Getting around Vietnam — what to take and what it costs
Renting a bike from 150K ₫/day, Grab, intercity sleeper buses, trains and domestic flights from $25. Traffic rules, fines and the IDP. Updated 2026.
What to take
In Vietnam the distance picks the transport, not habit: what makes sense over a hundred kilometres turns into a full day on the road over eight hundred. Two answers and you will see what to book.
Motorbikes: licence, money, handover
Seventy million motorbikes for a hundred million people — this is the country’s main transport, not a tourist activity. And the first question is not about the rental price.
Not every IDP counts here
Vietnam recognises the International Driving Permit issued under the 1968 Vienna Convention — and only that one. The USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand issue 1949-convention permits, which carry no legal weight in Vietnam: hand one to a police officer and you are treated as riding unlicensed. Whichever permit you hold, it must show category A and be carried together with your home licence — on its own it is not valid. Rental shops increasingly check.
What riding unlicensed costs
Decree 168/2024 took effect on 1 January 2025: fines multiplied, and both cameras and checkpoints have grown noticeably denser. The full breakdown is in Vietnam road rules.
- Riding unlicensed, up to 125 cc2–4M ₫ ($80–160)
- Riding unlicensed, over 125 cc6–8M ₫ ($240–320)
- No helmet — per person on the bike400–600k ₫ ($16–24)
- Drink riding6–8M ₫ and the bike held for 7 days
- Running a red light800k–1M ₫ ($32–40)
The rental shop’s insurance will not cover you. Whatever it offers rarely pays out for foreigners. Real cover is your own travel policy with an explicit motorbike option — SafetyWing, World Nomads and Genki all sell one. Even that can be refused if you rode without a recognised licence: riding unlicensed is an exclusion in almost every policy. A day in an international clinic runs $240–800.
What to rent and for how much
| Type | Per day | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| Semi-automaticHonda Wave, Future · 110–125 cc | 100–180k ₫ | 1.5–2M ₫ |
| Automatic scooterHonda Vision, Lead, Yamaha Janus · 110–125 cc | 150–250k ₫ | 2–2.5M ₫ |
| Sport automaticHonda Airblade, Yamaha NVX · 125–155 cc | 200–300k ₫ | 2.5–3.5M ₫ |
| MotorcycleHonda Winner, XR150 · 150–400 cc | 250–800k ₫ | from 3.5M ₫ |
14 days on an automatic scooter
A month is cheaper by 550k ₫ — and the bike is yours to the end of your stay
- Semi-automaticHonda Wave, Future · 110–125 ccDaily100–180k ₫Monthly1.5–2M ₫
- Automatic scooterHonda Vision, Lead, Yamaha Janus · 110–125 ccDaily150–250k ₫Monthly2–2.5M ₫
- Sport automaticHonda Airblade, Yamaha NVX · 125–155 ccDaily200–300k ₫Monthly2.5–3.5M ₫
- MotorcycleHonda Winner, XR150 · 150–400 ccDaily250–800k ₫Monthlyfrom 3.5M ₫
Leave money as a deposit, never your passport. The usual amount is 1–3M ₫ for a scooter, 5–10M ₫ for a motorcycle. Without your passport you cannot check into a hotel, change money or file a police report. A photocopy is enough, and reputable shops accept one. RON 95 petrol costs 17.5–22k ₫ a litre; a scooter uses 2–2.5 l per 100 km, so a full tank lasts 150–200 km.
Handover: eight checks beside a stranger’s scooter
Tick them off right here — the list is needed at the moment the bike is in front of you and the owner is waiting. How to pick the shop itself is in the rental guide.
Around town: Grab and the alternatives
The fare is locked in before you ride, so there is nothing to haggle over and no meter to be cheated on. Sign-up, booking and payment step by step are in the Grab guide.
- 3–5 km · by bike15–25k ₫Up to 45k ₫ in heavy rain
- 3–5 km · by car50–70k ₫Up to 126k ₫ in heavy rain
- 5–7 km · by bike25–35k ₫Up to 63k ₫ in heavy rain
- 5–7 km · by car70–90k ₫Up to 162k ₫ in heavy rain
- 10 km · by bike30–45k ₫Up to 81k ₫ in heavy rain
- 10 km · by car80–120k ₫Up to 216k ₫ in heavy rain
The solid part is the app fare, the muted extension is where it lands in heavy rain: up to 80% on top. Rush hour adds 20–50%, late night 10–20%
From the airport into town
The first ride in the country is the one people overpay for most: at the terminal exit they will ask two to three times what the app shows. Grab works at every major airport, but you collect the car from the marked pick-up bay rather than at the doors. Flying in at night, with children or with heavy bags, it is worth booking a car ahead: the price is fixed before you fly and the driver meets you with a sign.
Airport transfer — from $18 per car. Hanoi, Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City and Cam Ranh, a sedan for four or a minibus for sixteen, day and night rates. Routes and prices.
How to pay in the app. A foreign Visa or Mastercard usually links fine, but keep cash dong as a fallback — cards get declined and every service takes cash.
Five apps, not one
- GrabThe default app. Bikes, cars, seven-seaters, and cars with a driver by the hourBaseline
- Xanh SMVinFast electric cars — quieter, and no petrol smell in the cabinlike Grab
- BeThe Vietnamese rival to Grab, with food delivery built inlike Grab
- MaximWidest motorbike coverage in smaller towns20–40% cheaper
- inDriveYou name your price and the driver takes it or leaves ityou bid
Between cities
Bus, train and plane each win on a different leg. Three real routes show where the boundaries fall — and why the short leg has no flight at all, while the long one has no point in a bus.
| Leg | Bus | Train | Plane |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nha Trang — Da Lat130 km | 3–4 h · 120–180k ₫ | No line | No flights |
| Ho Chi Minh — Nha Trang430 km | 8–10 h · 200–350k ₫ | 7.5–9 h · from 305k ₫ | 1 h · from $25 |
| Hanoi — Ho Chi Minh1,730 km | ~30 h · 450–800k ₫ | 30–34 h · from 600k ₫ | 2 h · from $30 |
- Nha Trang — Da Lat130 kmBus3–4 h · 120–180k ₫TrainNo linePlaneNo flights
- Ho Chi Minh — Nha Trang430 kmBus8–10 h · 200–350k ₫Train7.5–9 h · from 305k ₫Plane1 h · from $25
- Hanoi — Ho Chi Minh1,730 kmBus~30 h · 450–800k ₫Train30–34 h · from 600k ₫Plane2 h · from $30
Buses
A sleeper bus has two tiers of flat berths instead of seats and is the cheapest way to cover distance. Operators: Futa, TheSinh, Hanh Cafe, Hoang Long. Book on vexere.com (widest choice, lowest prices), baolau.com or 12go.asia, which is easier to read in English and adds about 10%. City buses start at 5k ₫; routes live in the BusMap app.
| Route | Time | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Ho Chi Minh — Nha TrangFuta, TheSinh | 8–10 h | 200–350k ₫ |
| Nha Trang — Da LatFuta, Hanh Cafe | 3–4 h | 120–180k ₫ |
| Ho Chi Minh — Da LatFuta, TheSinh | 6–7 h | from 180k ₫ |
| Hanoi — SapaFuta, Hoang Long | 5–6 h | 200–350k ₫ |
| Hanoi — Ho Chi MinhHoang Long, TheSinh | ~30 h | 450–800k ₫ |
Ho Chi Minh — Nha Trang
8–10 h200–350k ₫Futa, TheSinh
Nha Trang — Da Lat
3–4 h120–180k ₫Futa, Hanh Cafe
Ho Chi Minh — Da Lat
6–7 hfrom 180k ₫Futa, TheSinh
Hanoi — Sapa
5–6 h200–350k ₫Futa, Hoang Long
Hanoi — Ho Chi Minh
~30 h450–800k ₫Hoang Long, TheSinh
Trains
The Reunification Express covers the 1,729 km from Hanoi to Saigon in 30–34 hours; the prices below are for that whole run. The Da Nang — Hue stretch over the Hai Van pass is considered one of the finest rail rides anywhere: 2.5–4 hours, tickets from 83k ₫, nine departures a day, and the tourist services stop at the Lang Co viewpoint. Hanoi — Lao Cai for Sapa runs overnight in eight hours from 500k ₫; Violette Express and Sapaly add premium carriages at $40–70. Soft berths sell out about a week ahead.
| Class | Hanoi — Saigon |
|---|---|
| Hard seatBench seat, no berth | ~600k ₫ |
| Soft seatPadded seat, air conditioning | ~850k ₫ |
| Hard berthSix to a compartment, firm bunks | ~1.1M ₫ |
| Soft berthFour to a compartment, soft bunks | 1.5–2M ₫ |
- Hard seatBench seat, no berthHanoi — Saigon~600k ₫
- Soft seatPadded seat, air conditioningHanoi — Saigon~850k ₫
- Hard berthSix to a compartment, firm bunksHanoi — Saigon~1.1M ₫
- Soft berthFour to a compartment, soft bunksHanoi — Saigon1.5–2M ₫
Flights
There are 22 airports in the country, and on the long legs there is no alternative. Count door to door rather than time in the air: getting to the airport, checking in and waiting for bags adds roughly three hours. How to search for fares is in domestic flights.
| Airline | Baggage | From |
|---|---|---|
| Vietnam AirlinesFull service | 23 kg included | from $35 |
| VietJet AirLow cost | Extra, from $5 | from $25 |
| Bamboo AirwaysFew routes left | Baggage included | from $30 |
- VietJet AirLow costfrom $25
- Bamboo AirwaysFew routes leftfrom $30
- Vietnam AirlinesFull servicefrom $35
Travelling light, the low cost carrier is the cheapest — that is what it is for
- VietJet AirTicket $25 + bag $5from $30
- Bamboo AirwaysBaggage includedfrom $30
- Vietnam Airlines23 kg includedfrom $35
With a checked bag the gap between low cost and full service halves: the baggage fee eats half the saving
A $25 fare turns into $60 easily. Low-cost carriers pre-tick insurance, meals and priority boarding — untick them at every step of the booking. And do not take a taxi from directly outside the terminal: they ask two to three times what the app would have shown.
How transport works in your city
Where to rent a bike, whether Grab covers it, whether there is an airport bus — city by city.
If you need more depth
Timetables straight from the operators, the motorbike PDF and the reads that take each option apart.