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Getting There By Air:

Tan Son Nhat Airport (SGN)
Tel: (08) 845 6654.

Tan Son Nhat Airport is located around 7km (4 miles) northwest of the city center. It is the largest of the three international airports in Vietnam receiving more international flights than the capital, Hanoi. It is a fast expanding airport with regular flights going to Bangkok, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur and several to Europe. In 2007 a new terminal building was opened for all international flights and plans for a totally new out-of-town airport have been approved.

Approximate flight times to Ho Chi Minh City: From London is 15 hours 30 minutes; from New York is 21 hours; from Los Angeles is 19 hours; from Toronto is 22 hours and from Sydney is 8 hours 45 minutes.

Airport facilities: These include bureaux de change, duty-free, cafes and shops and a visitor information center. There are no car hire providers at the airport.

Business facilities: There are airport lounges at the airport but no business facilities as such.

Transport to the city: The air-conditioned bus 152 (tel: (08) 829 8992; website: www.satranco.com.vn) runs from the airport to Ben Thanh Market in the city center daily. Metered taxis wait outside arrivals to transport passengers to the city center (journey time - 30 minutes). A taxi fare into the city costs around US$6.

Getting There By Road:

The road network throughout Vietnam is reasonable but the standard of the roads varies dramatically from good to appalling. In theory, traffic drives on the right but in practice drivers take the most direct path avoiding the many thousands of bicycles, motorbikes and animals in the road as well as the increasing number of cars and lorries. As self-driven car hire is non-existent, visitors to the country have to hire a car with a driver. Most will agree that this is the only way until the country introduces and enforces a system of road rules.

There are basic rules, such as you must stop at a red light and headlights must be used at night but that tends to be as far as it goes. Long-term foreign residents are allowed to drive a car but few are brave enough to do so, preferring to employ a Vietnamese chauffeur. It is safe to assume that if a foreigner is driving a car involved in an accident, they will automatically be assumed to be at fault.

Emergency breakdown service: None.

Routes to the city: The national highways are all designated by numbers. Highway 1 travels the length of the country from the very south, through Ho Chi Minh City and northwards to Hanoi and beyond to the Chinese border. Major towns in the south of Vietnam on Highway 1 are My Tho, Can Tho, Phan Thiet and Nha Trang. Dalat is reached by Highway 20, Vung Tau by Highway 51 and the Cambodian border (Moc Bai) by Highway 22.

Driving times to Ho Chi Minh City: From My Tho - 1 hour 30 minutes; Vung Tau - 2 hours; Cambodian border - 2 hours 30 minutes; Phan Thiet - 3 hours 30 minutes; Can Tho - 4 hours 30 minutes; Dalat - 7 hours; Nha Trang - 12 hours.

Coach services: There are several bus stations around the city that each serve different destinations. Facilities are very basic and are unlikely to have more than food stands serving local snacks. The buses throughout Vietnam range from fairly good to ramshackle. Some express services to Phnom Penh (Cambodia) and Hanoi are in relatively modern air-conditioned buses but films can play constantly throughout the journey. Services on short journeys depart when they are full and those traveling longer distances generally depart early in the morning. It is not possible to book tickets over the telephone and visitors should go to the relevant bus station the day before to check the schedule for the following day and purchase their ticket. In addition, a very useful telephone number is 1080 where English-speaking operators can give information on timetables.

The bus to Cambodia, operated by Saigon Passenger Transport Company (tel: (08) 920 3623; website: www.satranco.com.vn), departs from 309 Pham Ngu Lao Street, District 1, twice daily from Monday to Saturday for the seven-hour journey to Phnom Penh. You should arrange the Cambodian visa in advance but this can be obtained at the border crossing point. Buses to Dalat, Buon Ma Thuot, Nha Trang, Danang, Hue and Hanoi depart from Mien Dong Bus Station (Ben Xe Mien Dong) (tel: (08) 898 4893), on Xo Viet Nghe Tinh in Binh Tan District.

Credit cards are still not common in Vietnam and Vietnamese are not in the habit of booking buses in advance (although they do like to book trains by a prior visit to the station). Bus station telephone information is very restricted as to whether or not there are seats available and appearing in person to obtain a ticket for that day with cash will still be necessary. The exception is private bus services operating solely for foreign tourists, often with a booking office located in a tourist cafe such as at De Tham Street (off Pham Ngu Lao), which are much better organized. There are also rogue bus (van) services to tourist resorts from Ho Chi Minh City which can be hailed and boarded en route, but these are packed and with very little legroom available, very uncomfortable.

Getting There By Rail:

The Vietnamese railway company, Duong Sat Vietnam (tel: (08) 843 6528 (ticket prices) or 931 8952 (train information); website: www.vr.com.vn), operates one major route in Vietnam from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi with minor routes linking Hanoi with northern towns. The route north from Ho Chi Minh City is picturesque but is the slowest form of transport with express services not living up to their name. Although in theory the Duong Sat Vietnam telephone numbers are for train information and ticket prices, being a state-owned company staff tend to be rather unhelpful. It is better to go to the station, located at 1 Nguyen Thong, District 3 (tel: (08) 846 8704), in person, or to a local travel agent for help. Alternatively, a very useful telephone number is 1080 where English-speaking operators can also give information on timetables.

The railway station has very limited facilities other than the ticket desks and a small snack-bar. As yet there are no rail passes available and it is advisable to book tickets as far in advance as possible, since seats and berths in soft class are limited. Soft class has seats with padding and four-berth cabins with thin mattresses, as opposed to hard class, which has wooden slatted seats and six-berth wooden berths.

Rail services: The only route to Ho Chi Minh City is from Hanoi and the journey can take between 32 and 42 hours, depending on the number of stops. Trains can be seriously affected by flooding in the rainy season particularly in the center of the country. There is a daily deluxe train service between Ho Chi Minh City and the beach resort of Nha Trang (tel: (08) 920 6868; website: www.5starexpress.com.vn) with comfortable sleeping berths, restaurant car and cinema.

Getting Around:



Public Transport
Public transport within the city is becoming more developed, but still most people either have their own transport in the form of a bicycle or motorbike or rely on cyclos (see Cyclos below) and taxis. However, the government is trying to tackle rising traffic congestion and the bus service is improving with many routes across the city (tel: (08) 829 8992; website: www.satranco.com.vn). You can buy tickets for single journeys on the bus and there are travel passes available for 30 journeys.

Taxis
There are several taxi companies operating within the city and they are usually metered. Restaurants, bars and hotels are quite happy to summon a taxi, otherwise vehicles can be hailed on the street. Visitors are advised to check that the meter is turned on. There are some taxis that are unmetered, where the fare must be agreed upon before departure. However, the price of these is no cheaper. Tipping is not necessarily expected but always welcome. Reputable taxi companies are Mai Linh Taxi (tel: (08) 822 6666, Saigon Taxi (tel: (08) 842 4242) and Vinataxi (tel: (08) 811 1111).

Cyclos
These are a fun way to travel around the city, although rather nerve-wracking. The cyclo is like a rickshaw but the driver sits behind the passenger instead of in front. This means that you are pedalled rather dramatically into the oncoming traffic, which consists of fairly lawless cars, buses, motorbikes, bicycles and other cyclos constantly careering across your path. The authorities are slowly banning cyclos from the city and now many central streets are out of bounds to them. However, they generally hang around outside hotels or cruise along the street soliciting business from pedestrians. A rate should always be negotiated before setting off and a short journey should not cost more than US$1. Visitors should also keep a tight hold of bags and cameras and hide necklaces, as opportunist thieves have been known to snatch them as they pass by on a motorbike.

Driving in the City
Most visitors to Ho Chi Minh City are quite traumatized when they encounter the traffic for the first time. The streets are crammed with bicycles and motorbikes, which dart between the growing number of cars. Bikes regularly travel the wrong way along a one-way street and appear out of side roads without even a cursory glance in the direction of the oncoming traffic. Motorbike riders remove their wing mirrors allowing them to squeeze through the smallest gaps. Happily, visitors are only allowed to hire cars with drivers. Long-term residents are allowed to drive, although very few do. Those that do drive their own car will find little provision for secure parking but will always find somebody willing to keep an eye on their car for a tip. Visitors should be aware that police are likely to target foreign drivers for ’on-the-spot’ fines so steady and defensive driving is advised.

Car Hire
It is not possible to hire a car without a driver but cars with English-speaking drivers can be arranged through travel companies. The following companies can arrange a car with a driver for the day: Exotissimo (tel: (08) 825 1723; website: www.exotissimo.com), Saigontourist Car Rental (tel: (08) 829 8914; website: www.saigontourist.net) and Vidotour (tel: (08) 933 0457; website: www.vidotourtravel.com).

Bicycle Hire
A popular place for this is the area around Pham Ngu Lao, which is the backpacker hangout. A reputable company for motorbike hire is Saigon Scooter Center, 25/7 Cuu Long (tel: (08) 848 7816; website: www.saigonscootercenter.com). Clients have to leave their passport as a deposit. Checks should be made to ensure that the motorbike is roadworthy. An International Driving Permit endorsed for motorbikes is required for vehicles over 50cc. Bicycles and motorbikes should always be parked in the areas set aside for them (gui xe), otherwise they are likely to disappear and visitors will be liable for buying a replacement. It is always worth taking a padlock for additional security. The wearing of helmets is now compulsory.

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