About the route from Da Nang to Ho Chi Minh City
Da Nang sits on the central coast and Ho Chi Minh City far to the south, roughly 900 kilometers apart by road, a drive of around thirteen hours that almost nobody makes as a single transfer. So the practical ways to travel from Da Nang to Ho Chi Minh City are the plane, the train, and the bus. Flying is quickest by a huge margin, and this is one of the busiest air routes in the country, with flights all day. The train takes 16 to 19 hours and the bus even longer, both running overnight, and both trade speed for a lower price and a night’s saved accommodation. Da Nang, the starting point, is the main city of the central coast, covered in our Da Nang travel guide if you are still planning your time there.
Ho Chi Minh City, still widely called Saigon, is Vietnam’s biggest and most energetic city, the commercial engine of the south. After Da Nang’s easy pace it can feel overwhelming at first, a sprawl of motorbikes, markets, and high-rises, but that intensity is a large part of the appeal. The main draws are the war-history museums and tunnels, the French-era landmarks around District 1, the street food, and its role as the springboard for the Mekong Delta. Our Ho Chi Minh City travel guide covers what is worth your time.
Option 1: By flight from Da Nang to Ho Chi Minh City
Why choose the flight
Flying is the fastest way south by far, turning a full day of travel into about an hour and a half in the air. This is one of the busiest routes in the country, so flights leave all day and a convenient one is easy to find. For most travelers, it is the obvious choice.
How it works
Direct flights from Da Nang to Ho Chi Minh City take around 1 hour 35 minutes, with departures throughout the day. Vietnam Airlines runs the most flights, alongside VietJet Air and Sun PhuQuoc Airways. They leave Da Nang Airport, right by the city, and land at Tan Son Nhat Airport, close to central Saigon, so the ride into the city is short. Fares vary a lot by date, but often start around 950,000 VND (roughly $38) on cheaper days, with Vietnam Airlines’ lowest tickets covering hand luggage only and bagged fares higher. Prices climb close to departure and in peak season, so book ahead. Our domestic flights guide has more.
Who it is for
The flight suits almost everyone, with so many departures to choose from. Unless you want the overland journey down the coast, or the lowest possible fare, it is the sensible pick. The two slower options follow.
Option 2: By train from Da Nang to Ho Chi Minh City
Why choose the train
The train is the best way to make this trip overland. It follows the coast for much of the way, gives you room to move and a flat bed if you book a berth, and an overnight service doubles as a night’s accommodation. It is slow next to flying, but a far more comfortable and scenic way to spend the hours than the bus.
How it works
These are Reunification Express services, run by Vietnam Railways. Trains leave Da Nang Railway Station, near the center, and finish at Saigon Railway Station in District 3, taking roughly 16 to 19 hours over the 900 kilometers depending on the train. The classes run from a soft seat up through a six-berth hard sleeper, a four-berth soft sleeper, and a two-berth VIP cabin on some services, and a berth is well worth it for an overnight this long. A soft sleeper starts from around 1,200,000 VND (roughly $48), with seats cheaper and VIP cabins higher. Foreign visitors book on 12Go, Baolau, or Vexere, because Vietnam Railways only sells directly to those with a local bank card. The scenery is a real plus, with the line running close to the coast around Quy Nhon and Nha Trang; a daytime departure catches the best of it before dark. Our train travel guide explains the classes.
Who it is for
The train suits anyone who values comfort and sleep over speed, or who would rather watch the coast roll past than fly over it. On this route it is clearly the better overland option. If you only want to arrive quickly, fly instead.
Option 3: By sleeper bus from Da Nang to Ho Chi Minh City
Why we don’t really recommend it
The bus is the cheapest way south, but it is also the longest and least comfortable, and for almost everyone it is hard to recommend. A sleeper or cabin bus does the trip overnight, but it takes even longer than the train, on the road rather than the rails, which makes for a rougher ride. The small saving over a train berth rarely justifies the extra hours and discomfort.
How it works
Buses take somewhere between 17 and 20 hours, most leaving Da Nang in the evening and reaching Saigon the following afternoon. Standard sleepers are the cheapest, from around 690,000 VND (roughly $27), while cabin and VIP coaches with private pods run higher, up to around 1,000,000 VND (roughly $40). Operators on the route include Bao Ngoc Limousine, Minh Phuong, and Vietnam Transfers, all bookable on 12Go, Vexere, or Baolau. Keep anything valuable on you overnight rather than in the hold. Our bus travel guide covers the coach types, though on a haul this long the train is almost always the better call.
Who it is for
Realistically, the bus only makes sense for travelers on the very tightest budget who cannot stretch to a train berth or a cheap flight. Even then, the extra hours over the train are a lot to give up for a small saving. For nearly everyone else, this is the option to skip.
Breaking the journey to Ho Chi Minh City
This is a long coastal route, and rather than face it in one push, many travelers break it into a string of stops down the coast, or take a longer inland route through the highlands. Going south from Da Nang, the main coastal stops come in this order.
Quy Nhon
Quy Nhon is the first, about three hours south of Da Nang, and the quietest of the four. It is an easygoing coastal city whose real appeal lies just outside it: boat trips to the clear coves of Ky Co and the wind-blasted rocks of Eo Gio, old Cham towers, and some of the best seafood on this part of the coast. It makes a relaxed overnight break. More in our Quy Nhon guide.
Tuy Hoa
Tuy Hoa comes next, a couple of hours further south. The town is quiet and short on sights, but the coastline around it is something else: some of the most striking and least touristed shore anywhere in the country, with long empty beaches and the extraordinary basalt columns of Ganh Da Dia. It is one for travelers who want raw, uncrowded coast over resorts. Our Tuy Hoa guide has the detail.
Nha Trang
Nha Trang follows, the biggest and busiest beach resort on the route, a long strip of sand backed by high-rise hotels, with day trips out to the offshore islands for diving and snorkeling. It is far more developed and crowded than the earlier stops, which suits some travelers and puts off others. Our Nha Trang guide sets out what is worth doing and what to skip.
Mui Ne
The last stop before Saigon is Mui Ne, a beach and fishing village known for its big sand dunes, its kitesurfing, and a low-key resort feel. It is an easy final break, a few hours short of the city. Our Mui Ne guide covers it.
Or take the inland route through the Central Highlands
For a more adventurous way south, some travelers skip the coast and head inland through the Central Highlands instead, by way of Kon Tum, Pleiku, Buon Ma Thuot, and Dalat, often on a multi-day Easy Rider motorbike trip. It trades beaches for mountains, coffee country, and ethnic-minority villages, and it is covered in our guide to Easy Riders in Vietnam. It is a journey in its own right rather than a quick way to reach Saigon.
Conclusion: what is the best option for Da Nang to Ho Chi Minh City
On a route this long, the best way from Da Nang to Ho Chi Minh City depends on how much time you have and what you want from the trip.
Fly if speed matters most. Flights run all day and take about an hour and a half, dropping you close to central Saigon.
Take the train for the most comfortable way overland, sleeping through the long haul south in a berth while the coast passes by.
The bus is the cheapest option, but at seventeen to twenty hours it is by far the longest and least comfortable, and for most travelers it is not worth it over the train.
And if you have the days, the best approach of all may be to break the trip down the coast, at Quy Nhon, Tuy Hoa, Nha Trang, or Mui Ne, or to head inland through the highlands. Much of the appeal of this stretch of Vietnam is in what lies between its two ends.
