Trail runners scramble over rocky terrain beside a forest waterfall in Bach Ma National Park.

Travel guide

Covering a long country without losing days

Vietnam is long, and the route between its regions decides how much of your trip is spent in transit. Fly between regions, drive within them, take the train when the ride itself is the point.

Plan my trip

Overview

The rule of thumb

Last checked 22 September 2026

We check road times and train services on this page every month, because new expressway sections keep shortening journeys, and after any timetable change on the railway. Times are what our own drivers see, not what a map app promises at midnight.

Between regions, fly. Saigon to Da Nang or Hanoi is under two hours in the air, and the same trip by road or rail is a day and a half. Within a region, drive: a private car and driver turns a two-hour transfer into a day with three stops in it. The train is for journeys where the view is the point, and the overnight train is for Sapa.

The mistake we try to talk people out of most often is covering the whole length on the ground to "see the country in between". Much of the in-between is road, and the day saved by one flight is better spent at Phong Nha or on a second night in Hoi An.

Flights

Domestic flights

Three main airlines fly domestic routes — Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet and Bamboo Airways — with several departures a day between Saigon, Da Nang and Hanoi and regular services to Phu Quoc, Nha Trang, Da Lat, Hue, Quy Nhon, Dong Hoi for Phong Nha, and Con Dao. Fares are low if booked a few weeks ahead and climb quickly in the last fortnight and around Tet.

Allow two hours at the airport for a domestic flight in Saigon or Hanoi; security queues can be long in the morning peak.
Check the baggage allowance on the lowest fares, which often cover cabin bags only.
Delays and schedule changes are common. Do not book a domestic flight on the same day as your international departure unless there is a wide margin.
Tan Son Nhat is 20 to 40 minutes from central Saigon depending on traffic; Noi Bai is 45 to 60 minutes from Hanoi’s Old Quarter.

An empty terminal hallway with signage for baggage claim at Da Nang International Airport. — Da Nang is the hub for Hoi An and Hue.

Rail

Trains

The North–South railway runs the length of the country, and end to end it takes around 32 hours. Few people should ride all of it. The sections worth taking are the coastal stretch between Hue and Da Nang, about two and a half hours along cliffs and bays, and the overnight train from Hanoi to Lao Cai for Sapa, which saves a day of road and arrives in time for breakfast.

Soft-sleeper cabins have four berths and are the class we book. Some private carriages attached to the Lao Cai trains are more comfortable. Trains are punctual by regional standards and the ride is slow and rolling; bring a layer, as air conditioning is set cold. Our guide on trains and buses has the classes and the stations in more detail.

A moat with old brick walls surrounds Dien Hai Citadel, reflecting modern skyscrapers in central Da Nang.

A blue Vietnam Railways carriage stands at a covered platform in Hanoi station.

The Hue to Da Nang stretch is the one to ride. · The Lao Cai night train leaves from Hanoi in the evening.

Road

Road times that are true

Vietnam has built a great deal of expressway in the last few years and many journeys are faster than guidebooks say. Mountain roads have not changed, and average speeds there are low. These are the times our drivers plan with, door to door in normal traffic.

Route	Time by road	Note
Saigon to My Tho	1.5 hours	Expressway most of the way
Saigon to Can Tho	3 hours	Longer on holiday weekends
Saigon to Chau Doc	4 hours and more	The last stretch is ordinary road
Saigon to Mui Ne	About 4 hours	Expressway to Phan Thiet
Da Nang to Hoi An	45 minutes
Da Nang to Hue	2.5 hours	By the tunnel, or longer over the pass
Hanoi to Ninh Binh	About 2 hours	Expressway
Hanoi to Ha Long or Lan Ha	2.5 to 3 hours	Expressway
Hanoi to Sapa	5.5 hours	Expressway to Lao Cai
Hanoi to Ha Giang	About 6 hours	Half expressway, half mountain road

Buses

Sleeper buses

Long-distance sleeper buses connect almost everywhere, overnight, for very little money, with reclining berths in three rows. They are the backbone of budget travel here and many travellers use them without trouble. We do not put them into our itineraries by default, for three reasons: they often arrive in the small hours at a bus station outside town, the berths are short for anyone over about 1.75 metres, and night driving on mountain roads is the part of Vietnamese road travel we trust least. If you want one, we will book it and tell you which company and which seat.

In town

Ride-hailing, taxis and motorbikes

In the cities, ride-hailing apps have removed most of the old taxi problems. Grab is the one most visitors know, and local apps such as Be and Xanh SM, an all-electric fleet, work the same way. You see the price before you book, the route is tracked, and you can pay by card in the app or cash to the driver. Motorbike taxis on the same apps are quicker in traffic and a fraction of the cost; wear the helmet offered.

Metered taxis from the major companies are fine too, from an official rank or booked by your hotel. Renting a motorbike yourself is something we advise against unless you hold a licence valid in Vietnam and ride confidently at home: it is how most visitors get hurt, and most travel insurance will not pay out without a valid licence. Our scams guide covers the few taxi tricks that still happen.

Traffic of cars and motorbikes flows past high-rise buildings on a busy boulevard in Ho Chi Minh City. — Crossing the road on foot: steady pace, no sudden stops.

Common questions

Questions travellers ask most

Is it worth taking the train the whole length of Vietnam?

As an experience, for a few people; as transport, no. The full run takes around 32 hours. Ride the Hue to Da Nang section and fly the long legs.

Can we have the same driver for the whole trip?

Within a region, yes, and it is what we arrange on private routes. Between regions we fly you and a local driver and guide meet you, because repositioning a car 800 kilometres costs you money for nothing.

Are ride-hailing apps safe to use?

Yes. They are how most people in Vietnamese cities get around. Check the plate matches the app before you get in.

Should I rent a motorbike?

Only with a licence valid in Vietnam, real experience, and insurance that covers it. Otherwise hire a driver or join a guided ride where someone else is at the handlebars.