Traffic and transport in Vietnam are much of a hassle. With motorbikes and cars running on the street using the same lane, people jaywalk almost every time, and motorbikes sometimes even go on the sidewalks. You will be surprised and scared at the same time. However, if you are a cool head and calm enough, all of those would not be a big threat to your safety. Therefore, in this blog, we will guide you on how to “keep calm and travel cool in Vietnam!”
What is the main transportation in Vietnam and price?
The main transportation of Vietnam – you can use airplane, train, bus/van, ferry, boat, taxi and motorbike. The good thing is the price, and mostly it is very cheap (for a ticket/ride). Therefore, you don’t need to worry about spending too much money on travels between different places in Vietnam.
What are the most convenient vehicles in Vietnam?
1. Motorbike
Motorbike is the most popular choice of transportation in Vietnam, in all cities and rural areas in Vietnam. Vietnamese people use motorbikes to go to work, or travel in short driving distance. Besides, motorbikes is the easiest transportation to use, not expensive, and very flexible. For travelers, you are fine to rent or buy a motorbike from one destination to travel through the country, then sell it to get money back and save more for travelling in Vietnam. But you should test your motorbike driving skills and get familiar with transportation in Vietnam in advance. A group of travelers driving together is the best choice when you can help each other’s on the road, especially in the less traveled road.
In Hanoi, you can rent or buy a motorbike at Ngõ Huyện street, Tạ Hiện street and Lương Ngọc Quyến street within Hanoi Old Quarter. In Ho Chi Minh city, renting motorbike is easy at Phạm Ngũ Lão street. The rental normally costs about 10-15$ a day.
2. Taxi
Taxi is the second most common vehicle that Vietnamese people prefer to use, especially on sunny days. The most popular taxi brand nowadays in Vietnam is Grab, which is similar to Uber but a bit cheaper. You can simply download the app on Appstore and register your phone number to use.
There are:
- GrabCar: it is useful if you want to book a car depending on the number of people you travel with, you can book 4 seats or 7 seats car. You can also pre-check the price on your phone.
- Grabbike: it is useful if you want to book a motorbike and enjoy the hustle and bustle atmosphere of the city.
- GrabTaxi: it is useful if you prefer taxi service. You can check the price on the clock in the car.
- GrabShare: if you don’t want to spend too much money, Grab offers you rides which you can share with other people who wish to go to the same direction as you. You can save up to 30% compared to normal GrabCar.
However, during rush hour, it might be hard to book and wait for a car to come pick you up. Therefore, we suggest you wave for a “traditional taxi” that is near you. But, in order to avoid scam, make sure you grab yourself a reputable taxi company, in Hanoi, there is: Hanoi Tourist, Mai Linh Taxi and VinaSun, Mai Linh in Ho Chi Minh city.
3. Train/Railways
Railways in Vietnam should have been improved and used more for tourism purpose. Railway in Vietnam was developed by French people but has not been developed significantly since that time. The most important railway is the Reunification Express, between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
In Vietnam, tourists can use railways to travel in some destination: Hanoi – Sapa, Hanoi – Da Nang, Da Nang – Sai Gon, and Nha Trang – Sai Gon. Since the quality of railway transportation is really good compared to international standard, it is considered a safe means of transportation in Vietnam. In addition, the railway covers the whole country from North to South, especially in central coastline. Therefore, travelling by trains can give you an opportunity to admire the beauty of Vietnam on the sides.
You should book railway tickets in advance to avoid fully booking or ticket scams. You may ask for help from travel agents, hotels, and there will be about 5% charge for this service. For a cost-effective method, tickets can be purchased directly at the train station.
4. Bus
Local bus is the popular transportation in Vietnam for a longer distance between different province, less than around 500km. In general, local bus is not up to standards for international travelers because there isn’t English speaking staffs. So, it is not easy to communicate. However, many backpackers in Vietnam choose local buses between different regions because it is cheap and flexible. You can divide the whole trip into different sections and use sleeping buses.
With most famous tourist attractions, the tour package will include transfer and even pick up and drop off at your places. For some other provinces, which are not accessible by airplanes or railways, local bus is the only choice. The quality of local bus in Vietnam has been improved these days and tourists can easily use that in recent times. Some recommended sleeping bus company is: Hung Thanh, Camel, Open tour bus, and Phuong Trang bus.
If you have a higher budget, you should use airlines for faster movement within Vietnam, or you can consider using railways instead. Surely, local bus is still a good choice in budget option.
Check out convenient transfer options to conveniently get around in Vietnam:
- Hanoi ↔ Sapa Bus (large & bed type seats option) Transfer (+ wifi)
- Hanoi ↔ Cat Ba Island by Bus & Speedboat Transfer (+ wifi/snack)
- Hoi An ↔ Da Nang/Da Nang Airport Shuttle Bus
Explore here and there of Vietnam on a vehicle:
We hope this blog helps you find it easier on choosing your transportation during your stay in Vietnam. For more tips on traveling to Vietnam, visit our website Trazy.com, Asia’s #1 Travel Shop.
Photo Credits:
William Cho from flickr
KK70088 from flickr
