Vietnam public transportation is varying. It’s not always comfortable, but the price is reasonable for expats. Depending on purpose and requirement of each tourist they will choose their suitable transportation.
The following is the most three common transportations in Vietnam for expats when traveling in Vietnam:
Airplane
Flight within Vietnam is very reasonably priced, especially when a person considers how much time they save. Domestic flights in Vietnam are rising in both the number of routes and frequency. The most frequent flights are between main cities, especially those with larger airports such as Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang. There are also many direct flights, though at fewer frequently to tourism destinations such as Dien Bien, Nha Trang, Hai Phong and Dalat
Domestic airlines include Vietnam Airlines, Jetstar Pacific, Viet Jet and Air Mekong.
Railway
Besides travelling by air, you can choose railway as the best solution if you want to see around Vietnam and also have a chance to discover many Vietnam attraction.
The major train line in Vietnam, the Reunification Express, runs between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. This in itself is a 34-hours train journey, but there are a number of stops along the way. There are also some shorter routes from Hanoi to the northwest and northeast of the country.
The price of train tickets depends on your routes and kind of tickets as Hard or Soft Seat, Hard or Soft Berth.
Bus
Bus is the cheapest and most convenient means of transportation for foreign travelers since the bus system has been well-developed and covered almost every part of the country. Intercity buses are commonly used to travel between major cities in Vietnam and good condition with air-conditioned.
Hoang Long and Mai Linh are two of the major bus companies operating long-distance bus services in Vietnam.
Vietnam Taxi
Besides bus and motorbike, taxi is also the popular mean of transportation in Vietnam with affordable fares.
Types of taxi in Vietnam
There are two kinds of Vietnam taxi which is official and Unofficial Taxi
- Official taxi: taxi refers to taxi corporations with high quality and affordable price.
- Unofficial taxis which belongs to individual drivers with the high price.
Taxi fares in Vietnam
- In Hanoi: is about VND 9.000- VND 11.000 / Km
- In Ho Chi Minh: about VND 12.000- VND 14.500/ Km
How to book taxi in Vietnam
There are two ways to book taxi in Vietnam: Direct and online
- Direct: it means you will have to stand in the roadside, wave your hand and wait for your taxi stop or make a phone call directly to office
- Online booking: at present tourists can use Grabtaxi or Uber service in Vietnam if you use smartphone and stall Grabtaxi and Uber.
Some reputable taxi brands
- Mai Linh Taxi: one of the most popular taxi brands in all over Vietnam with cab, cover of two main colors: white and green. Gia Dinh Taxi (Tel: 02438.98.98.98), Mai Linh Limousine (Tel: 02438.36.36.36) or Saigon Taxi (Tel: 02438.23.23.23)
- Vinasun: a big taxi corporation in Ho Chi Minh City, recognized by the typical cover with the main white color, in addition with one red strip and green strip below
- Hanoi Taxi (Tel: 02438.53.53.53): One of the pioneers in taxi services from 1993. The cab of Hanoi taxi is painted with purely white color
- Others: Savico, Saigon tourist, and Hoang Long