Ground Transportation for Vietnam

Options for traveling within Vietnam for a 21-day period

Outline

  1. Car
  2. Train / Bus / Air
  3. Other Options
  4. Estimate of total ground travel expenses

Car

In Vietnam car rentals always come with a driver. The travel book I picked up is by Lonely Planet. According to my travel book, the average costs for a car and driver are $80 to $135 per day. I found a car for $169.38 per day for a total of $3726.37 over the three week period.

Train / Bus / Air

Train prices leaving Hanoi come at a range of prices depending on both destination and seat type. The lowest possible price is $10 to Hai Phong and the highest price of the same seat type is $64 to Ho Chi Minh City. Upgrading to the most expensive seat adds somewhere from $20 to $40 to the ticket price.

 

The bus is a viable option for traveling within Hanoi or outside. The tickets can be very cheap, ranging from about 14 cents in Hanoi up to $1.19 to visit nearby provinces.

Traveling by plane seems like the best option especially for long distance flights. A flight from Hanoi to various other cities can be very cheap, as shown in the graphic. Comparing to the train, a train ticket from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City costs $64 at the cheapest while a plane ticket costs $37. Planes win for quick, long distance travel in Vietnam. My travel book does note that cancellations are common however.

Other options

According to my travel book there are a number of alternative travel options within Vietnam. You could rent a bicycle for about $1-$6 a day depending on the bike model and spend about $21-$126 over the three weeks. Hail a taxi which generally charges about seventy cents per kilometer. Sail on a boat or ferry with widely varying prices. Rent a moped or motorcycle with or without a driver with prices starting at $5.

Estimate of total ground travel expenses

The total cost of traveling within Vietnam for a three week period is $3726.37 for a rental car with a driver. Traveling by other means over the 3-week period is likely cheaper, but will vary based on destination and kind of travel used.

References

PLANET, LONELY. LONELY PLANET VIETNAM. LONELY PLANET PUBNS, 2020.

Submitted by Jennifer Nguyen on 3/13/2020.