How to get to Vung Tau - complete instructions

An overview of how to visit and how to get to Vung Tau

The resort and town of Vung Tau is located 125 kilometers from Ho Chi Minh City and the nearest airport Tan Son Nhat (Vung Tau on the map). There is no railway leading here, people get here mainly by buses, they can take a taxi or rented transport, as well as by water on high-speed boats and ferries. We will tell you further in detail about each of the ways to get there, and to begin with brief instructions on the directions:

• From Ho Chi Minh City. On the high-speed ferry GreenLines DP or buses and minivans, go very often. The journey takes 2-4 hours.
• From Ho Chi Minh City Tan Son Nhat Airport. Comfortable tourist minivans run from the airport during the daytime (they often depart according to schedule or occupancy) and regular buses No. 72-1. The journey takes 2-4 hours. If you have more than 3 people, then a taxi will cost the same price as buses.
• From Dalat. Minivans and large Futa Buslines buses run, including comfortable night buses.
• From Mui Ne and Phan Thiet. There are three bus runs per day from Phan Thiet Bus Station.
• From Hanoi. It is better to fly to Ho Chi Minh City Airport, but there is also an option by bus (almost 2 days and a transfer to change the bus in Nha Trang or Da Nang), or by train to Ho Chi Minh City and from there by bus/taxi to Vung Tau.
• From Da Nang. It is better to fly to Ho Chi Minh City Airport, but there is also an option by bus (almost a day), or by train to Ho Chi Minh City and from there by bus/taxi to Vung Tau.
• From Nha Trang. It is better to fly to Ho Chi Minh City Airport, but there is also an option by bus (10-12 hours), or by train to Ho Chi Minh City and from there by bus/taxi to Vung Tau.
• From Phu Quoc. Fly to Ho Chi Minh City Airport, from there by bus/taxi to Vung Tau.
• From the island of Con Dao. There are regular high-speed ferries, but they can only run on certain days of the week, so be sure to check the schedule when planning a march tour.

By plane

There is no airport near Vung Tau, so it is usually accessed by land or water from the nearest Ho Chi Minh City International airport Tan Son Nhat International Airport (pronounced Tan Son Nhat, IATA code - SGN). We have a detailed guide about this airport here...

It carries out a huge number of domestic and international flights, including from the Russian Federation. It is cheaper to fly on connecting flights, especially inexpensive and convenient options are offered through China. A visa for transplanting in China is not required even with access to the city and several transplants, you can read about it in detail in our information about the new rules of visa-free transit through China here...

You can safely buy tickets to Ho Chi Minh City using the search form from Aviasales or to 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

How to get from Ho Chi Minh City Airport to Vung Tau

The easiest and most convenient way to get from the airport is, of course, a taxi. There are also buses and minivans, and you can rent a car and drive. The journey will take 1.5-2 hours.

• Taxi

  It is possible to order a car through Grab, Maxim, Indriver, Xanh SM applications from 1,200,000 VND (45.63 USD). To order, you can buy a SIM card at the airport or use airport WiFi. If anything, we have detailed instructions for buying a local SIM card here...

  You can arrange a trip when exiting the international terminal, where you will be met with offers from official and private taxi drivers. But with them you need to immediately negotiate the price of the trip and bargain. For a reference point, you can check the price in the applications above, and already bargain no higher than this price.

  

  Finally, if you are used to comfort and do not speak English, then you can book a ready-made tourist taxi transfer at home, and then the driver will meet you with a sign at the airport and deliver you to the hotel door. You can place an order on sites with Russian-language support Kiwitaxi or Intui.travel, in local travel agencies and specialized sites, for example here: yourlocalbooking.com (English only), or via the search form:

• Rent a car

  If you prefer complete freedom of movement, you can rent a car at Ho Chi Minh City Airport and take it to Vung Tau. In Vietnam, on completely legal grounds, you can drive a rented vehicle using an international driver's license (IDP) that meets the requirements of the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic (read more about motorcycle and car rental in Vietnam). These are the ones issued in the Russian Federation, and previously it was necessary to obtain temporary local rights, 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 the IDP operates only in conjunction with national rights, so you need to take both types of rights to Vietnam at once. You can get an IDP from the traffic police (traffic police), their cost / state duty is 1600 rubles. Taking exams for obtaining an MBA is not required.

  However, the price for renting a car in Vietnam is still quite high, from $ 50 per day. But now there are offices of international rental companies in the country, you can check the price and book a car here:

• Buses and minivans

  Finally, there is also a budget option to get from the airport directly to Vung Tau – buses. When leaving the arrivals hall of the domestic terminal, you need to cross the road, and there are several counters selling minivan tickets to different destinations, including Vung Tau, on the dividing strip. You will be immediately greeted by street touts-ticket sellers, you just need to tell them where you need to go, and they will direct you to the right counter or to the right person. Well, if you have a foreign card, you can book a trip on the website 12go.asia, or at least check the current prices and schedule there.

  

  Minivans are sent conditionally on schedule, but in practice they often leave due to occupancy. But it's important! They only go during the day. We traveled with the Hai Van carrier for 230,000 VND/person (8.74 USD) with delivery to the door of the hotel. Minivans are comfortable, they are called here "limousines" of superior comfort. For understanding, an ordinary minivan, this one is like our Gazelle minibuses with lots of seats. A Limousine is a lot of space and reclining seats almost to a reclining position, there is even a multimedia system and massage chairs. If finances allow, it is better to buy tickets for a limousine. This is what it looks like:

  

  There is also a regular intercity bus No. 72-1. It runs from 08:00 to 22:30 every hour and a half, costs from 150,000 VND, departs from the parking lot of the international terminal and makes a stop near the domestic terminal. In Vung Tau arrives at the bus station, i.e. you still have to take a taxi or walk to the hotel. This route on the map and information about it on the official website http://buyttphcm.com.vn

By bus

Vung Tau is connected by frequent bus service, at least with Ho Chi Minh City, Phan Thiet and Mui Ne, Dalat, Fanrang, Nachang, Da Nang and even Hanoi. Of course, traveling from Hanoi for almost two days by bus is not a pleasure, but there are such flights on the schedule.

There is a large main bus station in Vung Tau, located in the city center next to the lake (bus station on the map of Vung Tau). There is a ticket office building at the station, but as usual in Vietnam, there is no single ticket office in all directions. Therefore, you need to go through and ask for directions and tickets at each ticket office.

Also on the platform there is another separate building of the Futa Buslines ticket office, there you also need to ask separately. Futa Buslines is a major carrier in the south of Vietnam. They have large sleeping buses (Sleeping or Sleeper), low prices, and there are free transfers from/to hotels or tourist areas from city bus stations, so we recommend using them first. If they don't have directions or tickets that suit you, then ask at the other ticket offices. The Futa Buslines schedule is available on their official website https://futabus.vn/, but for some reason it does not give out data on tickets to intermediate stations, which can be bought in reality at the station, but perhaps over time everything will be fixed.

In addition to the main bus station, there are several other points of arrival of buses of small firms to their offices in different places in Vung Tau, or they can take you to the door of the hotel. Therefore, when buying tickets, specify where they arrive (they can usually be shown directly on the map), or ask for delivery to the hotel.

It is impossible for Russian tourists to buy online bus tickets without a foreign card, but without problems everything is bought at the ticket offices on the day of departure or the previous day. Tickets can also be purchased at the offices of bus companies and street travel agencies, in hotels. For example, the aforementioned Futa has offices in the tourist areas of most cities in the south.

Unfortunately, there is no online timetable for all buses in Vung Tau. Information on some flights can be obtained on booking sites, for example BaoLao or 12go.asia, but unfortunately not everything is there. Therefore, the most reliable way is to come to the bus station of the city of departure or ask travel agencies.

Here you can additionally study the photo of the schedule and prices from the Vung Tau bus station (but this does not include Futa Buslines, they have them separately). But, of course, it can change over time:

And here is a brief information on popular destinations:

• From Ho Chi Minh City. It is most convenient to go with Futa Bus, they have offices in tourist area of Ho Chi Minh City and a bus departs from there (with a transfer at the bus station to a large bus). They run at least every hour, but there are no night flights. The ticket costs from 140,000 VND. There are also a lot of other companies from the tourist area, look for their offices on the tourist street Pham Ngu Lao. This is generally the most popular destination, there are a lot of flights, tickets can be bought right on the spot before departure.
• From Dalat. There are at least 4 daily flights of large sleeping Futa, including a very comfortable overnight. The cost starts from 315,000 VND, 8 hours on the way. Also, branded limousines go several times a day.
• From Mui Ne and Phan Thiet. There are no buses directly to/from Mui Ne, but there are flights to Phan Thiet Bus Station, from where you can get to the resort area of Mui Ne by taxi or city bus. The cost starts from 130,000 VND.

By speedboat from Ho Chi Minh City

A hydrofoil speedboat, also called Hydrofoil, runs from Ho Chi Minh City twice a day and back. Cost from 290,000 VND (9.89 USD) for a non-refundable ticket, 320,000 for a regular one (12.17 USD). Discounts are available for children 6-11 years old, up to 6 years old - free of charge.

This is a good way to get to Vung Tau from the center of Ho Chi Minh City, but do not overestimate your strength: on a high-speed boat, it's not easy to get seasick, so it's better to take something for motion sickness before the trip.

Depart for Ho Chi Minh City from the Bach Dang pier, located on the river east of the tourist area (marina on the map of Ho Chi Minh City). You can get to it from the tourist area of Ho Chi Minh City on foot in 10-20 minutes or by taxi for about 50,000 DONG.

In Vung Tau arrive/depart at the main port Ho May (port on the Vung Tau map). It's not very far from the center, but you still have to take a taxi from 30,000 VND to the hotel.

Please check the schedule and cost information on the official website of the carrier GreenLines DP. Tickets can be purchased on this website (but Russian cards are not accepted) or at the ticket offices on the docks for cash.

By ferry from Con Dao Island

At least two companies travel between Vung Tau and Con Dao Island:

• GreenLines DP. The cost starts from 790,000 VND on weekdays, 950 000 VND on weekends. When we were in Vung Tau, their high-speed boats temporarily did not go, so check the schedule on the website.
• Phuquoc Express. Cost from 800,000 VND (30.42 USD). They walk every other day, 3-4 hours on the way.

Ferries arrive/depart at Ho May port (port on the Vung Tau map). Tickets can be purchased on the websites (Russian cards are not accepted) or at the box office.