Tickets
Hotels
Tours
Insurance
Trains
Vietnam
In Vietnam, the familiar Uber or Yandex.Taxi apps do not work, instead there is the Grab app. This is one of the most convenient and popular options for tourists to order taxis online, and locals actively use it too. But for visitors to the country, this app is especially relevant because local drivers traditionally cheat foreigners by refusing to use the meter or using 'rigged' meters, but with Grab you can be sure you won't overpay.
Besides Grab, we also recommend installing the Maxim, Xanh Sm, InDrive apps. They also operate and are developing in Vietnam, though coverage varies greatly by region and resort. From our experience using them in all corners of Vietnam from north to south, we've drawn this conclusion:
- Grab - in our experience the most optimal, many cars and well-developed service.
- XanhSm – eco-friendly taxi on locally produced electric cars, developing rapidly, but slightly more expensive than Grab.
- Maxim – cheapest, but good luck getting a car.
- InDrive - complicated to use for short trips, use it for long-distance ones.
All apps register without problems with Russian SIM cards, they have cash payment at the end of the trip, no Russian cards work.
Of course, to order via Grab you need local mobile internet, or in some cases you can use airport, hotel, or restaurant WiFi. We have explained in detail in a separate guide how to buy a local SIM card in Vietnam via the link.
Grab does not yet operate throughout the entire country, but it is available in practically all major cities and resorts. You can order both a regular car taxi and a motorbike taxi. The latter is two to three times cheaper.
The car that arrives for the order can be from any other company, but motorbike taxi drivers, as a rule, work exclusively for Grab. They are easily recognizable by their branded vests and helmets with the company logo. By the way, you can use their services by hailing and negotiating directly on the street, but they also don't always readily go by the meter (i.e., via the app), so it's still better to order.
The minimum cost of a trip by Grab car taxi now starts from 30,000 dong (1.14 USD), by motorbike taxi you can go from 12,000 (0.46 USD).
How to use Grab
Grab can be installed on any Android and IOS mobile devices. It's better to install it at home before traveling. To order, you'll need connected mobile internet or WiFi. Using internet in roaming from Russian operators is very expensive, so it's better to buy a local SIM card. If you don't plan to use a local operator, you can easily manage by using public WiFi at airports, train and bus stations (not available everywhere), hotels, and cafes.
The app interface is in English. Immediately after installation, you need to log in using a mobile phone (Russian number works too), Facebook* or a Google account. After that, the app is ready to use.
* The activities of Meta Platforms Inc. are prohibited in the territory of the Russian Federation
Grab, Uber, and other apps register with Russian numbers, but sometimes there are difficulties receiving the confirmation code. If you have this problem, try registering later, for example the next day. If it still doesn't work, choose Kazakhstan as the phone number country (code +7 same as Russia), and also check for the code in Whatsapp, it sometimes arrives there.
You can pay for rides with cash at the end of the trip to the driver, or you can link a bank card (menu item Grab Pay in the app) and pay for rides online. By the way, there is an accrual points system (Grab Points) for rides, and you can use them for full or partial payment of orders.
You need to pay the driver at the end of the trip exactly the amount shown in the app, plus you can leave a small tip or refuse change. Do not agree to a fixed price for the trip or a trip using built-in meters, this will be a 'rip-off' of the foreigner.
Using the app is very simple, it's almost no different from Uber. In short, you need to specify the departure point (or confirm your automatically determined location), choose the destination point on the map or by address, choose the type of transport (budget car, luxury, or motorbike taxi). After that, you instantly get the cost of the trip and can place the order. As soon as the nearest driver accepts the order, you will receive the vehicle's registration number and can communicate with the driver via text chat.
Here is a simple instruction with screenshots and description:
