How to get from Danang to Ho Chi Minh City
You have plenty of options to get from Danang to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The distance between the two is a distance of 940 km if you are travelling by train or by bus and you can cover it in 17-23 hours. As always, planes do a faster job bringing you to your destination in less than one hour and a half, but cost more.
Flights from Danang to Ho Chi Minh
The quickest and most convenient way to get from Danang to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) would obviously be by plane. Flying from Da Nang International Airport (DAD) to Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City takes just over an hour and with 22 flights a day you have plenty of flexibility on when to travel.
Air ticket prices vary significantly. The most budget-friendly operator is VietJet Airlines who have regular flights throughout the day often for less than USD50 one-way. The first daily VietJet flight departs Danang Airport at 7.05am and the last departure of the day with VietJet Airlines is at 11.40pm.
If VietJet is full, consider Jetstar Pacific, who have 5 flights every day between 8.55am and 8.10pm. The Jetstar Pacific flights are slightly more expensive than VietJet Airlines and start from around USD70.
The plusher Vietnam Airlines let you travel in style and make you pay for that. They have regular daily departures between Danang and Ho Chi Minh City from 6.30am till 8.30pm. We’d be surprised if you manage to grab a ticket with Vietnam Airlines for less than USD150 per person one-way.
Tip Do book in advance. Though Danang may not look your usual prime tourist destination, the flights between Danang and Ho Chi Minh City are in high demand also because there are constant flow of business travellers coming in and out.
From Danang to Ho Chi Minh by train
Trains are always a great way to get around in Vietnam and travelling between Danang and Ho Chi Minh is no exception. All trains are operated by Vietnam Railways but some of them have commercial carriages which are a more elegant way to travel.Getting from Danang to Ho Chi Minh by train takes between 17.5 and 20 hours. There are a number of departures during the day including SE1, SE3, SE5, SE7, SE21 and the TN1.
Note Our recommendation goes to SE3 which leaves Danang at 1.15pm and gets to Saigon at 5.20am. It is the fastest train of the bunch and though it does still a great deal of your day it still remains the most sensible choice schedule-wise and guarantees the least tiring journey. There are both 2 class sleepers and 1 class sleepers in SE3 – expect to pay around USD40 per person. As the difference between the first and second class is not that big in this case, consider investing a couple of bucks more to get a slightly more comfortable compartment.
The trains depart Da Nang train station (202 Hai Phong, Thanh Khe, Da Nang) daily for Saigon train station (Phuong 9, Quan 3, Ho Chi Minh) between 1.43am and 10.50pm so you have lots of options around when you can travel.
From Danang to Ho Chi Minh City via Nha Trang
Nha Trang is an obvious choice if you decide to split your overland journey between Danang and Ho Chi Minh. The city sits approximately half the way between the two – it is about 520 km from Danang to Nha Trang and some more 450 km from Nha Trang to Ho Chi Minh.Nha Trang’s popularity with visitors to Vietnam has been growing rapidly in the last few years. There has been a lot of investment in making Nha Trang Vietnam’s rising star in terms of beach resorts, which you can see from the impressive promenade, high-rise hotels and buzzing nightlife. The beautiful white beaches and turquoise bay, which is peppered with tropical islands not to mention the great choice of dining options and open beachfront bars are all making Nha Trang an increasingly popular destination.
Train travel between Danang and Nha Trang takes between 9 and 11 hours. Any of the above mentioned options for Danang–HCMC are available for travelling between Danang and Nha Trang, too, as all these trains stop at Nha Trang train station en-route.
Sleeper train tickets to Nha Trang from Danang start from around USD20 and if you are looking for a little extra luxury then be sure to check out the SE1 Violette Express VIP option, which costs from USD60 per person.
Note that it not a separate train but just a commercial carriage within the usual Vietnam Railways train.
Buses may take slightly more than trains to bring you from Danang to Nha Trang – check, for example, Hanh Cafe (USD15; 11 hours).
To proceed your journey from Nha Trang to HCMC, take a train, a bus or fly.
With a good choice of both night train and sleeper buses the overland travel from Nha Trang to Ho Chi Minh is a reasonable money-saving and time-saving choice.
Trains take from 8 to 10 hours to get to Saigon and offer the full array of seats and berths. Check SNT5 at 10.30am (arrives at 6.50pm) for the cheapest AC seats (USD12) or opt for luxurious Saigon Golden Train or Violette Express with their 4-pax sleepers at USD60.
Tip We’d recommend SE25 at 10.50pm arriving to Saigon at 7am sharp. It has second class AC sleepers at USD22 which is a deal.
For those who prefer buses, all the most popular open ticket tour buses options are available. Check Hanh Café or The Sinh Tourist along with a new-comer Hoang Long bus company.
The Sinh Tourist has two daily services – one at 7.15am and the other at 8pm. Tickets cost from USD11, one-way, per person. If you decide to use the Hahn Café service instead then you have a choice of 4 departures, one in the morning at 8am and three in the evenings between 8pm and 9pm. The bus journey with Hanh Café takes around 9 hours and tickets cost around USD9 one-way, per person.
Why visit Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is a rich blend of just about everything! No matter what your budget or tastes Saigon has something for you. You could experience Vietnamese street food and browse around the myriad of markets or maybe exclusive boutiques and classy restaurants are more to your tastes – Saigon has both.
In terms of accommodation there is everything from 5-star, 1st world luxury hotels to inexpensive guesthouses but what really makes Ho Chi Minh City a great place to visit is its pulsating energy which is blended with a sense of class and culture and then further complimented by the rich, interesting history. Chaotic, noisy and yet entirely charming, Ho Chi Minh City is sure to have something special just for you!
Onward travel from Ho Chi Minh City
One of the two major transportation hubs in Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City does not limit your with the number of options for your next destination. Within Vietnam think, e.g., Phu Quoc– there are lots of one-hour flights from Ho Chi Minh Airport to Phu Quoc everyday starting from as low as USD35 – or Dalat.
All the destinations up the country are easily reachable, too, but as soon as you found yourself travelling down from Danang to HCMC, you have probably checked them already.
International options from HCMC are plentiful, too. Cambodia is one very popular choice from Vietnam and Phnom Penh is just 6 hours by bus at USD18 per person or you could fly there in less than one hour.
From Phnom Penh you can then easily connect to Sihanoukville or to Siem reap by bus or van with Giant Ibis (USD11 and USD15 respectively) or with Thero Express for USD12 one-way, per person. The journey to either of these destinations will take between 4.5 and 7 hours.
Other popular onward international destinations from Ho Chi Minh City include Bangkok, Thailand, Singapore or Kuala Lumpur.