Vietnam

One line, Hanoi to Saigon, 1,726 km, about 33 hours end to end on the SE trains; branches to Hai Phong and Lao Cai (for Sapa). Four classes: hard seat, soft seat, hard sleeper (six berths) and soft sleeper (four berths) — book soft sleeper, lower berth. Fares: Hanoi–Hue soft sleeper about €35, Hanoi–Saigon about €60, Hue–Da Nang seat €5. Book at dsvn.vn (foreign cards mostly accepted) or via Baolau or 12Go for a €2–3 markup. Private tourist carriages (Sapaly Express, Chapa Express, Fanxipan Express) attach to the overnight Lao Cai train from about €40 a berth. The Hue–Da Nang heritage train (since 2024, 3 h, twice daily) is the best short ride in the country. A high-speed line is approved on paper; nothing usable before the mid-2030s.

Rule of thumb: Under 3 h and on the line (Hanoi–Ninh Binh 2 h 15, Hanoi–Hai Phong 2 h 30, Hue–Da Nang 2 h 40–3 h) → train. Hanoi–Hue, Hanoi–Lao Cai, Da Nang/Nha Trang–Saigon → overnight sleeper if it saves a hotel night and the traveller tolerates 13 h in a bunk; otherwise fly. Anything over 14 h by rail → fly.

Around fifty flights a day between Hanoi and Saigon and a dense network besides: Vietnam Airlines (SkyTeam, checked bag included, reliable), Vietjet (fares from €20 before bags, chronic 30–60 minute delays), Bamboo Airways (a shadow of itself since its 2023–24 restructuring, still useful on a few routes). Hanoi–Saigon 2 h 10; Hanoi–Da Nang 1 h 20; Saigon–Phu Quoc 1 h; Hanoi or Saigon–Dong Hoi (Phong Nha) 1 h 30. Long Thanh, Saigon's new airport 40 km east of the city, is due to take its first commercial flights at the end of 2026 and long-haul international ones after that — check which airport a Saigon booking actually uses.

Rule of thumb: Hanoi ↔ anywhere south of Hue, Da Nang ↔ Saigon, and anything to Phu Quoc or Con Dao → fly. Book Vietnam Airlines for a bag and a schedule that holds; Vietjet only with a buffer on both sides.

'Limousine' means a 9–16 seat van with reclining seats, hotel pick-up, and a fixed timetable — the best way to Ha Long (2.5 h, about €10), Ninh Binh (1.5 h, €8), Sapa (5.5 h on the expressway, €12–17) and Ha Giang (6–7 h, €12–15). Sleeper buses (Futa/Phuong Trang in the south, Hoang Long and the Sinh Tourist nationally) cover longer hops — Hue–Hoi An 4 h €7, Phong Nha–Hue 4 h €10, Da Lat–Saigon 7 h €10 — with flat-ish bunks sized for people under 175 cm. Book on Vexere (the local app), 12Go, or through your hotel for a euro more.

Rule of thumb: No rail and under 6 h (Ha Long, Sapa, Ha Giang, Phong Nha, Da Lat, Mui Ne) → limousine van by day. Sleeper bus overnight only if the traveller is short, on a budget, and has said so.

The normal way to do anything not on a bus timetable. A car and driver for the day is €50–90 including fuel and tolls, arranged by any hotel or on Grab's rental tab; Hue–Hoi An over the Hai Van pass with stops is about €55, Hanoi–Ninh Binh–Hanoi about €70. Self-drive rental exists on paper and nobody uses it: the traffic is not for beginners, insurance is opaque, and the driver costs less than the excess.

Rule of thumb: Day trips, the Hai Van pass, families with kids, or three-plus people → car with driver. Self-drive car → never.

Phu Quoc from Ha Tien (1.5 h) or Rach Gia (2.5 h) on Superdong or Phu Quoc Express, €10–15; Cat Ba from Hai Phong by speedboat in 45 minutes; Con Dao from Vung Tau or Soc Trang in 2.5–4 h on a sea that is often rough November to March. Bay cruises include their own transfers. The Mekong has a genuine border crossing by river: Chau Doc to Phnom Penh in about five hours on Hang Chau or Blue Cruiser, €25–35.

Rule of thumb: Phu Quoc from the delta side (Chau Doc, Can Tho, Ha Tien) → ferry from Ha Tien; from Saigon → fly. Con Dao November – March → fly, the sea is too rough for a family on the ferry.

Grab (car and motorbike) is the operating system — a bike across Hanoi is €1, a car to the airport €9–10 — and Xanh SM's green electric taxis are the honest metered alternative. Old-school Mai Linh and Vinasun taxis are fine; unmarked ones are not. Hanoi has two metro lines (Cat Linh–Ha Dong and the Nhon line) and Saigon opened Line 1 (Ben Thanh–Suoi Tien) in December 2024; both are cheap, clean and useful for a handful of journeys. Walking works in Hanoi's Old Quarter and nowhere else.

Rule of thumb: Any city hop under 5 km → Grab bike for one person, Grab car or Xanh SM for two or more or with luggage. Airport transfers → Grab car or the hotel's car, never a tout at arrivals.