How to travel between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh city ?

Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh are the two biggest cities in Vietnam. There are many ways to travel between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh city: by trains, flights or sleeping bus.

Travel by FLIGHT

With regard to traveling by flights, there are 383 flights a week from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh city. The most popular airline flying from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh is Vietnam Airlines. The average flight time from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh city is 2 hours 4 minutes with the distance of 721 miles (1161Km) and around 53 euro for the cheapest return price from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh city (according to skyscanner.net).

There are up to 30 flights departs from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City from Monday to Sunday, operated by Vietnam Airlines or Jetstar Pacific. The earliest flight is at 6AM and latest flight is at 9:50 PM. One way flight takes between 1 hour 50 minutes and 2 hours to arrive. Fare depends upon the time you book your flight: the earlier the cheaper.

Vietnam Airlines ticket for Hanoi - Ho Chi Minh City route is about $120 US for one way. Jetstar Pacific Airways ticket for Hanoi - Ho Chi Minh City flights is about $100 one way (in sales season, it can drop to as low as $50 one way).

There are up to 30 flights depart from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City from Monday to Sunday, operated by Vietnam Airlines or Jetstar Pacific. The earliest flight is at 6AM and latest flight is at 9:50PM. One way flight takes between 1 hour 50 minutes and 2 hours to arrive. Ticket cost depends on when you book: the earlier the cheaper.

Travel by TRAIN

With regard to train, you can get tickets from the ticket booths at the city train stations - which is the cheapest way to buy one. Sometimes, buying the ticket off the counter can save you up to 30%.

The route length between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City is 1726 km and it consists of 4 trains, namely SE1, SE3, SE5 and SE7. They depart every day and take about 34 hours from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City. There are diverse seat types that you can choose include: the hard seat, the soft seat, the hard berth (6 berths) and the soft berth (4 berths), called cabin. Each cabin is equipped with air-conditioner and comfortable seat/berth.

Ticket fare: $70 (Soft Seat) - $90 (Hard berth) - $99 (Soft berth) - Agent fare

Travelling by BUS

For sleeper bus, you can travel overland with a low budget and it is a great way to travel around the country. It is one part of open bus tour system. It will save your money but very little route and take long time, you might want to vary your route or change mode of transport.

You can check http://www.sleeperbusvietnam.com/ for every destination you go through. It might be ok for parts of the country but for most people, it is said that the train is much better and it is not more expensive. More important, you will get beautiful view from the trains.