Transport

Many cities and towns have developed different services such as taxi and public bus, especially big cities like Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh city, Hai Phong, Da Nang and Can Tho. Motorbikes and bicycles are common means of transportation in Vietnam.

Railway: There are few railway routes, of which the North-South route connecting Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh city is the longest with 1,726 km (stopping in Vinh, Hue, Da Nang and Nha Trang, etc). There are also other railway routes connecting Hanoi with some provinces in the North namely Lang Son, Hai Phong and Lao Cai.

There are two railway stations in Hanoi. One is Hanoi Station with the Thongnhat Trains heading for the South and International Express train heading for Beijing, China. The second is Tran Quy Cap Station with trains going to provinces in the North and East of Vietnam or the International-Link train to Kunming, China.

Hue, Da Nang, Nha Trang and Ho Chi Minh city stations are the key stops in the North-South route of the Thongnhat Train.

Waterway: Vietnam has a dense system of rivers, and a long coastline convenient for the development of waterway transport. There are two main types of waterway transport: sea and river transportation. Besides, canal transportation is also very popular among people living along canals, especially in provinces in the Southern Delta.

Port: includes sea and river ports. While the seaport system usually includes big international ports, river ports are usually small. Vietnam’s seaport system has contributed greatly to different economic sectors, including tourism. Tourists can enter Vietnam through big sea ports such as Hai Phong, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City.

Aviation: Vietnam’s aviation service has undergone significant developments, especially since its international integration in the past few years. Three international airports (Noi Bai, Da Nang and Tan Son Nhat) together with domestic airports have served millions of passengers and transported tens of millions of tones of goods annually.

Airport fee: For international route: US$14/person; US$7 for children under 12.

Domestic flights: Vietnam has domestic flights connecting big cities. In addition, the Northern Aviation Service Company also provides helicopter services at customer’s request.

Vietnam has two airlines: Vietnam Airlines (No 1 Quang Trung-Hanoi, tel: (04) 832 0320) and Pacific Airlines (36 Dien Bien Phu-Hanoi, tel (04) 733 2159). Pacific Airlines only provides domestic flights.

International flights: From Vietnam (at international airports, i.e. Noi Bai, Da Nang, Tan Son Nhat), passengers can fly to all big cities in the world and Vietnam Airlines conducts direct flights to many of these big cities. Almost all big airlines have a representative office in Vietnam.

International border gates:

Vietnam-Cambodia borderline:The four international border gates are Binh Hiep (Long An province), Moc Bai (Tay Ninh province), Song Tien and Tinh Bien (An Giang province).

Vietnam-Laos borderline: The five international border gates are Cau Treo (Ha Tinh province), Cha Lo (Quang Binh province), Lao Bao (Quang Tri province), Na Meo (Thanh Hoa province) and Nam Can (Nghe An province).

Vietnam-China borderline: The four international border gates are Dong Dang and Huu Nghi (Lang Son province), Mong Cai (Quang Ninh province) and Lao Cai (Lao Cai province).