Ho Chi Minh City (Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh) to Nha Trang: Flight, Train, Bus or Car

Just before six in the morning, the train from Saigon rolls into Nha Trang Station while the city is still waking up. The Tran Phu (Trần Phú) beachfront is about 2 km away, and the fish-noodle stalls are lighting their stoves. Fly instead and you land on the Cam Ranh peninsula, with a long coast road still ahead of you.

Times exclude getting to the station, airport or bus terminal, check-in and the ride into Nha Trang. Fares are one way, per person. The flight is Vietnam Airlines' lowest economy fare shown for October 27-28, 2026. Train fares are for Wednesday, November 18, 2026. Bus fares are as listed on Vexere on October 27, 2026, for departures from Mien Dong. Tolls are per car with fewer than 12 seats, one way, and exclude fuel and car hire.

Door to door: central Saigon to the beach #

The 70-minute flight is only part of the journey. Add it up for a morning flight: 20-30 minutes to the airport, arriving about 90 minutes before departure (Vietnam Airlines closes domestic check-in 40 minutes before take-off), around half an hour to get off the plane and collect your bags, then 45-60 minutes by car from Cam Ranh. Our estimate is roughly four and a half hours, before any traffic jams or delays.

Allow about an extra hour at the two stations for the SNT2. Most of the journey is overnight, so it works best if you sleep well on trains. A bus can take eight to ten hours door to door if you board at New Mien Dong Bus Station, about 22 km from Ben Thanh (Bến Thành) Market, and get off at Nha Trang's southern terminal, about 12 km from the beach. Operators with pickup and drop-off points in town save some of that. If you are not flying, we would take the train over the bus: the berths are longer, you can walk around, and every carriage has a toilet.

Flying from Tan Son Nhat to Cam Ranh #

The Vietnam Airlines route page lists three to four flights a day (checked October 27, 2026). The fare in the table was for flights within two days and may have changed by the time you book. Compare airlines directly, check whether checked baggage is included, and avoid the first and last days of Vietnamese public holidays.

At Tan Son Nhat, Vietjet's domestic flights use Terminal 1. Vietnam Airlines, Bamboo Airways, Vietravel Airlines and the other domestic carriers use Terminal 3 (airport operator, December 2025). Check the terminal on your booking before you order a ride. At Cam Ranh, choose a bus, taxi or prebooked car into town depending on when you land.

Photo: MinhVN123

The train: SNT2 or a daytime SE #

Besides the SNT2, six northbound trains on the regular schedule to December 30, 2026 stop at Nha Trang. On the timetable for November 18, 2026, SE8 leaves Saigon at 6am and arrives at 1:43pm; SE6 leaves at 8:45am (arriving 4:06pm), SE22 at 10:15am (6:05pm) and SE10 at 1:15pm (9:51pm). SE4 and SE2 arrive at 2:40am and 3:44am, a hard time to find a ride or a room.

For a daytime ride, we suggest SE8 or SE6, which get you in while it is still light. One-way fares per person (one seat or one berth) for November 18, 2026, depending on the berth level and carriage type:

Fares vary by day. For Friday, November 20, 2026, a berth in a four-berth SNT2 cabin was listed at VND889,000-1,138,000 per person. Until December 30, 2026, individual tickets bought at least 10 days ahead are 5-15% cheaper, though each train has only 20 discounted tickets per class. Tickets bought two days or less before departure cost 3-5% more.

Photo: Dragfyre

Is the night train worth it?

Yes, if you sleep well on a moving train. Since October 12, 2026, the SNT1 and SNT2 have used refurbished carriages with Wi-Fi, a dining car in the middle of the train and crew trained to help in English (Thanh Nien, October 13, 2026). Four-berth cabins have fewer passengers, though noise still depends on who shares the compartment. At 5:40am your room is unlikely to be ready, so leave your bags at reception and find breakfast, or pick a place to stay that allows an early check-in.

The UK Foreign Office warns of petty theft while passengers sleep on overnight trains. Keep your passport, phone and wallet in a small bag on you, put suitcases under the lower berth, and if the cabin door has a latch, close it once everyone is in for the night.

Buying train tickets

Enter your name and passport number exactly as they appear in your passport. Since January 1, 2024, the ID you carry must match your boarding pass, or the ticket is invalid. Never pay a stranger on Zalo or Facebook for a ticket: Vietnam Railways has warned of fake sites that differ from the official ones by a few characters (Bao Van Hoa, December 2025).

Sleeper buses: Mien Dong or a pickup in town #

From New Mien Dong Bus Station alone, Vexere listed 40 daily departures by 10 operators between 7am and 11pm (October 27, 2026). To get there on Metro Line 1, ride to the Suoi Tien (Suối Tiên) Bus Station stop; despite the name, it serves the bus station, not the Suoi Tien theme park (PLO, March 2025). Plenty of other operators pick up at offices in the city or run a shuttle to the terminal.

When you book, ask where and when to meet, and where the bus stops in Nha Trang: some use the southern terminal, others their own office in town. Night buses can arrive at two or three in the morning, so ask about the arrival time too. From the southern terminal, book a car through an app to see the fare up front.

Driving: the expressway now runs all the way #

Five expressway sections link up from Ho Chi Minh City via Long Thanh (Long Thành), Dau Giay (Dầu Giây), Phan Thiet (Phan Thiết), Vinh Hao (Vĩnh Hảo) and Cam Lam (Cam Lâm) into Nha Trang. The 4-5 hours in the table is the VnExpress estimate from when the route opened in April 2024. It does not include getting out of the city or rest stops. Motorbikes are not allowed on the expressway. The Cam Lam - Vinh Hao section has four lanes and no hard shoulder, only emergency bays every 4-5 km, and a 90 km/h (56 mph) limit. If you feel sleepy, stop at a service area, never on the edge of the road.

The toll figure of about VND520,000 each way for a car with fewer than 12 seats, excluding fuel and car hire, is our own sum of the full-section rates reported by Dan Tri (February 2026) and Tuoi Tre (2024). What you pay depends on where you join and leave, and rates may have changed. Tolls are electronic, so the car needs a toll tag with enough credit.

To drive in Vietnam you need a Vietnamese license or a 1968 Convention international driving permit carried with your home license for the same vehicle class. Korean citizens have a separate bilateral arrangement. Permits issued in the US or Australia do not qualify, so many visitors hire a car with a driver instead; agree a fixed price and ask whether it includes tolls. If you are carrying on to Da Lat (Đà Lạt), the same car can cover both legs.

Photo: MinhVN123

Nha Trang to Ho Chi Minh City #

The SNT1 leaves Nha Trang at 8:20pm and reaches Saigon at 5am; SE3 leaves at 9:12pm (arriving 5:30am) and SE1 at 10:42pm (6:30am). By day, SE7 leaves at 8:47am and arrives at 5pm (timetable checked October 27, 2026). For November 18, 2026, the SNT1 fare was VND350,000-388,000 for a soft seat, VND504,000-762,000 for a berth in a six-berth cabin and VND696,000-927,000 for a berth in a four-berth cabin, per person. We like the SNT1: one more full day by the sea, and you are back in the city at dawn.

Ho Chi Minh City to Nha Trang: FAQ #