Overview
Bus is the most popular way for travelers on a tight budget to choose. Traveling by bus allows traveler to stop in any destination and stay as long as they like at reasonable prices. Although, compared with train, bus hardly can give passengers a comfortable trip, it’s still a hard-to-beat means of transportation in Vietnam.
If you want to discover thoroughly a certain place and gain more local experiences, public buses are an option worth considering. They run many of the same routes everyday and also additional routes throughout Vietnam.
Though, there are areas in which public buses are forbidden to access, such as District 1 and 3 in Ho Chi Minh City. So, for the sake of yourself, you should get a map of the main routes of each city’s public buses on sale at bookstores. Ticket can be purchased directly at the bus stations or on buses at low prices. However, you should acknowledge the discomfort when taking this vehicle.
Open Tour Buses
Open Tour Buses have activity scope at almost all popular destinations throughout the country, which allows travelers to stop whenever they want for as long as they like in any destination on itinerary.
The price for an entire tour from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City is around $25-$30, fixed and determined by transportation firms according to the distance of the routes. It is easy to purchase tickets at almost any budget travel agency, and there is no need to book in advance. But you are advised to reconfirm your seats, especially during peak season and holiday weekends.
Travel times can vary according to transportation firms. For more details, contact the open tour bus operators in each region or travel agency. Below, we present a transportation firm which has just launched open tour buses with berths onto transportation market: Hoang Long Transportation.
Routes and Prices
Following are prices and travel time for some of the more popular routes:
| Route | Fares (VND) | Travel Time |
| Hanoi – HCMC | 450,000 | 2-4 days |
| Hanoi-Hue | 200,000 | 13 hours |
| Hanoi | 170,000 | 5 hours |
| Hue – Hoi An | 70,000 | 4 hours |
| Hoi An – Nha Trang | 190,000 | 11-15 hours |
| Nha Trang – Dalat | 130,000 | 5 hours |
| Nha Trang – Mui Ne | 130,000 | 4 hours |
| Mui Ne – HCMC | 130,000 | 4-5 hours |
| Dalat – HCMC | 130,000 | 6 hours |
Hoang Long Transportation offers trips on many routes between the North and South, serves foods and drinks on modernly-equipped buses.
| Route | Fare (VND) | Schedule |
| Hanoi – Cat Ba | 120,000 | Hanoi: Luong Yen Bus Station: 5h20 – 7h20 – 11h20 – 13h20, Hai Phong: 04 Le Thanh Tong St.: 8h00 – 10h00 – 14h00 – 16h00, Cat Ba: Cat Ba office: 7h15 – 9h15 – 13h15 – 15h15 |
| Hai Phong – Cat Ba | 80,000 | |
| Hanoi – Lang Son | 40,000 | Luong Yen Bus Station (Hanoi) – Lang Son Bus Station, 29 trips per day from 05h00 to 19h00; 30 mins per trip |
| Hanoi – Thai Binh | 35,000 | Giap Bat Bus Station (Hanoi) – Thai Binh Bus Station, 20 trips per day from 05h20 to 18h45; 30 mins per trip |
| Hai Phong – HCMC | 670,000 | 2 trips per day: Tam Bac Bus Station: 9h00 – 19:00 |
Children aged from 4 to 10 years old: 50% off on adult fare.
Useful resources:
- Vietnam Ministry of Transport: https://www.mt.gov.vn/en/Pages/default.aspx
- VietnamOnline – Bus Information: https://www.vietnamonline.com/transport/bus-in-vietnam.html
