Ho Chi Minh City Airport - complete guide

General information about Ho Chi Minh City Airport and how to get here

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Airport Tan Son Nhat International Airport (pronounced Tan Son Nhat, IATA code - SGN) is the largest airport in Vietnam in terms of size and passenger traffic. It is located very conveniently at a distance of about 6 kilometers from the center of Ho Chi Minh City within the city, and immediately upon exiting the airport you will find yourself in residential and business quarters, and within walking distance there are even several decent hotels for overnight stay (Ho Chi Minh City Airport on the interactive map).

Most often, transfers are made through Tan Son Nhat on the way to Phu Quoc Island and Da Lat, and from here they also get to the nearest resorts of Phan Thiet and Mui Ne, to Vung Tau, and actually to Ho Chi Minh City itself. The largest number of international flights and the lowest prices for flights to Vietnam are offered here, not to the capital's Hanoi Airport. Sometimes it even turns out cheaper to fly to Ho Chi Minh City and fly from here on local airlines to Nha Trang than to fly directly to Nha Trang Airport.

📅 Official website and online departure/arrival board of Ho Chi Minh City Airport vietnamairport.vn/tansonnhatairport/en/

You can safely buy tickets to Ho Chi Minh City, including ready-made flights with connections, via the search form from Aviasales or on Trip.com:

ЦЕНА	ПЕРЕСАДКИ	АВИАКОМПАНИЯ	ДАТА ВЫЛЕТА	ДАТА ВОЗВРАЩЕНИЯ
Купить от 43336 ₽	1 пересадка		22.07.2026	04.09.2026
Купить от 42586 ₽	1 пересадка		17.08.2026	18.09.2026
Купить от 41452 ₽	1 пересадка		14.09.2026	12.10.2026
Купить от 46494 ₽	1 пересадка		04.10.2026	12.10.2026
Купить от 48805 ₽	1 пересадка		19.11.2026	23.12.2026
Купить от 48191 ₽	1 пересадка		05.12.2026	25.12.2026

Orientation at the airport and infrastructure

A feature of Ho Chi Minh City Airport is that the international and domestic terminals are located in separate buildings. Currently there are three terminals:

• T2 – international.
• T1 – old domestic, 400 meters away, can be reached on foot.
• T3 – new domestic, 3 kilometers away, go by taxi or shuttle bus.

To get from the international terminal T2 to the domestic terminal T1, you need to immediately after exiting to the street go to the right along the terminal following the signs. From domestic to international, respectively, to the left.

To get from T2 or T1 to the new T3, you can use the free shuttle bus, but it runs only from 04:30 to 00:10 every 20 minutes. Outside of this time only taxi, preferably via Grab, Xanh Sm or Maxim apps.

If you have a transfer in Ho Chi Minh City, carefully check the terminal numbers and allow enough time for the transfer.

All necessary infrastructure is present at the airport, although some of it is located outside the building: ATMs and exchange offices are on the street. And to be honest, the conditions for long waits between flights are not very comfortable, especially in the domestic terminal.

In the airport building itself (in both terminals) there is currency exchange, airline representatives, a VAT Refund desk (in the international terminal), tourist information, taxi ordering, hotel booking, car rental, SIM card sales. In general, everything as in any normal international airport. The currency exchange rate at the airport is acceptable, only slightly lower than what can be found at exchange offices in the city and at resorts, but more on that below.

• Left luggage storage. On the first floor of the international terminal to the left of the exit to the right next to the Burgerking cafe on the street there is a very expensive left luggage storage: 27,500 dong for 1 hour or 275,000 dong per day.
• Charging stations at the airport. Charging stations and sockets are available in the waiting areas in both terminals.
• Drinking water. A drinking water fountain is available at least in the baggage claim area and in the boarding waiting area in both terminals.

• International terminal T2

  

  This terminal consists of four levels (floors). The first and second floors are the Arrival area. The third and fourth are the Departure area.

  Important! The departure and arrival areas are not connected by free passage: you can only get from one to the other via the street or during transit from one international flight to another.

  The exit from the arrival area is on the first floor at ground level (you will immediately find yourself in the transport parking lot). When you exit to the street, you cannot enter back, security does not allow it.

  Entry/exit to the departure area is from the overpass on the 3rd floor level, or via stairs or elevators from the street on the first floor.

  • Arrival

    

    Upon arrival at the international terminal, first, if necessary, obtain visa on arrival to Vietnam (Landing Visa counter), then passport control, baggage claim on the belt, and customs control. After passing customs control, you immediately enter the arrival hall. This is a small area without waiting areas, there are only taxi counters, currency exchange, and SIM card sales. From here there is an immediate exit to the street, to the taxi parking lot and to city transport, but we draw attention again that after exiting to the street you are not allowed back into the arrival hall. On the street there are also taxi counters, SIM card sales, and currency exchange. By the way, currency is exchanged here, including unofficially by private exchangers at a slightly higher rate than inside the airport.

    Next, if you need to continue your journey by plane within Vietnam, after exiting the terminal, go to the right about 400 meters to the domestic flight terminal. It will take no more than 5 minutes to walk from the international terminal to the domestic terminal. The arrival procedures at the international terminal also do not take much time, and usually 20 minutes after disembarking from the plane you are already outside. But if you plan to obtain a visa on arrival, it is better to additionally allow another hour for this.

    If you need to get to the city, then immediately upon exiting you can catch a taxi or take city buses, but we will talk about this in more detail below.

  • Departure

    

    For departure, you must immediately go to the departure area (Departure) on the third level for check-in. After check-in at the counters, you can proceed to the boarding waiting area, where there are duty-free shops and a more or less spacious and comfortable waiting area for departure.

• Domestic flight terminals T1 and T3

  

  There are two domestic terminals at Ho Chi Minh City Airport: T1 (old) and T3 (new opened). Domestic flights of Vietnam Airlines and VietJet Air have been moved to the new T3 terminal, but changes are possible. Therefore, before traveling, check which terminal you are departing from or arriving at so as not to accidentally go to the wrong terminal.

  • Old terminal T1

    The old terminal T1 is located 400 meters from the international one; you can get from one to the other via a pedestrian path across the street, walking a few minutes. When exiting the international terminal, the direction is to the right, there are signs.

    T1 consists of two levels (floors). The first floor houses check-in counters, a waiting area, and an arrival area; the second floor houses the departure waiting area. The layout is extremely simple and will not cause any difficulties. Almost all of the terminal's infrastructure is located outside: ATMs and exchange offices are on the street.

    Unfortunately, there is no comfortable departure waiting area here, everything is very simple and compact. And in the check-in area there is even nowhere to sit. So don't rush to move here immediately after arriving from the international terminal; it's better to pass the time waiting there.

    

    Useful tip! If you need to wait a long time at the airport between flights or even spend the night, you can use the large free area in the international terminal. Go up from the street via escalator or elevator to the second floor following the Departure signs, and you will find yourself on a whole intermediate empty floor. You can even sleep there at night, albeit directly on the floor, since there are absolutely no amenities here except a toilet. There is not even anywhere to sit. And there are a lot of cockroaches here.

    

    

  • New domestic terminal T3

    The new domestic terminal T3 is located away from the old T1 and T2, a little over 3 kilometers on foot. For quick movement between terminals, a free shuttle bus runs from 04:30 to 00:10 every 20 minutes, the journey also takes 15-20 minutes.

    The layout of the new terminal is the same as T1, no special features. But important! Check the arrival/departure terminals of your flights before the flight so as not to accidentally arrive/go to the wrong terminal.

Where to buy a SIM card at the airport

A lot of SIM cards are sold at the airport. Counters with them are even before passport control, in the baggage claim area, in the arrival hall, and on the street when exiting the terminal. However, you need to understand an important thing: SIM cards sold here are tourist SIM cards, i.e., registered to another person, with a prepaid tariff and with a markup. The minimum price for a SIM card is from 200,000 dong (7.6 USD) with a small internet package for 7 days. If you need more, there are such options, but the prices are higher.

If you need communication for a long journey, for example for a month, then it is better to buy a SIM card at official communication stores and register it in your name with your passport. How to do this, what operators and tariffs are available, we told everything here.

Currency exchange and ATMs at Ho Chi Minh City Airport

There are currency exchange points at the airport, and there are even private exchangers who are willing to accept your dollars or euros at a good rate. Rubles are not exchanged here! We did not find exchange offices in the domestic terminal, only in the international one. So if you need to exchange money after an international arrival when transferring to a domestic flight, exchange immediately in the international terminal.

Exchange offices are in the arrival hall, where you will arrive after passing passport and customs control. Private exchangers "hang out" on the street at the exit from the international terminal near car rental and taxi counters, and you can even exchange at these counters. Moreover, you can even bargain with them. So you can look at the rate at official exchange offices, then approach them and bargain.

Overall, the exchange rate for dollars and euros here is acceptable compared to the center of Ho Chi Minh City and with resorts. Here is real information about US dollar rates at one moment for comparison.

• Rate at the airport - 25,200 dong
• Official market rate - 25,293 dong (0.36% higher than at the airport)
• Rate at exchange offices in the tourist district of Ho Chi Minh City – 25,300 dong (0.39% higher than at the airport)
• Rate at jewelry stores in the tourist district of Ho Chi Minh City - 25,500 dong (1.19% higher than at the airport)

Considering that in Ho Chi Minh City, in general, one of the highest exchange rates in all of Vietnam, then, as you can see, the difference between the airport and exchange offices in the city is small, so you can safely exchange a hundred or two dollars there for the first time or to get to resorts by taxi or bus. Moreover, such a ratio has been preserved from our experience of traveling to Vietnam since at least 2011, that is, this is not a one-time story.

As for ATMs, they are available at the airport, and you can also withdraw money there for the first time. We remind you that at the moment, only one major non-sanctioned bank's UnionPay cards work - this is Rosselkhozbank. According to our calculations from personal experience of using this card with a ruble account, the exchange rate together with ATM and bank commissions results in 8-12% less!!! than exchange through cash, so we recommend this option only as a last resort.

As for Mir cards, although they formally work in Vietnam, you will not be able to withdraw money from them at the airport. There are three ATMs of VRB bank in Ho Chi Minh City, the only one through which you can withdraw money from a Mir card, but they are located very far from the airport; you can only get to them by taxi or city bus. But again, based on our experience of using Mir cards for cash withdrawal, the final rate is very unprofitable - more than 6% loss compared to exchanging through cash dollars or euros.

Read more about bank cards and Vietnamese currency in our updated information.

Internet WiFi at Ho Chi Minh City Airport

Free WiFi is available at the airport, both in the international and domestic terminals. No authorization or SMS input is required for connection: simply connect to the WiFi network without a password and on the authorization page click the button to get access. Internet is provided for an unlimited time, only sometimes you need to reconnect to the network.

Hotels near Ho Chi Minh City Airport, where to stay

If you just need to spend the night during a transfer or after arrival, there are several dozen decent hotels and inexpensive guest houses within walking distance at good prices. But you need to understand that this area is only suitable for simply spending a night in a hotel and moving on, since there is not much to do here in terms of walking or activities.

Here are a few hotels near the airport with good ratings:

• Mi Linh Hotel ★
• Erato Boutique Hotel ★★
• Ibis Saigon Airport ★★★★

See all hotels near the airport here.

How to get to/from Ho Chi Minh City Airport to other resorts in Vietnam

Unfortunately, intercity ground public transport at Ho Chi Minh City Airport is poorly developed. Based on our experience, you can get relatively inexpensively by bus and minivan directly from the airport only to Mui Ne and Vung Tau. To other resorts, for example to Da Lat, Nha Trang, Phan Rang, you will have to go with a transfer via the center, and sometimes with an overnight stay.

Also, do not forget that there are frequent flights to Nha Trang and Da Lat; you can buy tickets for them with payment by Russian card on Aviasales or on Trip.com.

Here is a little more detail about how to get from Ho Chi Minh City Airport to popular destinations:

• From the airport to Vung Tau

  During the day, minibuses depart costing from 190,000 dong (7.22 USD), they arrive at the local bus station. There are also minibuses with delivery to the hotel, costing from 230,000 dong. You can find them across the street at the exit from the domestic terminal. They depart when full.

  There is also a bus from the carrier Toan Thang passing through the airport, but to board them you need to buy tickets online in advance.

  Read more about how and on what to get to Vung Tau here.

• From the airport to Phan Thiet or Mui Ne

  During the day, minibuses depart costing from 500,000 dong (19.01 USD), deliver to the hotel in Mui Ne or Phan Thiet. You can find them across the street at the exit from the domestic terminal. You can check the schedule and book tickets online for this route on the website 12go.asia, but they do NOT accept payment with ANY Russian cards there.

  If the direct minivan does not suit you in terms of time or you cannot board it, then the only option left is taxi or ordering a transfer. You can order a transfer on the websites kiwitaxi or intui.travel, or negotiate the trip on the spot with taxi drivers or at taxi counters.

  Well, another, more reliable option is to go to the center of Ho Chi Minh City to the tourist district and leave from there on one of the many scheduled or tourist company flights. Tickets for them are sold at travel offices on Pham Ngu Lao Street or look for the nearest office of the company Futa Bus Lines on the map; this company has the lowest prices - from 200,000 dong to the hotel in Mui Ne.

  Read more about how and on what to get to Mui Ne from Ho Chi Minh City here.

• From the airport to Nha Trang

  There are no direct buses from Ho Chi Minh City Airport to Nha Trang, at least we could not find any. Therefore, the best option is to go to the center of Ho Chi Minh City to the tourist district by taxi or bus (how, we tell below), and from there take an intercity bus to Nha Trang. Theoretically, this can even be done without an overnight stay if your strength allows after a long flight. Bus tickets can be bought at travel agencies on Pham Ngu Lao Street or at Futa Bus Lines company offices in the tourist district. There is an office of this company on Pham Ngu Lao Street. Tickets can be bought right on the spot before departure; it is not necessary to buy in advance. There are day and night flights, different types of buses run, but we recommend the sleeper buses of Futa Bus Lines.

  Read more about how and on what to get to Nha Trang here.

• From the airport to Da Lat

  Also, as to Nha Trang, there are no direct bus services from Ho Chi Minh City Airport to Da Lat. Therefore, you need to go to the center of Ho Chi Minh City to the tourist district by taxi or city bus (how, we tell below), and there take an intercity bus to Da Lat. Theoretically, this can even be done without an overnight stay if your strength allows after a long flight. Bus tickets can be bought at travel agencies on Pham Ngu Lao Street or at Futa Bus Lines company offices in the tourist district. There is an office of this company on Pham Ngu Lao Street. Tickets can be bought right on the spot before departure; it is not necessary to buy in advance. There are day and night flights, different types of buses run, but we recommend the sleeper buses of Futa Bus Lines.

  Read more about how and on what to get to Da Lat here.

How to get to/from Ho Chi Minh City Airport to the city center

Getting from the airport to the center of Ho Chi Minh City to tourist district number 1 and tourist street Pham Ngu Lao, to hotels in other districts for an overnight stay or for transfer to intercity buses is very simple and inexpensive. You can use city buses and get to the center for just 5,000 dong, or take a taxi. Car rental at the airport is also available. About everything in more detail:

• City bus

  • 💵 Cost: from 5,000 dong / 0.19 USD
  • ⏲ Travel time: 30-60 minutes

  

  The cheapest and quite convenient way to get from the airport to the city center to Ben Thanh Market or the tourist quarter of Ho Chi Minh City is to use local city buses No.152, No.109. The buses are quite comfortable, mostly air-conditioned, and usually almost empty. Travel time to the center is from 20 to 40 minutes depending on traffic.

  • Bus No.152 from/to international terminal T2 and old domestic terminal T1. Fare - 5,000 dong (0.19 USD), operates from 06:00 to 19:00, runs frequently. Goes through the tourist district past Ben Thanh Market and further along Tran Hung Dao Street.
  • Bus No.109 from/to new domestic terminal T3. Fare - 15,000 dong (0.57 USD), operates from 06:00 to 21:30 and runs on schedule every 30-60 minutes. Goes to the final bus station right in the tourist district (final stop of city buses on the map). Interestingly, GAZ (Gazelle) buses work on this route; it is a branded route of Futa Bus Lines company.

  For large luggage, you need to buy an additional ticket. Payment is made to the driver or conductor upon entering the bus.

  You will find the buses immediately upon exiting the international and domestic terminal. Bus stops are marked with a sign; you will easily recognize the bus: it is marked front and back with the route number No.152 and No.109 respectively. Do not believe taxi drivers who will say that buses No.109 and No.152 no longer run.

  Also, buses No.103 and No.72 run from the airport, but they go to other districts. For route planning, it is convenient to use Google Maps; most of Ho Chi Minh City's public transport routes are there. But in general, we told everything about Ho Chi Minh City public transport and how to use it here.

  

  It should be borne in mind that Ben Thanh Market itself is not the final stop of route No.152: the bus stops at the square in front of the market, and then goes further through the tourist district and along Than Hung Dao Street to other districts of the city. If you are here for the first time and are not very well oriented, then in order not to miss the tourist zone, it is better to get off at Ben Thanh or at the next stop after it. The Ben Thanh stop can be easily recognized by the number of passengers (usually many people get off and on there), by the covered market itself, and by the large concentration of buses in this place. And do not confuse the direction when you get on the bus to go to the airport, since the bus route in one direction and back to the airport runs slightly along different streets.

• Taxi

  • 💵 Cost: from 100,000 dong / 3.8 USD
  • ⏲ Travel time: 20-40 minutes

  

  A taxi ride from the airport to the city center and tourist street will cost from 100,000 to 200,000 dong. It's cheapest to order a taxi via the Grab or Maxim apps; you can use airport WiFi to order or buy a local SIM card at the airport.

  You can also order a taxi at the counters after exiting the terminal or directly with drivers, but they try to "rip off" inexperienced tourists much more - they can easily ask for 500,000 dong. So focus on the price we indicated above and bargain, or order via the app, and that's it.

  By the way, now there are also "honest" drivers who meet passengers when exiting the airport and offer to take them at the Grab price. They themselves offer the trip and show the Grab app on the screen; you can go with them.

  You can also use a motorbike taxi; it is half the price of a car. Also available via Grab and Maxim apps. Motorbike taxi is only suitable for one person without a large suitcase, but for solo travelers with a backpack, it's just the thing.

  Well, finally, if you are used to comfortable travel, you can order a ready-made taxi transfer with a driver meeting you at the airport on kiwitaxi:

• Car rental

  In Vietnam, on completely legal grounds, you can drive a rented vehicle with an international driving permit (IDP) that meets the requirements of the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic (read more about motorcycle and car rental in Vietnam). These are exactly the ones issued in the Russian Federation, and previously it was necessary to obtain temporary local licenses, and no others were recognized in the country. Now you can safely drive with a driver's license issued in Russia. Just do not forget that an IDP is valid only together with the national license, so you need to take both types of licenses to Vietnam. You can obtain an IDP from the traffic police (GIBDD), its cost/state fee is 3200 rubles. No exams are required to obtain an IDP. Read more about what licenses are needed in Vietnam here.

  The price for car rental still remains quite high - from 50 dollars per day. International rental companies have opened offices in the country, and now you can book a car and pick it up at Ho Chi Minh City Airport upon arrival on these websites: