Ho Chi Minh Airport to the City: Bus, Taxi or Grab from Tan Son Nhat
Which terminal you are in, where each ride leaves from, what it costs, and what the sources could not confirm.
If you landed on an international flight, you are in T2, and bus 109 leaves from its Gate 1 for Ben Thanh Market. It runs 5:30 to 23:00 for 10,000 to 20,000 VND per person. A 2026 fare change is reported without a figure.
Outside bus hours, or with heavy bags, take a taxi or a Grab, Be or Xanh SM car. Expect 150,000 to 200,000 VND to the centre, plus about 10,000 VND of tolls.
The short answer
This page is built for the moment you clear arrivals and need to decide. Every figure on it comes from a short fact sheet, checked on 19 October 2026. Where that sheet has a gap, I say so.
The order below runs from cheapest to most expensive. First the terminals, because the free shuttle between them decides where your ride actually starts. Then the two city buses, then taxis and ride-hailing apps.
I tell arriving guests to ignore anyone offering a taxi inside the terminal. Walk to the official rank, or open the app before stepping outside.
Three terminals, not two
Tan Son Nhat now has three terminals. T2 is the international terminal. T1 handles part of the domestic traffic, and T3 handles the rest.
T3 is the one most guides miss. It is a separate building with its own road access. Treat it as a different address, not as a wing of the old terminal.
A free shuttle links the terminals. The fact sheet gives no frequency, no journey time and no stop location for it. Follow the signs and check on the day.
On a connection, allow time for the shuttle. That advice comes straight from the sources. It matters most when you land at T2 and fly on from T3, or the reverse.
Why older guides get this wrong
Vietnam Airlines’ own travel guide still describes two terminals, T1 for domestic and T2 for international. It was written before T3 opened. If a page you read mentions only two terminals, it is describing the airport before T3.
This has a practical side. The same airline guide is the source for the bus gates below. Its gate numbers belong to the old layout, so they tell you nothing about where to stand at T3.
Which terminal am I in?
If you flew in from abroad, you are in T2. If you flew domestic, you are in T1 or T3. The fact sheet does not say which airlines use which, so your boarding pass or booking is the quickest check.
Bus 109: the cheapest ride to Ben Thanh
Where to catch it. Bus 109 departs from Gate 1 at the international terminal and arrives at Ben Thanh Market. Silverland Hotels says it serves T3 as well. Neither source gives the T3 stop, so follow the bus signs or ask airport staff.
What it costs. The airline guide gives 10,000 to 20,000 VND per person. Silverland Hotels mentions a fare change in 2026 but gives no new figure. I will not guess one. Check the fare on the day.
Hours and wait. It runs daily from 5:30 to 23:00, every 15 to 20 minutes. At worst, if the timetable holds, you wait around 20 minutes at the stop.
How long the ride takes. No source on the fact sheet gives a journey time for the bus. The only figures are for cars, 15 to 20 minutes to District 1 depending on traffic. A bus with stops will not beat that, but I have no number for it.
Who it suits. Solo travellers and couples with light bags, landing between early morning and late evening, and staying near Ben Thanh Market. If your hotel is far from the market, the saving can disappear on the second leg.
Bus 152: same price, a different route
Where to catch it. Bus 152 departs from Gate 2. The airline guide that gives this gate does not name the terminal. Check the signs on the day rather than trusting a gate number alone.
Where it goes. Silverland Hotels describes the line as linking the airport, the Ben Thanh area and Trung Son. The fact sheet gives no stop list and no journey time.
Hours and price. On paper they match bus 109: 5:30 to 23:00 daily, every 15 to 20 minutes, 10,000 to 20,000 VND per person. The 2026 fare change is reported for bus 109. Nothing says whether 152 changed too, so check on the day.
Who it suits. The same travellers as bus 109, plus anyone heading toward Trung Son. If you only need Ben Thanh, take whichever of the two you find first.
Taxi and ride-hailing apps
How long it takes. A taxi or ride-hailing car takes 15 to 30 minutes to the centre, according to Vietnam Airlines. The same guide gives 15 to 20 minutes by car to District 1, about 6 km away, depending on traffic. Other guides on this site put the airport 8 km from the centre. The two figures measure to different points, so treat 6 to 8 km as the honest range.
What it costs. Expect 150,000 to 200,000 VND to the centre, plus about 10,000 VND of tolls. The sheet gives one range for taxis and apps together. I cannot tell you which is cheaper, so look at the app’s quoted fare before you decide.
Which apps. Grab, Be and Xanh SM all operate at the airport. The sheet does not say where each one picks up, or whether pickup differs at T3. Read the pickup instructions in the app and match them to your terminal.
Where to find a taxi. The sheet has no location for the taxi rank either. Follow the signs out of arrivals and check on the day.
Who it suits. Anyone landing before 5:30 or after 23:00, anyone with more bags than hands, and groups. The bus price is per person, while the car price is quoted for the ride.
The options side by side
| Option | Where to board | Price | Time | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terminal shuttle | Between terminals, stop not confirmed | Free | Not confirmed | Connections, T3 |
| Bus 109 | Gate 1, international terminal; also serves T3 | 10,000 to 20,000 VND per person, 2026 change unconfirmed | Every 15 to 20 min, 5:30 to 23:00; ride time not confirmed | Light bags, Ben Thanh Market |
| Bus 152 | Gate 2, terminal not named | 10,000 to 20,000 VND per person | Every 15 to 20 min, 5:30 to 23:00; ride time not confirmed | Ben Thanh area, Trung Son |
| Taxi, Grab, Be, Xanh SM | Taxi rank or app pickup point | 150,000 to 200,000 VND, plus about 10,000 VND tolls | 15 to 30 min to the centre | Late arrivals, bags, groups |
Every “not confirmed” in the table is a real gap in the sources, not a cell I forgot to fill. Where that is the case, the honest answer is to check on the day.
Which option fits your arrival time and bags?
Landing between 5:30 and 23:00
Both buses run, so the bus is the cheapest choice. With up to 20 minutes between departures, it suits you if you are not in a hurry. Close to 23:00, do not count on one more bus.
Landing before 5:30 or after 23:00
Outside those hours the sheet lists no bus service. Take a taxi or open Grab, Be or Xanh SM. After a long night flight, a car to the door is also the simpler choice.
One bag, two bags, or more?
The fact sheet says nothing about luggage rules on the buses, so this is judgement, not a rule. A backpack and a small case are manageable on a city bus. Two large cases, or a pushchair, are far easier in a car.
Travelling as a group
The bus fare is per person, so a group pays it several times over. The car range is quoted for the ride. For three or four people with bags, do the sum with the fares you are actually quoted.
Connecting to a domestic flight
If you fly on from another terminal, you need the free shuttle. Allow time for it, as the sources advise. The sheet gives no shuttle timing, so find the stop as soon as you land.
What this page leaves out, and why
Some things every arriving traveller asks about are missing here on purpose. I found no dated source for them, and an old number is worse than no number. Check each of these on the day.
- Luggage storage at Tan Son Nhat: no dated figure, no location, no price.
- The 2026 bus fare: a change is reported, the new price is not.
- Bus journey times from the airport to Ben Thanh Market.
- Shuttle frequency, journey time and stop locations.
- Where the taxi rank and the app pickup points are, terminal by terminal.
- Which domestic airlines use T1 and which use T3.
- Which terminal Gate 2 for bus 152 belongs to, and where bus 109 stops at T3.
For the rest of your first-day checklist, see our Ho Chi Minh City travel tips.
Questions people ask
What is the cheapest way from Tan Son Nhat to District 1?
Bus 109 from Gate 1 at the international terminal to Ben Thanh Market, or bus 152 from Gate 2. The listed fare is 10,000 to 20,000 VND per person, with a 2026 change not yet confirmed. Check on the day.
How long is the drive from the airport to the centre?
District 1 is about 6 km away. Vietnam Airlines gives 15 to 20 minutes by car, depending on traffic, and 15 to 30 minutes to the centre by taxi or app.
Is there luggage storage at the airport?
I could not find a dated, sourced figure for luggage storage at Tan Son Nhat. Check on the day at your terminal before you plan around it.
How do I get from T2 to T3?
Take the free shuttle that links the terminals. T3 is a separate building with its own road access. On a connection, allow time for the shuttle.
Once you are in town, our guide to getting around Ho Chi Minh City picks up where this page stops. If you have not booked a bed yet, start with where to stay in Ho Chi Minh City.
When your bags are down, browse the things to do in Ho Chi Minh City, or see all our Saigon tours.
Clara grew up just outside Saigon and moved to the city five years ago to study. She has been riding its streets ever since. Most evenings you’ll find her leading our night rides, usually with a bowl of snails waiting at the end. Everything in this guide is what she tells her own guests before the first stop.
