About the route from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi
Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi sit at opposite ends of Vietnam, around 1,160 kilometers apart by air and over 1,700 kilometers by road and rail. This distance shapes everything about the journey. Flying takes about two hours and is by far the most practical choice, which is why this is one of the busiest flight routes in the world, with dozens of departures every day. By contrast, the train and bus both take well over 30 hours to cover the full distance, so they only make sense if you treat the journey as part of the trip rather than a way to get from A to B.
That is the key thing to understand before choosing. If you simply want to get to Hanoi, you fly. If you want to experience the country slowly, the railway down the coast is one of Vietnam’s great journeys, but it works best broken into stops rather than ridden in one long stretch. The bus, meanwhile, is rarely worth it over this distance. This guide covers all three, but for most travelers the decision comes down to flying versus taking the train in stages.
Hanoi is Vietnam’s capital and the main hub of the north. It is a city worth time in its own right, with its Old Quarter, lakes, history, and food, and it is also the gateway to the region’s biggest draws, including Halong Bay, Sapa, and Ninh Binh. Most travelers use it both as a destination and as a base for exploring further north.
Plan your time there with our Hanoi travel guide.
Option 1: By plane from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi
Why fly
Flying is the obvious way to travel from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi. The flight takes around two hours, compared to more than a day by land, and the route is one of the busiest domestic corridors in the world, regularly ranking among the top few globally. That means around 60 to 70 flights a day, so you can fly at almost any time from early morning to late evening, and fares stay competitive thanks to the heavy competition. For the vast majority of travelers, this is simply the way to do this route.
The airlines
Several airlines compete on this route, and the right one depends on your budget and what you want included.
Vietnam Airlines is the full-service national carrier, with fares usually including checked baggage and in-flight service. It also runs a high-frequency service on this route with departures roughly every hour on larger wide-body jets, which is handy if you want flexibility.
Bamboo Airways sits in the middle, aiming for a comfortable, mid-range experience with more included than the budget airlines, often at slightly lower fares than Vietnam Airlines.
VietJet Air is the main budget option, with the lowest base fares, but extras like checked baggage are charged separately, so the final price can climb once you add them. It suits travelers with light luggage who want the cheapest seat.
Prices and booking
Average one-way fares sit around $67, though they vary widely with timing and demand. As a rough guide, VietJet tends to be the cheapest on the base fare, with Vietnam Airlines the highest but most inclusive, and Bamboo in between. Book around three to four weeks ahead for the best prices, and expect fares to rise sharply around holidays like Tet and during the summer peak. Early morning and late evening flights are often cheaper if your schedule is flexible.
Read more in our guide to domestic flights in Vietnam.
Airports and getting to and from them
Flights leave from Tan Son Nhat Airport (SGN) in Ho Chi Minh City and arrive at Noi Bai Airport (HAN) in Hanoi. Tan Son Nhat is close to the city center, only a short taxi or Grab ride from most central districts. Noi Bai is further out, around 30 kilometers north of central Hanoi, so allow around 45 minutes by taxi, Grab, or airport shuttle bus to reach the Old Quarter. Factor this transfer time into your plans, especially if you have an onward connection.
Option 2: By train from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi
The Reunification Express
The railway between Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi is the famous Reunification Express, the line running the length of Vietnam along the coast. As a way to get directly to Hanoi it is not practical: the full journey covers around 1,726 kilometers and takes roughly 32 to 37 hours, far longer than a two-hour flight. But as an experience it is one of the most rewarding journeys in the country, with front-row views of coastline, rice fields, and mountains that you simply do not get from the air.
Better as a journey with stops
The train makes most sense when you treat it as a series of legs rather than one marathon ride. You can break the trip at some of Vietnam’s best destinations along the way and book a separate ticket for each stage, which is how most travelers do it. Good stops heading north include Nha Trang for the coast, Da Nang for nearby Hoi An, Hue for its imperial history, and Ninh Binh for its karst landscapes. The most scenic stretch of all is the Hai Van Pass between Da Nang and Hue, where the line hugs the cliffs above the sea. Broken up this way, the railway becomes part of the trip rather than just transport.
Train classes
There are several classes on the Reunification Express, from cheapest to most comfortable. Soft seats are fine for short daytime legs but not for overnight travel. Hard sleepers have six berths per cabin, cheaper but more cramped, while soft sleepers have four berths and are the standard choice for tourists, with more room and a thicker mattress. Some trains also offer VIP two-berth cabins for more privacy. On top of these, private operators like Livitrans, Violette, and Lotus attach their own smarter tourist carriages to the regular trains, with nicer fittings and small extras, for around twice the price of the standard cabins.
Read more in our guide to train travel in Vietnam.
For a completely different experience, there is also SJourney, Vietnam’s first luxury train, which runs the full route between Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi as a multi-day journey with private cabins, fine dining, and guided stops along the way. It is a high-end trip rather than simple transport, and a special way to cross the country for those who want it.
Option 3: By bus from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi
Traveling the full distance from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi by bus is possible, but it is not something we would recommend. The journey takes well over 30 hours, even longer than the train, on sleeper buses that run the length of the country. Spending that long on a bus is tiring and uncomfortable, and with flights so cheap and frequent, there is little reason to do it as a single trip.
Like the train, the bus only really makes sense if you break it into shorter legs and stop along the way. Sleeper buses connect almost every town down the coast, so you can travel in stages between places like Nha Trang, Da Nang, and Hue, using the bus for the shorter hops where it is cheaper or more convenient than the train. Some companies also sell open tickets, which let you hop on and off at set stops along the route over a period of time, though you can just as easily book each leg separately as you go.
For getting all the way to Hanoi, though, the bus is the least practical choice. If budget is your main concern, the train in stages is more comfortable for a similar kind of trip, and if speed matters, flying wins easily. The bus is best kept for the shorter sections of an overland journey rather than the whole route.
Read more about bus travel in Vietnam.
Conclusion: what is the best option for Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi
The best way to travel from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi depends on whether you care about speed or the journey itself. Here is a simple way to choose:
Plane – the obvious choice for almost everyone, around two hours on one of the world’s busiest flight routes, with dozens of cheap, frequent departures every day.
Train – worth it only if the journey is part of the trip, broken into stops down the coast at places like Nha Trang, Da Nang, and Hue. As a direct ride it takes 32 hours or more.
Bus – the least practical option over this distance, taking more than 30 hours, and best kept for shorter legs of an overland trip rather than the whole route.
For most travelers, the choice is simple: fly if you want to get to Hanoi quickly and cheaply, which is what nearly everyone does. If you would rather see the country slowly, take the train in stages down the coast and enjoy the ride. The bus is only really worth considering for the shorter hops along the way.
