Getting around Nha Trang in 2026
You've just walked out of Cam Ranh terminal, you have no Vietnamese SIM yet, and drivers are already tugging your sleeve. It's 35 km to the hotel, and the first mistake — grabbing a car right here — costs double. Nha Trang is compact: city buses, a handful of ride apps, scooter rentals on every corner. Below: real 2026 prices in VND with a rough USD conversion, timetables and the shortcuts locals use.
For an overview of the resort itself, see our Nha Trang guide.
- Cam Ranh Airport (Sân bay Cam Ranh): 35 km from the centre — Bus #18 and taxis
- Nha Trang railway station (Ga Nha Trang): Trains to Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Hanoi
- Southern bus station (Bến xe phía Nam Nha Trang): Buses to Da Lat and Ho Chi Minh City
- Cable car station (Ga Cáp treo Vinpearl): Cable car to Vinpearl
- Po Nagar Cham Towers (Tháp Bà Ponagar): Bus #4 from the centre
- Bai Dai Beach (Bãi Dài): Bus #18 — 30,000 VND (~$1.20), 30–40 min
- Doc Let Beach (Dốc Lết): Bus #3 (yellow) — 24,000 VND (~$0.95), 1.5 h
From Cam Ranh airport to Nha Trang
Cam Ranh airport sits 35 km south of the centre. With no traffic it is a 30–40 minute drive. You have four options.
Currency converter
| Option | Price (VND) | ~USD | Time | When to pick it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bus #18 | 50,000–65,000 | ~$2–2.60 | 50–60 min | Solo, light luggage, daytime |
| Grab | 300,000–350,000 | ~$12–14 | 30–40 min | A couple or a group up to 4 |
| Taxi desk | ~350,000 | ~$14 | 30–40 min | No SIM for Grab yet |
| Private transfer | from 500,000 | from ~$20 | 30–40 min | Night arrival, family with kids |
Bus #18 (run by Đất Mới, the only direct airport line) leaves from the stop just outside the terminal. Walk out, turn right, and you'll see a shelter with a "Bus" sign. It terminates on Yersin Street in central Nha Trang. Buses run from early morning into the evening, every 30 to 60 minutes; check the last one on the spot, there's no night service. Cash only — buy the ticket on board.
On the way it passes Bãi Dài beach — a shorter ride at a lower fare of 30,000 VND (~$1.20). If your hotel is on the southern edge of Nha Trang, get off at one of the intermediate stops. Just show the conductor your address on your phone and they'll point you to the right stop.
Grab is the usual choice — it's the Uber of Southeast Asia, and to call one you need data. Buy a SIM right in the arrivals hall (Viettel, Mobifone counters) for 100,000–200,000 VND, or set up an eSIM before you fly — bring your passport, it's required for registration. More on staying connected in our SIM card guide.
The taxi desk inside the airport charges around 350,000 VND to the centre; ask at the desk how the fare is set before you get in. Drivers are in uniform and help with bags. Handy if you have no SIM yet and don't want to fuss with an app.
Landing after 22:00, or travelling with kids? Book a Cam Ranh transfer in advance — we drive this route ourselves, ask our manager. The car is tied to your flight number: if the plane is late, the driver still waits.
Taxis and ride-hailing apps
Skip the street-hailed cabs. A 15-minute ride across town via an app is 75,000–100,000 VND (~$3–4). The same trip flagged off the street can be 200,000 VND.
| App | Price | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grab | Mid | Fast pickup, card payment, ratings | Surges at rush hour |
| Xanh SM | Often below Grab | Electric cars, comfortable, uniformed drivers | Cars not always nearby |
| InDrive | You name it | Haggle the fare down | Drivers often decline |
| Be | Similar to Grab | Vietnamese app, decent coverage | App mostly in Vietnamese |
For years Grab was the default here. That changed in 2025: Xanh SM, Vingroup's electric fleet, overtook it in the national taxi market (39.85% against Grab's 35.57% in Q1 2025, per Mordor Intelligence). In Nha Trang both are everywhere, so install the pair and take whichever is cheaper or closer when you actually need a car.
Xanh SM runs new electric cars — quiet, strong air-con, drivers in a uniform. It often undercuts Grab now, though at a quiet moment a car isn't always parked nearby. Grab still has the deepest driver pool and the fastest pickups at rush hour, plus in-app card payment.
InDrive lets you propose your own price and a driver accepts or counters. Handy when Grab is surging, though drivers turn down lowball offers.
Bike taxis (GrabBike) start from 15,000 VND (~$0.60) for a short hop. One passenger, no luggage; the driver hands you a helmet. Faster than a car in traffic, but you'll get soaked in the rain.
Typical taxi fares around Nha Trang
| Route | Grab (car) | Grab (bike) |
|---|---|---|
| Centre — Cham Towers | 40,000–60,000 VND (~$1.60–2.40) | 20,000–30,000 VND |
| Centre — Vinpearl cable car | 100,000–130,000 VND (~$4–5.20) | 50,000–70,000 VND |
| Centre — railway station | 30,000–50,000 VND (~$1.20–2) | 15,000–25,000 VND |
| Centre — Chợ Đầm market | 20,000–40,000 VND (~$0.80–1.60) | 10,000–20,000 VND |
Payment: Grab takes Visa/Mastercard and cash; Xanh SM takes card and cash; InDrive is usually cash. Keep small notes on you — 20,000, 50,000, 100,000 VND. Drivers can't always break a 500,000 note.
Nha Trang city buses
A city bus fare is 8,000 VND (~$0.30). It's the cheapest way to move around Nha Trang — only walking beats it. Buses run from early morning until roughly 19:00.
| Route | Where it goes | Fare | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| #3 (white) | Around central Nha Trang | 8,000 VND (~$0.30) | Markets, shops |
| #3 (yellow) | To Bãi Dốc Lết beach | 24,000 VND (~$1) | White-sand beach, 1.5 h |
| #4 | Across town to Vinpearl | 8,000 VND (~$0.30) | Cham Towers, cable car |
| #18 | Nha Trang — Cam Ranh airport | 50,000–65,000 VND | Airport, Bãi Dài beach |
Bus #4 is the key route for visitors. It runs past the Po Nagar Cham Towers (Tháp Bà Ponagar), along the Trần Phú seafront and out to the Vinpearl cable car station, terminating at the VinWonders park.
The yellow #3 is the cheapest way to reach Dốc Lết beach (Dốc Lết) for about $1. It's 90 minutes each way, and the last return runs around 17:00 — don't miss it, or you're looking at a 500,000+ VND taxi back.
Fast Track — no queue at the border
5–10 minutes instead of an hour in the immigration queue
from$11per passenger
Renting a scooter in Nha Trang
Locals ride scooters. Expats ride scooters. Travellers who stay in Nha Trang longer than a week tend to switch to one too. From ~$6 a day, and traffic stops being a problem.
| Rental period | Price (VND) | ~USD |
|---|---|---|
| 1 day | 150,000–250,000 | ~$6–10 |
| 1 week | 1,300,000–1,600,000 | ~$52–64 |
| 1 month | 2,300,000–3,000,000 | ~$92–120 |
Popular models: the Sym Priti 50cc for beginners, and the Honda Vision or Air Blade 125cc for the more confident. Whether a 50cc scooter needs a licence is worth checking before you rent: police don't always read the rules the same way.
What a foreigner needs to know:
- Deposit — a passport or copy plus cash. Leaving your original passport is risky; look for a shop that accepts a copy.
- To ride legally you need an International Driving Permit (IDP) with the motorcycle category (A1 up to 125cc, A above that), issued at home alongside your national licence. A licence from home alone isn't valid here, and neither is an IDP without the bike category. Riding without a licence is fined 2,000,000–4,000,000 VND (~$77–154) under Decree 168/2024.
- Check your travel insurance covers riding a motorbike — many policies exclude it, or void the cover if you have no valid licence.
- Helmets are mandatory — riding without one is a 400,000–600,000 VND fine.
- Pavement parking costs 5,000–10,000 VND.
Where to rent: nhatrangmotorent.com, Motorbikes4Rent and the many shops on the tourist streets (prices there run 20–30% higher, but you don't have to hunt). Read reviews first and photograph any existing scratches before you ride off.
Not comfortable riding? That's fine. Grab, the buses and taxis cover the whole city. A scooter is convenient, not compulsory.
Hiring a car with a driver
Self-drive rental for tourists is rare: you need an IDP with category B together with your national licence, and a foreign licence alone isn't valid. A car with a driver is easier. It suits day trips out of town, or travelling with kids and lots of luggage.
| Class | Per day | Seats |
|---|---|---|
| Economy (sedan) | from ~$25 | 4 |
| Comfort | from ~$35 | 4 |
| Minivan | from ~$50 | 7 |
Above 100 km/day there's usually a surcharge of about $0.70 per km. Fuel is normally included, but confirm before booking. We run six- and ten-hour hire ourselves — prices by city. The alternatives are GetMeCar, KiwiTaxi or your hotel reception.
For a day trip to Da Lat or the waterfalls, a car with a driver beats the bus: stop where you like, air-con on, no timetable to chase. The catch: your driver usually speaks little English. Write addresses in Vietnamese in advance, or drop a pin on Google Maps.
Getting from Ho Chi Minh City to Nha Trang
It's 430 km from Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) to Nha Trang. You can fly it in an hour, or grind out 10 hours on a sleeper bus and save the price of a lunch.
| Option | Price | ~USD | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flight | from 750,000 VND | from ~$30 | 1 h |
| Train | from 350,000 VND | from ~$14 | 7–8 h |
| Sleeper bus | from 140,000 VND | from ~$6 | 9–10 h |
| Private transfer | — | from ~$185 | 8 h |
Flights run on VietJet Air, Vietnam Airlines and Bamboo Airways — 5–8 a day, from 750,000 VND if you book two or three weeks ahead. Check the Ho Chi Minh City guide for airport tips.
Trains — several departures a day on the Reunification Express (Đường sắt Thống Nhất). They leave from Ga Sài Gòn (central Ho Chi Minh City) and arrive at Ga Nha Trang in the centre, a 5-minute taxi from the seafront.
Seat types:
- Soft seat — from ~$14, like a commuter train but with air-con.
- Hard sleeper — from ~$18, six berths, bedding provided.
- Soft sleeper with air-con — from ~$25–30, four berths, more comfortable.
Book on Vietnam Railways (dsvn.vn) or via 12go.asia. Reserve early — soft sleepers sell fast, especially on weekends.
Sleeper buses — Futa Bus (the popular orange ones) and The Sinh Tourist. Two tiers of reclining berths, air-con, Wi-Fi, a blanket and a bottle of water. You take your shoes off and bag them at boarding. Cheap, but 9–10 hours wears on you.
Getting from Nha Trang to Da Lat
It's 140 km over the Khánh Lê pass, from sea level up to 1,500 metres. The road is a switchback — hairpin turns and fog at the top.
| Option | Price | ~USD | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bus | 150,000–250,000 VND | ~$6–10 | 3.5–5 h |
| Taxi / transfer | — | from ~$60 | 3–3.5 h |
| By bike | fuel ~150,000 VND | ~$6 | 4–5 h |
The bus is the popular pick — Futa Bus, Hanh Cafe, Kumho Samco. They leave the southern bus station (Bến xe phía Nam) every 1–2 hours from morning to midday. VIP limousine vans (9 seats, leather chairs, Wi-Fi) run 200,000–250,000 VND.
First you ride the bus, and in town everyone is split into small minibuses. … don't count on gorgeous views. The windows have film stuck on them, which makes it hard to enjoy the sceneryKseniia, T—J, translated by VietnamSpot
By bike the route climbs the Khánh Lê pass past coffee plantations, pine forest and clouds below your feet. But the bends are sharp and the trucks don't yield. Only for confident 125cc riders. More on Da Lat in our guide.
Getting from Nha Trang to Da Nang and Hoi An
It's 530 km north along the coast. This stretch of the Vietnamese railway is the most scenic of all.
| Option | Price (~USD) | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Flight | from ~$30 | 1 h |
| Train | from ~$18 | 9–10 h |
| Night bus | from ~$13 | 12–14 h |
The train — the Reunification Express hugs the sea. Rice paddies, fishing villages and the Hải Vân pass — one of the most photographed rail sections in Asia. Take a window seat on the east side for the coast.
The bus — night sleeper only. Twelve to fourteen hours: you fall asleep in Nha Trang and wake up in Da Nang, saving a night's hotel.
…almost all these transport companies, besides carrying passengers, also deliver cargo along the way… in literally every village or highway junction it stops to pick up or hand over this cargoKost@, Vinsky Forum, 2024, translated by VietnamSpot
There are no direct services to Hoi An. Get to Da Nang, then it's 30 km on by taxi (150,000 VND, ~$6) or the yellow bus.
Other routes from Nha Trang
Nha Trang — Phan Thiet / Mui Ne (230 km). Bus ~200,000 VND (~$8), 5–6 hours down the coast; a transfer from ~$50, 4 hours. Futa Bus runs several times a day. Every way of getting there is in our guide on how to get to Mui Ne; more on the resort in our Phan Thiet guide.
Nha Trang — Hue (630 km). The Reunification Express takes 12–14 hours (from ~$25). Board in the evening, arrive in the morning.
Nha Trang — Hanoi / Ha Long. There's no direct link to Ha Long Bay. Fly to Hanoi (direct flight, from ~$40), then it's 3–4 hours by bus to Ha Long. The Nha Trang — Hanoi train takes 25–30 hours.
Getting to Nha Trang's sights
Most places in Nha Trang sit within 10 km of the centre. Bus #4 covers the main points; everything else is a taxi for ~$1–2.
| Place | Transport | Cost | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vinpearl / VinWonders | Bus #4 + cable car | 8,000 VND + park ticket | 20 min + 15 min |
| Ponagar Cham Towers | Bus #4 or taxi | 8,000 / ~50,000 VND | 10 min |
| Dốc Lết beach | Yellow bus #3 | 24,000 VND (~$1) | 1.5 h |
| Bãi Dài beach | Bus #18 | 30,000 VND (~$1.20) | 30–40 min |
Vinpearl / VinWonders — bus #4 drops you at the cable car station. The park is open 08:30–20:00, and the cable car spans 3,320 m over the sea. The park ticket includes the round trip; current prices are in our VinWonders guide.
Po Nagar Cham Towers — 10 minutes from the centre on bus #4 or a 40,000–60,000 VND taxi. An 8th-century temple on a hill above the Sông Cái river. There's a small entry fee; check it at the ticket desk.
Dốc Lết beach — yellow bus #3, 1.5 hours, 24,000 VND (~$1). White sand, shallow warm water, quiet on weekdays. More in our Nha Trang beaches guide.
Dam Market (Chợ Đầm) — in the city centre, 5 minutes by taxi or a walk from the seafront. Good for a first look at local life and cheap eats.
You'll reach most sights by bus or a ~$1–2 taxi. The exceptions are the wild beaches and mountain waterfalls: for those it's a scooter or a car with a driver.
Common transport mistakes in Nha Trang
Taking a cab without an app. Cars without a meter park along the seafront and by the malls. The driver quotes 200,000 VND for a ride that's 60,000 on Grab.
Not checking the bus times. Every route stops by 19:00–20:00. Take the bus to Dốc Lết, linger till sunset, and the way back is a 500,000 VND taxi instead of a 24,000 VND fare.
Leaving your original passport at the scooter shop. If the shop closes or you have a dispute, getting the document back is hard. Find one that takes a passport copy plus a cash deposit.
Leaving the airport with no SIM. Grab doesn't work without data. Buy a SIM in the arrivals hall for 100,000–200,000 VND, or set up an eSIM before you fly.
Not booking the train ahead. Soft sleepers on the Ho Chi Minh City — Nha Trang line sell out 3–5 days out, faster on weekends and holidays.
Riding to Da Lat without experience. The Khánh Lê pass is no seafront cruise — sharp bends, trucks on your side of the line, fog after midday. Under six months on a scooter? Take the bus.
Riding without an IDP or insurance. A stop with no International Driving Permit means a fine — and if you crash, a policy that excludes unlicensed riding won't pay out. Sort both before you rent.
FAQ
- Via Grab300,000–350,000 VND~$12–14
- The fixed-price taxi desk at the airportaround 350,000 VND
- Bus #1850,000–65,000 VND~$2–2.60does it for, but it's slower and stops on the way
Buses don't run at night, so late arrivals need a taxi or a pre-booked transfer
Yes, Grab runs reliably — it's the Uber of Southeast Asia. Alongside it you'll find Xanh SM (electric cars) and InDrive (name your price). Install at least two apps: in the rain or at rush hour a single one may not find you a car quickly.
Route #18, run by Đất Mới. It leaves from Yersin Street in the centre and terminates at Cam Ranh airport. Ticket 50,000–65,000 VND, cash only. Buses run from early morning into the evening, every 30–60 minutes, roughly an hour on the road. For a late-night flight, take a taxi or a pre-booked transfer instead.
From 150,000 VND (~$6) a day, or 2,300,000–3,000,000 VND (~$92–120) a month. Shops ask for a passport or a cash deposit. To ride legally you need an International Driving Permit with the motorcycle category.
- By bus (Futa Bus, Hanh Cafe)150,000–250,000 VND~$6–103.5–5 hours over a mountain pass
- By taxi or transferfrom ~$603–3.5 hours
- By bike4–5 hoursover a scenic but serious pass
Buses leave the southern bus station every 1–2 hours in the morning
Rarely. Self-drive rental for tourists is uncommon: you need an IDP with category B together with your national licence, and a foreign licence alone isn't valid here. A car with a driver starts at ~$25 a day. To get around on your own, use a scooter or the ride apps.
Bus #4 runs to the cable car station for 8,000 VND (~$0.30) in about 20 minutes. A taxi from the centre is around 120,000 VND (~$4.80). VinWonders is open 08:30–20:00, and the cable car ride is included in the park ticket.
Grab and Xanh SM take international Visa/Mastercard or cash in VND. Many street cabs and smaller apps are cash-only, so carry small notes. Withdraw dong at an ATM (fees of 22,000–66,000 VND per transaction are common) or bring US dollars and change them locally.
In town, yes — roads are flat and wide. Out of town, especially the Da Lat pass, it's for experienced riders only. The main risks: oncoming trucks, wet roads in the rainy season and sand on the bends. Helmets are mandatory, and carry an IDP.
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