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Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City: flight, train or bus
Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City
Usually, fly Noi Bai to Tan Son Nhat in about 2 hours 10 minutes with Vietnam Airlines, VietJet, Sun PhuQuoc Airways, Vietravel or Pacific Airlines, early morning to late night, from about 1,094,000₫ for October 2026. Five daily SE trains link Ga Hà Nội and Ga Sài Gòn, 1,726 km: 32 hours 45 minutes (SE1, fastest) to 38 hours 26 minutes (SE9), from 1,015,000₫ soft seat or 1,362,000₫ berth.
Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City time, fare and distance
| Usual way | Flight, or the SE train if you want to see the country |
|---|---|
| Typical time | About 2 h 10 min flying; 32 h 45 min to 38 h 26 min by train |
| What it costs | Flights from about 1,094,000₫; train from 1,015,000₫ seat, 1,362,000₫ berth |
| Where it arrives | Tan Son Nhat airport, or Ga Sài Gòn by train |
Leaving Hanoi: Noi Bai or Ga Hà Nội
Flights leave from Noi Bai, north of the city. Domestic flights use Terminal 1.
Trains leave from Ga Hà Nội (Hanoi station) on Le Duan street. All five SE trains start there and stop at Vinh, Đồng Hới, Huế and Đà Nẵng on the way.
The few long-distance buses sold online leave from Bến xe Nước Ngầm (Nuoc Ngam bus station), in the south of Hanoi.
Arriving in Ho Chi Minh City
Tan Son Nhat is inside the city, in the north of Ho Chi Minh City. Since 2025 most domestic flights use the new Terminal 3: the Vietnam Airlines group moved there on 19 August 2025, and Vietravel the same week. VietJet still used Terminal 1 in October 2026.
Your booking names the terminal; the two are not the same building, so read it before you tell a driver where to go.
Ga Sài Gòn (Saigon station) is in the city. The southbound SE trains also stop at Biên Hòa, in Đồng Nai province, 29 km and about 50 minutes before Ga Sài Gòn.
Buses finish at Bến xe Miền Đông mới (new Mien Dong bus station), on the eastern edge of the city.
Berths, seats and which train to pick
Which train. SE1 at 21:45 is the fastest at 32 hours 45 minutes and the only one with a VIP two-berth compartment, but also the dearest. SE7 at 06:00 and SE5 at 08:00 are the cheapest, but they pass Huế and Đà Nẵng after dark.
SE3 at 19:20 reaches Huế at 07:50 and Đà Nẵng at 10:28 the next morning, the best timing if you want that stretch in daylight. SE9 at 13:00 is the slowest and gets into Saigon at 03:26.
Classes. A soft seat (ngồi mềm) is a reclining seat, fine for a day but long for a night and a day. A six-berth compartment (khoang 6 giường) has three berths on each side; the top berth is the cheapest and the bottom one the dearest.
A four-berth compartment (khoang 4 giường) is the soft sleeper: on SE7, 1,831,000₫ to 2,009,000₫ for the whole trip, against 1,362,000₫ to 1,738,000₫ in the six-berth. The railway also lists a "ghế phụ", an extra seat, from 812,000₫.
Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi
For October 2026, the same airlines fly Tan Son Nhat to Noi Bai in about 2 hours 10 minutes, all day. Five trains leave Ga Sài Gòn: SE8 06:00, SE6 08:45, SE10 13:15, SE4 19:20, SE2 20:35. SE2 is quickest: Hanoi 05:42 two days later, 33 hours 7 minutes; SE8 arrives at 16:20 the next day; soft seats start at 1,015,000₫.
Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi time and fare
| Usual way | Flight, or an SE train |
|---|---|
| Typical time | About 2 h 10 min flying; 33 h 7 min to 38 h 25 min by train |
| What it costs | Train from 1,015,000₫ seat, 1,362,000₫ berth |
| Where it departs | Tan Son Nhat (T3, or T1 for VietJet), or Ga Sài Gòn |
Leaving Ho Chi Minh City
Check which terminal your airline uses, T3 or T1, before you set off.
The northbound trains leave from Ga Sài Gòn. SE2, SE4 and the others also stop at Biên Hòa about an hour after leaving.
Arriving in Hanoi
Flights land at Noi Bai Terminal 1. Trains end at Ga Hà Nội on Le Duan street, in the city; SE4 arrives at 04:36 and SE2 at 05:42.
The northbound trains
Northbound times, as published for October 2026:
- SE8: Sài Gòn 06:00, Nha Trang 14:03, Đà Nẵng 23:41, Huế 02:17, Hà Nội 16:20 next day
- SE6: Sài Gòn 08:45, Nha Trang 16:13, Đà Nẵng 02:01, Huế 04:49, Hà Nội 19:14 next day
- SE10: Sài Gòn 13:15, Nha Trang 21:58, Đà Nẵng 08:59, Huế 12:15, Hà Nội 03:40 two days later
- SE4: Sài Gòn 19:20, Nha Trang 02:47, Đà Nẵng 12:28, Huế 15:10, Hà Nội 04:36 two days later
- SE2: Sài Gòn 20:35, Nha Trang 03:51, Đà Nẵng 13:21, Huế 15:54, Hà Nội 05:42 two days later
For the coast between Đà Nẵng and Huế in daylight, SE10, SE4 and SE2 all pass it between late morning and mid-afternoon.
Two hours in the air or a day and a half on the rails
The two cities are 1,726 km apart by rail, at opposite ends of the country, and the choice comes down to time.
Flying takes about two hours ten minutes. For October 2026 departures, five airlines were selling flights leaving Noi Bai almost every half-hour from 05:00 to 23:30. Fares on most of them started between about 1,100,000₫ and 1,250,000₫ (how domestic flights work).
The train, the line travellers call the Reunification Express, takes a day and a half. The SE trains run the whole length of the coast, through Vinh, Đồng Hới, Huế, Đà Nẵng and Nha Trang, and the fare for the full trip is about the same as a flight.
By bus it is more than a day on the road, at about the price of a flight. Only a handful of sleeper buses were on sale for the whole route.
Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City train times
Southbound, as published by the railway for October 2026:
- SE7: Hà Nội 06:00, Vinh 11:52, Huế 19:38, Đà Nẵng 22:15, Nha Trang 08:40, Sài Gòn 17:00 next day
- SE5: Hà Nội 08:00, Vinh 13:42, Huế 21:35, Đà Nẵng 00:21, Nha Trang 10:17, Sài Gòn 18:20 next day
- SE9: Hà Nội 13:00, Vinh 18:55, Huế 03:07, Đà Nẵng 05:48, Nha Trang 16:52, Sài Gòn 03:26 two days later
- SE3: Hà Nội 19:20, Vinh 00:53, Huế 07:50, Đà Nẵng 10:28, Nha Trang 21:05, Sài Gòn 05:30 two days later
- SE1: Hà Nội 21:45, Vinh 03:21, Huế 10:25, Đà Nẵng 13:14, Nha Trang 22:35, Sài Gòn 06:30 two days later
Each train waits about 15 minutes at Đà Nẵng and 5 to 12 minutes at the other main stations.
Train and flight fares, Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City
Train, the railway's own fares for the whole trip for October 2026 departures, insurance included:
The northbound trains were priced the same way: SE8 and SE6 like SE7 and SE5, SE10 like SE9, SE4 and SE2 like SE3 and SE1. The railway notes that fares change with the date you buy and the berth's position in the carriage.
Flights, lowest online fares for October 2026, fees included:
The airlines sell on their own websites too, where the fare depends on the date and the baggage you add.
Stopping on the way
Breaking the trip is the reason most people take the train. The same ticket logic works for any stretch, and these pages cover the busiest ones:
- Hanoi to Huế or Đà Nẵng: about 12 to 17 hours on the SE trains.
- Huế to Đà Nẵng: about 2 hours 30 minutes to 2 hours 45 minutes on the SE trains.
- Đà Nẵng to Hội An: by road from Đà Nẵng station or airport.
- Nha Trang to Ho Chi Minh City: about 8 to 10 hours on the SE trains.
Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City: what people ask
How long is the train from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City?
32 hours 45 minutes on SE1, the fastest, and 34 to 38 and a half hours on the others, according to the railway's timetable for October 2026. SE1 leaves Hanoi at 21:45 and reaches Ho Chi Minh City at 06:30 two days later.
How much is the train from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City?
For October 2026, from 1,015,000₫ for a soft seat and 1,362,000₫ for a berth in a six-berth compartment, to about 2,345,000₫ for a lower berth in a four-berth compartment. SE1's VIP two-berth was 4,621,000₫.
How long is the flight from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City?
About 2 hours 5 minutes to 2 hours 15 minutes, Noi Bai to Tan Son Nhat.
How much is a flight from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City?
For October 2026, the lowest fares sold online were about 1,094,000₫ with Vietravel Airlines and about 1,163,000₫ to 1,226,000₫ with Sun PhuQuoc Airways, VietJet and Vietnam Airlines.
How far is Hanoi from Ho Chi Minh City?
1,726 km by rail, Ga Hà Nội to Ga Sài Gòn.
Is the train or the plane better from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City?
The plane, if you only want to get there: two hours against a day and a half, for about the same money. The train makes sense if you want to see the coast or stop on the way in Huế, Đà Nẵng or Nha Trang.
Which train is best from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City?
SE1 is the fastest and the only one with a VIP two-berth compartment. SE3 passes Huế and Đà Nẵng in the morning, the best timing for the coast in daylight. SE7 and SE5 are the cheapest.
Is there a bus from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City?
A few. For October 2026, sleeper and cabin buses were on sale online from Bến xe Nước Ngầm to Bến xe Miền Đông mới, about 33 hours, from 1,187,500₫. A flight costs about the same.
Which terminal at Tan Son Nhat do flights from Hanoi use?
Most domestic flights moved to Terminal 3 in 2025, the Vietnam Airlines group from 19 August 2025. VietJet still used Terminal 1 in October 2026. Your booking names the terminal.