book.
  • Turn down free hotel transfers you didn’t arrange. The UK government advises caution with offers of free bus transfers to hotels unless organised in advance.FCDO (opens in a new tab)gov.uk

Keep valuables on you

Ride-hailing

Ho Chi Minh City Metro Line 1

  • Route: Ben Thanh to Suoi Tien.
  • Fares: 7,000 to 20,000 VND by distance, with 1,000 VND off if you pay without cash. A 1-day pass costs 40,000 VND and a 3-day pass 90,000 VND.HCMC Metro (opens in a new tab)hochiminhcitymetro.com
  • Payment: Visa, Mastercard, NAPAS, MoMo, ZaloPay or the HURC app. A single-journey ticket carries a 15,000 VND deposit, refunded at the machine.HCMC Metro (opens in a new tab)hochiminhcitymetro.com
  • Hours: 05:00 to 22:00 on weekdays, and to 23:00 on weekends and public holidays. Trains run every 6 to 8 minutes at peak and 10 to 12 off-peak.Tuoi Tre News, August 2025 (opens in a new tab)news.tuoitre.vn

Ho Chi Minh City buses

Hanoi’s metro