About the route from Hoi An to Ho Chi Minh City
Hoi An sits on the central coast and Ho Chi Minh City far to the south, around 900 kilometers apart by road. Hoi An is a small town with no airport or train station, so both the flight and the train run through Da Nang, its larger neighbor 30 kilometers north. The fastest way to travel from Hoi An to Ho Chi Minh City is to transfer to Da Nang and fly, in a few hours in total, while the overland options take most of a day or more. Which suits you comes down to your budget and how you feel about a long trip. Hoi An, the starting point, is one of the most loved towns in the country, covered in our Hoi An travel guide if you are still planning your days there.
Ho Chi Minh City, which most travelers still call Saigon, is the biggest and most fast-moving city in the country. After the quiet lanes of Hoi An it is a shock of scale: millions of motorbikes, glass towers, round-the-clock markets, and a restless energy that never quite stops. The main draws are the war history at the Cu Chi Tunnels and the War Remnants Museum, the old colonial core of District 1, the street food, and the trips it opens up into the Mekong Delta. Our Ho Chi Minh City travel guide covers what is worth your time.
Option 1: By flight, via Da Nang
Why choose the flight
Flying is the fastest and easiest way to reach Saigon from Hoi An, turning a long overland haul into a short trip. Since Hoi An has no airport, you fly from Da Nang, a 45-minute drive north, on one of the busiest and cheapest domestic routes in the country. For most travelers it is the obvious choice.
How it works
You first transfer the 30 kilometers from Hoi An to Da Nang Airport, a drive of about 45 minutes, then fly to Tan Son Nhat Airport in Saigon. The flight takes around 1 hour 35 minutes, and this is a high-frequency route with departures all day, flown by Vietnam Airlines, VietJet Air, and Sun PhuQuoc Airways. Vietnam Airlines usually has the cheapest fares, sometimes from around 950,000 VND (roughly $38), with the lowest tickets covering hand luggage only, while bagged fares and the other airlines cost more. Tan Son Nhat is close to central Saigon, so the ride into the city is short. Our guide on getting from Hoi An to Da Nang covers the first transfer, and our domestic flights guide the rest.
Who it is for
The flight suits almost everyone, especially with so many departures and low fares. Even once you add the transfer to Da Nang, it is far quicker than any overland route. Those who would rather travel slowly, or on the tightest budget, have the two options below.
Option 2: By train, via Da Nang
Why choose the train
The train is the better of the two overland options, more comfortable and more scenic than the bus for a similar time. Like the flight, it starts with a transfer to Da Nang, since Hoi An has no station, then follows the coast south in a proper carriage with room to move and a bed if you book a sleeper. It is slow, but a genuinely pleasant way to travel, and far nicer than a long bus.
How it works
After the short transfer from Hoi An to Da Nang, trains leave Da Nang Railway Station and run south to Saigon Railway Station in around 16 to 19 hours, most of it overnight. The classes range from a soft seat up to a four-berth soft sleeper, and for the distance a berth is well worth it, from around 1,200,000 VND (roughly $48). The coast slides past the window for much of the way, especially around Nha Trang. Foreign travelers book through 12Go, Baolau, or Vexere. Our train travel guide explains the classes.
Who it is for
The train is for travelers who would rather not fly and want the overland trip to be comfortable and scenic. It suits anyone who enjoys rail travel, or who plans to break the journey at the coastal stops below. If you need to arrive fast, fly instead.
Option 3: By bus
Why we don’t really recommend it
The bus is the cheapest way to Saigon, but it is a long, hard trip we would only suggest for travelers on the tightest budget. Many services are not even direct, running via Da Nang with a change, and the journey can take anywhere from 17 hours to well over a day. For a similar time the train is far more comfortable, and a cheap flight is not much more expensive once you count the hours saved.
How it works
Direct and connecting buses run from Hoi An to Ho Chi Minh City, taking from around 17 to 19 hours on a direct sleeper, and longer with a change in Da Nang. They are sleeper and cabin buses, with fares from around 810,000 to 1,500,000 VND (roughly $32 to $60) depending on the service. Operators include An Phu Hoi An Travel, bookable on 12Go or Vexere. Keep your valuables with you on the overnight run. Our bus travel guide covers the coach types.
Who it is for
The bus makes sense only for travelers counting every dong who cannot stretch to the train or a flight. For nearly everyone else, the train is a far better way to travel overland, and the flight far quicker. On this route, the bus is the option to avoid if you can.
Stops to add on the way to Ho Chi Minh City
This is a long route, and rather than rush it, many travelers break the journey into stops. There are two very different ways to do that: down the coast, or inland through the highlands.
The coastal route, by train
The coastal cities are all on the north-south railway line, so you can travel between them by train, stopping wherever you like, before continuing to Saigon. Heading south, you reach them in this order.
Quy Nhon is the first, a few hours south of Da Nang, and the least visited. The city is quiet, but the coast nearby is the draw, with boat trips to the coves at Ky Co, the rock formations of Eo Gio, old Cham towers, and cheap, excellent seafood. More in our Quy Nhon guide.
Tuy Hoa comes next. The town itself holds little, but the Phu Yen coast around it, now part of Dak Lak province, is among the finest and least developed in the country, with long empty beaches and the striking basalt columns of Ganh Da Dia. See our Tuy Hoa guide.
Nha Trang is the big resort city on the route, a long beach lined with hotels and busy with island boat trips, diving, and nightlife. It is livelier and more built-up than the others, which suits some travelers and not others. Our Nha Trang guide has the detail.
Mui Ne is the last stop before Saigon, a laid-back beach town known for its red and white sand dunes and its kitesurfing. Our Mui Ne guide covers it.
The Central Highlands route, by road
For something completely different, you can head inland through the Central Highlands instead. There is no railway here, so this is a road trip only, by bus, private car, or motorbike, often as a multi-day Easy Rider tour. It trades beaches for mountains, coffee plantations, and hill-tribe villages, through country most travelers never see. The route runs through Kon Tum, Pleiku in Gia Lai, the coffee city of Buon Ma Thuot, and Dalat before dropping down to Saigon.
Conclusion: what is the best option for Hoi An to Ho Chi Minh City
The best way from Hoi An to Ho Chi Minh City depends on your time and budget.
Fly via Da Nang for the quickest trip, a short transfer up to Da Nang and then a flight of around 1 hour 35 minutes on a cheap, frequent route. It is the sensible choice for almost everyone.
Take the train for the best overland option, comfortable and scenic down the coast in a sleeper, and better than the bus for a similar time.
Take the bus only if you are on the tightest budget, since it is long, often not direct, and hard to recommend over the train.
And if you have the days, break the journey. Down the coast you can hop between Quy Nhon, Tuy Hoa, Nha Trang, and Mui Ne by train, or head inland instead through the Central Highlands by road, past Kon Tum, Pleiku, Buon Ma Thuot, and Dalat.
