TRANSPORTATION
If you have never experienced it before, you'll find transportation in Viet Nam can be quite scary. But Không sao! There's always beauty in the chaos, and below are some notes to help you navigate!
MOVING WITHIN THE CITY
Motorbike is the king of the street. (Fun fact: Saigon is the world's capital of motorbikes!) Everybody drives a motorbike, and every household owns it. Sometimes you will see up to 5 persons on a tiny bike, or pets, plants, very heavy goods, or anything that you can imagine.
For the last decades, there are more and more cars but motorbike is still the most popular mode of transport. You will get used to it. However, to prevent the effects of air pollution, it is recommended to wear a mask when you ride or even when you just sit on the back of a motorbike.
In the cities like Saigon or Vung Tau, if you do not have a driving license that is legally applicable in Viet Nam, we recommend that you use Taxi or ride-hailing apps to move around in respect of the law. This mode of transport is quite affordable and also frequently used by the locals. It is not difficult to rent a motorbike here if you want a bit of adventure, but without a proper license and local driving experience, ride it at your own risk - there are a lot of traffic police in big cities (Saigon / Hanoi), and you might not want to rely on their good moods or sympathy.
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Traditional Taxi: we recommend that you only look for Mai Linh (nationwide), Vinasun (nationwide), or TaxiGroup (only in Hanoi & the North). They are the top 3 most reliable taxi brands (they all have an app available on Google / Apple Store) so the drivers will not try to drive you around to increase the fare. There are more chances for you to experience bad situations with other companies (broken taximeter, tourists/foreigners pricing, etc.).
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Ride-hailing apps: the best option for tourists. You can install GRAB (the most popular one with more drivers and less waiting time), BE, GOJEK, XANH SM (electrical vehicles), choose your type of preferred vehicle (motorbike, 4 or 7-seat car), set up pick up and drop off locations and the price will be agreed before booking. This way, no bad surprise. In any case, the Vietnamese law must be followed (and also for your own safety since the traffic here is not for the faint of heart):
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Wear a safety belt in cars.
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Wear a helmet on bikes. All "bike taxis" have a spare one for their passenger.
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Payment: There are both cash and card options for traditional taxis (the reliable and big brands) and ride-hailing apps. Though since most of the rides are now booked through the ride-hailing apps, drivers usually have little to no change. Hence, we recommend setting up your credit card(s) in the app (be careful of the extra fees from your bank), it will make everything easier.
Public transport
Bus | The bus system is the most common public transport in the cities, but might be a bit tricky for foreigners to navigate. Depending on the route, the time (traffic jam alert) and the areas that you want to visit, the experience boarding the bus can varry. We still recommend using the taxi and the ride-hailing apps in big cities if you're not used to the transport system here: they're much faster, easier, and safer (foreigners are stand-out targets for pickpockets) than buses. If you still want to check it out, you can find the public bus routes in Saigon here or you may consider VinBus (a privately operated electronic bus service).
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In the center of big cities like Saigon or Ha Noi, you can also spot the double-decker hop on hop off bus for tourists. It is convenient if you want to see the city as much as possible in a short period of time. Check it out here. However, due to the heavy traffic flow in the city center, they might take a long time to move around. It might be more enjoyable if you use this time to take a walk around to better explore the charm of the city's buzzling streets and local vendors.
For Vung Tau, you can easily find the electric buses parking along the coastline of Bai Sau (The Back Beach) or Bai Truoc (The Front Beach). The design is open so you can freely enjoy the view and the wind from the sea. One bus can take up to 10-11 people. For the first 2 km, the price is 50,000 VND (2 USD), after that, it will be 25,000 VND (1 USD) / km. You can just approach an empty bus when you see it on the street and simply ask for a ride to your desired destination, or call the hotline +84 254 7306868 to book it. Prepare some cash with you for the payment.
Metro | The metro system is just recently being developed so it is not yet a common means of transport in Viet Nam.
Ha Noi Metro just opened for public usage since 2021 - check it out here, and Saigon Metro (as of now, May 2024) is still not officially in operation. But who knows, it might be ready when you visit us here in November! For Vung Tau, there is no metro.
Bicycle | Public bicycles are available through the app TNGO in 6 provinces and cities, including Saigon and Vung Tau. Just download the app (available on Google / App Store), register your account, find a nearby station, and follow the instruction for unlocking / locking the bicycle & payment. In Saigon, considering the heat, busy traffic and lack of specific lanes for cycling, riding a public bicycle is more suitable / enjoyable if you only go for a short distance or around the city center. In Vung Tau, a ride along the coastline would be lovely around the sunrise / sunset time.
Walking | Generally, the traffic here is not too friendly for pedestrians. Sometimes you might find the pavements too narrow or full of bikes / street vendors. But it's not too bad and hey, it's a part of the experience, right? ;) Also, crossing the streets here may be intimidating for some at first, but no worries, we have a few notes for you:
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Stopping for pedestrians to cross is not a common practice here. We recommend that you use the designated crosswalks at traffic lights or where there's a white marking on the road for pedestrian crossing. When you cross the streets, even if the little guy on the traffic light is green, double check twice each side before proceeding.
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If you cross on a running traffic, you might want to raise your hand and move forward slowly. Do NOT suddenly stop, step backward or run. The secret is to keep a steady pace when you walk so that the moving traffic can predict your movement and avoid hitting you. Be confident and just go with the flow - it would be OK!
MOVING FROM ONE CITY / PROVINCE TO ANOTHER
If you want to travel from one province / city to another, depending on the distance and your preferred style of travel, you can either go by plane, by train, or by bus.
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By plane
Since your time in Vietnam is limited, if the distance is long (e.g., Saigon-Da Nang or Saigon-Hanoi, etc.), we recommend that you fly with Vietnam Airlines, check-in luggage is included and their schedules are reliable. It is the opposite of Viet Jet or Air Asia, which are always late, sometimes cancelled with a very bad customer service.
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By train
Express train connecting different provinces from the North to the South is also a common mode of transport. Though, taking the train here is nothing like it is in Europe. Rail travel in Viet Nam is not very high-tech, not too fast, not too clean, informal, but exciting. The tickets are cheaper than the flights, and of course it takes much longer time. However, it will offer you a very local experience, and lovely scenic changes from one place to another. Check out the routes and buy tickets here.
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By bus / shuttle
For short distance such as from Saigon to Vung Tau (~100km), traveling by bus is a common choice. There are many options for bus services connecting different provinces and cities, but specifically for this route Saigon-Vung Tau, we recommend Hoa Mai Bus.
For longer distance, sleeping bus is available. Check out this blog if you want to consider taking one, and Vexere for other info on different bus routes & booking.
