Vietnam bus prices 2026
Real fares, not estimates: we went through every bus, train, boat and flight listed on 12Go for 27 routes (price per adult, taxes included, for a departure on 24 October 2026). Short hops cost a few euros; the long north–south journeys are where bus, train and plane really differ.
Compare prices on 12Go →How we checked these prices
On 7 October 2026 we opened the 12Go page of 27 routes and read every offer listed for a departure on Saturday 24 October 2026: company, vehicle, scheduled duration and price, per adult, taxes included, in euros.
For each route we give the cheapest fare and the typical fare (the median of the bus and van offers that day). Private cars and taxis, also listed on 12Go, are priced per vehicle and are not counted as bus fares.
Fares move with the date and the seats left: use these figures as a reliable order of magnitude, then check your own date before paying.
Bus fares from Hanoi and in the north
Fares observed on 12Go for a departure on 24 October 2026. Click a route for schedules and tips.
| Route | Cheapest | Typical fare* | Scheduled duration | Bus and van offers that day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hanoi → Sapa | €9.28 | €16.85 | about 6 h | 717 |
| Hanoi → Ha Long Bay | €8 | €15.55 | about 3 h | 1,057 |
| Hanoi → Ninh Binh | €6.41 | €9.62 | about 2 h 10 | 1,129 |
| Hanoi → Ha Giang | €9.23 | €15.86 | about 6 h | 290 |
| Hanoi → Cat Ba (bus + boat or cable car) | €9.06 | €13.84 | about 3 h 30 | 170 |
| Hanoi → Phong Nha | €18.34 | €25.50 | about 9 h | 109 |
* Typical fare = median of the bus and van offers listed on 12Go that day.
Centre and south: the classic legs
| Route | Cheapest | Typical fare* | Scheduled duration | Bus and van offers that day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Da Nang → Hoi An | €4.20 | €6.29 | about 1 h 30 | 2,024 |
| Hue → Hoi An | €7.43 | €11.54 | about 3 h 30 | 771 |
| Hue → Phong Nha | €7.82 | €12.75 | about 4 h | 177 |
| Hoi An → Nha Trang | €15.13 | €29.33 | about 10 h | 154 |
| Nha Trang → Da Lat | €9.18 | €12.42 | about 3 h 30 | 233 |
| Ho Chi Minh City → Da Lat | €13.74 | €15.63 | about 8 h | 384 |
| Ho Chi Minh City → Mui Ne | €7.58 | €9.65 | about 3 h 30 | 908 |
| Ho Chi Minh City → Nha Trang | €10.59 | €17.78 | about 8 h | 349 |
| Ho Chi Minh City → Can Tho | €8.68 | €11.18 | about 3 h 50 | 507 |
| Ho Chi Minh City → Vung Tau | €7.69 | €10.69 | about 3 h | 526 |
* Typical fare = median of the bus and van offers listed on 12Go that day. Da Nang → Hoi An was the busiest route of our sample, with more than 2,000 offers.
North–south: bus, train or plane?
Cheapest fare and scheduled duration for each mode on 12Go, departure 24 October 2026.
| Route | Bus | Train (Vietnam Rail) | Plane |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hanoi → Hue | from €17.09, about 12 h | €25.49–29.62, about 13 h 40 | from €32.40, about 1 h 15 |
| Hanoi → Da Nang | from €19.99, about 14 h 45 | €29.69–32.16, about 16 h 20 | from €29.77 |
| Hanoi → Ho Chi Minh City | from €42.21, about 34 h | €44.72–54.32, about 35 h | from €37.54, about 2 h 10 |
| Ho Chi Minh City → Nha Trang | from €10.59, about 8 h | €13.20–28.89, about 7 h 40 | from €24.54, about 1 h |
| Hanoi → Sapa | from €9.28, about 6 h | night train to Lao Cai: €29.90–93.18, about 9 h | — |
On the train, 12Go also sells private sleeper carriages attached to the same trains (NewLivitrans, Hana Train, Charmy Express, Tonkin Heritage Express…): on Hanoi → Hue they cost €61.98 to €170.30, against €25.49–29.62 for the standard Vietnam Rail fares. For Hanoi → Ho Chi Minh City, the plane was the cheapest and by far the fastest option that day.
Cambodia, Laos, China and Phu Quoc island
| Route | Cheapest | Typical fare | Duration | What 12Go offers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ho Chi Minh City → Phnom Penh (Cambodia) | €19.79 | €24.95 | about 7 h | 108 buses |
| Ho Chi Minh City → Siem Reap (Cambodia) | €38.80 | €41.58 | about 14 h | 25 buses |
| Hanoi → Vientiane (Laos) | €35.55 | €52.64 | about 24 h | 15 buses |
| Hanoi → Luang Prabang (Laos) | €55.44 | €59.88 | about 21 h | 7 combined bus, van and train trips |
| Hanoi → Nanning (China) | €34.18 | €34.93 | about 9 h | 25 buses |
| Rach Gia → Phu Quoc (ferry) | €14 | — | about 2 h 30 | 8 ferries |
| Ha Tien → Phu Quoc (ferry) | €10.03 | — | 1 h 30 to 3 h 10 | 16 boats |
| Ho Chi Minh City → Phu Quoc | €23.68 (flight) | — | about 1 h by air | 38 flights, plus a bus + ferry at €37.42 |
Flights to Laos were far more expensive than the bus that day (from €156.29 to Vientiane). Before crossing a border, read our border and visa guide.
What makes a ticket cheaper or more expensive
On long routes, most of the bus offers we saw were sleeper or "cabin" buses: single or double cabins, upper or lower berth, "VIP" or "Royal" cabins. On Hanoi → Sapa, VietNam Travel Bus sold its cabins from €17.82 to €30.79 depending on the type.
On short routes from Hanoi, "limousine" vans with 9 to 12 seats dominate. To Ha Long Bay, DK Limousine listed 186 departures at €16.20–24.29, while a Grouptour bus started at €8.61.
Vietnam Rail's standard fares (soft seat or sleeper) are the cheapest on the train. Private carriages on the same trains cost about 2 to 7 times more on Hanoi → Hue, for more comfort.
On every route we checked up to Hanoi → Da Nang (about 14 h 45 by bus), the bus was the cheapest option. On Hanoi → Ho Chi Minh City, the cheapest flight (€37.54, about 2 h 10) was cheaper than the bus (€42.21, about 34 h) and the train (€44.72, about 35 h).
Private cars and taxis appear on most routes and are priced per vehicle — for example €40.87 to €192.26 between Hanoi and Ha Long Bay. Worth it only for a group.
3 classic itineraries, priced
Transport cost per person, from the cheapest to the typical fares observed on 12Go (October 2026), rounded down to the euro.
6 tips to pay the right price
- Choose your seat type. Single cabin, double cabin, upper or lower berth: on the same bus the price can vary by several euros.
- Check the departure point. Many companies pick up from their own office or from hotels, not from a bus station — the address is on your ticket.
- Compare bus and train on long trips. The standard train cost 2 to 10 euros more than the cheapest bus on the routes we checked, with the option of a real berth.
- Look at flights for Hanoi ↔ Ho Chi Minh City. That day, the cheapest flight beat both the bus and the train.
- Read the price correctly. On 12Go the fare is per adult, taxes included; private cars are priced per vehicle.
- Check your own date. Our figures are for one departure day; fares change with the date and the seats left.
Bus prices in Vietnam: your questions
How much is the bus from Hanoi to Sapa?
How much is the bus from Hanoi to Ha Long Bay?
Is the train cheaper than the bus in Vietnam?
What is the cheapest way from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City?
How much is the bus from Ho Chi Minh City to Phnom Penh?
Are bus prices the same every day?
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