Sinh Giang
Most visitors fly into one of two airports: Noi Bai (HAN) in Hanoi, about 35 km north-east of the city, and Tan Son Nhat (SGN) in Ho Chi Minh City, only 6 to 8 km from District 1. Noi Bai is the one for Sapa and the north. Tan Son Nhat is the south’s gateway, and it is in the middle of a change: a new Terminal 3 opened in April 2025, and a second big airport at Long Thanh is scheduled to open commercially in December 2026. Fares into town range from about 9,000 VND on a city bus to 400,000 VND by taxi, and the prices below carry their dates.
We are a Sapa trekking company, not an airport operator, so this guide is built from published sources that we read on 3 November 2026, mostly Wikipedia and two travel-booking guides, with the source and date next to every number. Several of the transport prices come from a 2020 article and a December 2025 guide, so they are old, and where two sources disagree we say so. Sapa has no commercial airport of its own, so almost every route to the mountains starts in Hanoi; our guide to getting to Sapa and Hanoi to Sapa timetable take it from there.
Key Takeaways
- Noi Bai: Terminal 1 is domestic and Terminal 2, opened 4 January 2015, takes all international flights. It is about 35 km from central Hanoi (Wikipedia). Plan 40 to 60 minutes by taxi or Grab (Trip.com, December 2025).
- Cheapest way into Hanoi: city bus 86 or 17 to the Old Quarter and Hanoi Railway Station. Fares quoted run from 9,000 VND (bus 17, 2020) to 45,000 VND (bus 86, Wikipedia summary), so check the fare on the bus.
- Tan Son Nhat handled about 40.7 million passengers in 2023 and sits 6 to 8 km from District 1, 20 to 30 minutes by Grab at 120,000 to 180,000 VND (my.trip.com, 16 April 2026).
- Terminal 3 at Tan Son Nhat, a domestic terminal, opened in April 2025. International flights still use Terminal 2.
- Long Thanh airport in Dong Nai province is scheduled to open commercially on 24 December 2026, after repeated delays, and Tan Son Nhat will keep operating beside it (Wikipedia).
Which Airport for Which Trip
Choose by where you want to start. For Sapa, Ha Long Bay, Ninh Binh and the whole north, fly into Hanoi (HAN). For Ho Chi Minh City, the Mekong Delta and the south, fly into Tan Son Nhat (SGN). Many visitors fly into one and out of the other, which is cheaper than a long ground return and works well with a northern route such as the 10-day itinerary or the 2-week itinerary. The domestic flight between the two is the busiest in the country: Wikipedia puts the Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City route at 10,883,555 passengers in 2023.
| Noi Bai (HAN), Hanoi | Tan Son Nhat (SGN), Ho Chi Minh City | |
|---|---|---|
| Distance to centre | About 35 km; 25 to 30 km on other guides | 6 to 8 km from District 1 (my.trip.com, 16 Apr 2026) |
| International terminal | Terminal 2, opened 4 January 2015 | Terminal 2, opened December 2007 |
| Domestic terminals | Terminal 1, completed 2001 | Terminal 1 and Terminal 3 (opened April 2025) |
| Passengers | 29.3 million in 2019 | About 40.7 million in 2023 |
| Runways | Two: 3,800 m and 3,200 m | Not given in what we read |
Passenger numbers and capacity, side by side
The numbers show why both capitals keep building. They come from Wikipedia and carry its inconsistencies, which are noted in the last column, so read them as a scale.
| Airport | Figure | Year or plan | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Noi Bai | 28 million; 29,304,631 | 2018; 2019 | The summary table gives a lower 2018 figure |
| Noi Bai Terminal 2 | 10 million, raised to 15 million a year | Work began May 2025 | Said to be completed in 2026 |
| Tan Son Nhat | 32.5 million; 38.5 million; about 41 million | 2016; 2018; 2023 | Another page gives 40.7 million for 2023 |
| Tan Son Nhat | 39,859,384 | 2024, down 1.9 per cent | From a summary |
| Long Thanh, Phase 1 | 25 million a year, one 4,000 m runway | Scheduled December 2026 | Full plan over 100 million |
Noi Bai, Hanoi: Terminals and Facts
Noi Bai has two passenger terminals in use. Terminal 1 serves domestic flights, and Terminal 2 serves all international flights; Wikipedia says Terminal 2 was inaugurated on 4 January 2015 after its first commercial flight on 25 December 2014. The article says the airport served 28 million passengers in 2018, and its infobox gives 29,304,631 in 2019. The two figures are about a million apart because Wikipedia’s own table gives a lower 2018 number, so use them as a scale and not as a count.
The airport has been expanding. Wikipedia reports that work on Terminal 2 broke ground in May 2025 to raise its capacity from 10 to 15 million passengers a year, at a cost of 4.6 trillion VND (US$174.64 million), and that the project “has been completed in 2026”. The page also carries a notice that the new airport under construction for the capital is Gia Binh International Airport, with a third and fourth runway proposed at Noi Bai, which is not something to plan around yet. The two parallel runways are 3,800 and 3,200 metres long and 250 metres apart.
From Noi Bai to the City
Noi Bai is 25 to 35 km from the Old Quarter depending on the source, so the choice is time against money. The table lists every option we found with its date, because these prices move and the sources are not all the same age.
| How | Cost | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bus 86 | 35,000 VND (2020); 45,000 VND (Wikipedia summary) | About 50 to 60 min | Airport, Long Bien, Hoan Kiem Lake, Hanoi Railway Station; about every 20 to 30 min |
| Bus 17 | 9,000 VND (2020) | 60 to 105 min | First bus 5 am from Long Bien, last 10 pm from the airport; 2020 source says about 1 h 45 |
| Bus 07 | Cheap, state-supported | 60 to 70 min | Airport to Cau Giay and Kim Ma (Trip.com) |
| Airline shuttle | About 40,000 VND (2020) | 30 to 60 min | 05:00 to 22:00 for Vietnam Airlines; Trip.com lists drop-off near 206 Tran Quang Khai |
| Metered taxi | 280,000 to 450,000 VND (2020); 300,000 to 400,000 VND (2025) | 40 to 60 min | Stands outside both terminals |
| Grab | About 14 to 19 Singapore dollars (2025), no VND figure | 40 to 60 min | Pick-up in a designated zone |
Three honest notes. First, the bus fares are the least settled: the 2020 article gives 35,000 VND for bus 86, Wikipedia’s summary gives 45,000 VND and we could not open the operator’s own page, so carry small notes and ask. Second, the Trip.com guide quotes in Singapore dollars and gives a range of 40 to 60 minutes for the road, which stretches to 70 to 80 minutes at peak and shrinks to 35 to 45 off-peak, so a morning arrival needs patience. Third, the shuttle hours differ between sources, with the 2020 article giving a 04:00 start for one airline, so check if your flight lands early. Our Grab guide explains how to book and pay, and the guide to tourist traps explains the taxi tricks to avoid.
If you have a layover rather than a night in town, our Hanoi airport guide covers the terminals. There is no train yet: Wikipedia’s summary says Hanoi Metro lines 2 and 6 are planned to extend to the airport with no date, so do not count on one.
Tan Son Nhat, Ho Chi Minh City: Terminals and Facts
Tan Son Nhat has three terminals. According to Wikipedia, Terminal 2 handles international flights and opened in December 2007. Terminal 1, the old terminal, now serves only VietJet domestic flights, and Terminal 3, a new domestic terminal, broke ground on 24 December 2022 and opened in April 2025 with a first commercial flight on 16 April and formal operations from 30 April. The part of the article that gives these terminal figures is a summary and not verbatim text, so treat the details as approximate, and check the terminal for your airline in your booking.
The airport is busy. The Long Thanh article says it handled 40.7 million passengers in 2023 against a design maximum of around 30 million, while the Tan Son Nhat article’s summary says total capacity is about 50 million after Terminal 3, and the two pages disagree. Its summary gives 39,859,384 passengers in 2024, a fall of 1.9 per cent. The queues you meet at peak hours are what that crowding looks like.
From Tan Son Nhat to the City
The airport is close, so the ride is short even in traffic: 20 to 40 minutes to District 1 (my.trip.com, 16 April 2026), which puts the airport at about 6 to 8 km from the centre, though one source we read puts it between 5 and 8 km. The table gives the options.
| How | Cost | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bus 152 | 6,000 to 10,000 VND | 50 to 70 min | To Nguyen Hue Walking Street; smaller and less spacious |
| Bus 109 | About 20,000 VND | 45 to 60 min | To Ben Thanh Market; daily |
| Grab | 120,000 to 180,000 VND | 20 to 30 min | Cash, GrabPay or card; designated pick-up area a short walk from arrivals |
| Taxi (Vinasun, Mai Linh) | 150,000 to 200,000 VND to District 1 | 20 to 30 min | Stands just outside arrivals; pay in dong |
For the Grab pick-up, set your location to “Tan Son Nhat International Airport” and follow the app to the signposted pick-up area, which is the same at the domestic and international terminals, according to the guide. Taxi fares to other districts range from about 80,000 VND to Tan Binh to 300,000 VND to District 7. A search summary of another page puts the fare at US$5 to 7, which agrees. Our currency guide covers the cash you will need.
Taxi, Grab or bus: which one when
The right choice depends on the hour, the weight of your bags and your tolerance for uncertainty. The table is our own reading of the dated figures above.
| Situation | Best choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Arriving late at night in Hanoi | Grab or a metered taxi | City buses run roughly 05:00 to 22:00 and shuttles 05:00 to 22:00 (Trip.com) |
| Light bag, plenty of time, tight budget | Bus 86 or 17 | Cheapest, but 50 to 105 minutes |
| Two or three travellers with bags | Taxi or Grab | Per-person cost falls and the ride is door to door |
| A short hop in Ho Chi Minh City | Grab or taxi | 20 to 30 minutes and a clear fare in the app |
| Leaving Tan Son Nhat in the evening peak | Allow extra time | Bus 152 and 109 are slower (45 to 70 minutes) and traffic is heavy |
Long Thanh: the Third Big Airport
Long Thanh International Airport, in Dong Nai province east of Ho Chi Minh City, is meant to relieve Tan Son Nhat, which “could not be further expanded”, and Wikipedia says both airports will operate in tandem once it opens. The infobox gives a technical milestone on 19 December 2025, a planned date of 1 December 2026 and an official commercial launch on 24 December 2026, and the text says full commercial operations are scheduled for December 2026.
Wikipedia traces the opening through earlier forecasts: Phase 1 was due by September 2025, the terminal was rescheduled to the first half of 2026 in March 2024, and it is now expected in late 2026. Do not book a ticket that depends on Long Thanh being open on a given day, and check the airline’s own notice. Phase 1 is designed for 25 million passengers a year with one 4,000 metre runway, and the full plan is over 100 million. The page gives the Phase 1 cost three ways, from US$4.6 to US$7.8 billion, so we do not quote one.
The practical advice is short: for the next few months, treat Tan Son Nhat as the airport for Ho Chi Minh City, and check a recent airline notice if your flight is in or after December 2026. Our train guide covers the alternative for getting along the coast without a flight.
Other Airports You May Use
Vietnam has many more airports, and a few come up in these guides. Da Nang International Airport is about 5 miles from My Khe beach (Rough Guides, 25 November 2025), which is why Da Nang and Hoi An are easy first stops; see things to do in Da Nang and Hoi An. Phu Cat airport near Quy Nhon has flights to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City on several airlines (Wikipedia), and Con Dao airport has a 1,830 metre runway and flights from Ho Chi Minh City; both appear in our beaches guide. Dien Bien Phu airport (DIN) has Vietnam Airlines flights from Hanoi in about an hour, as our Dien Bien Phu guide says. For the north-east coast, the Cat Ba guide gives the road, as there is no airport on the island that we could find in the sources.
What the fares mean in dollars
At the rate of 25,000 VND to the US dollar that vietnamtourism.com uses in its own pages, the figures above translate as follows. This is our arithmetic and it moves with the exchange rate, so use it to gauge the order of magnitude.
| Fare | In VND | About in US dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Bus 17 at Noi Bai (2020) | 9,000 | US$0.36 |
| Bus 86 at Noi Bai | 35,000 to 45,000 | US$1.40 to 1.80 |
| Airline shuttle at Noi Bai (2020) | 40,000 | US$1.60 |
| Metered taxi at Noi Bai (2025) | 300,000 to 400,000 | US$12 to 16 |
| Bus 152 at Tan Son Nhat | 6,000 to 10,000 | US$0.24 to 0.40 |
| Grab to District 1 | 120,000 to 180,000 | US$4.80 to 7.20 |
| Taxi to District 1 | 150,000 to 200,000 | US$6 to 8 |
Flying Into One Airport and Out of the Other
A trip that starts in the north and ends in the south saves a day of backtracking, which is the usual shape of a long Vietnam route. In practice that means landing at Noi Bai, spending a few days in Hanoi and Sapa, and flying home from Tan Son Nhat after the south; the domestic flight between the two carried about 10.9 million passengers in 2023 (Wikipedia), so the route is well served, though fares move with the season. Our 1-week, 10-day and 2-week guides show where to put the northern days, and how many days you need helps you decide. When you buy a ticket, check the terminal for each leg, because a domestic flight at Tan Son Nhat may now depart from Terminal 3 and not Terminal 1.
Your First Hour: Two Short Checklists
These are our own suggestions, built from the facts above and not a description of a particular arrival, and they assume an international flight with a visa sorted.
Landing at Noi Bai
- Follow the signs for Terminal 2 arrivals, clear immigration and collect your bags.
- Withdraw a small amount of dong or use the airport counter if you have none; see our currency guide for notes and ATMs.
- Open Grab and set the pick-up to the airport, or walk to the metered taxi stand outside the terminal.
- If you take the bus, ask the fare before you pay and keep small notes ready; bus 86 goes to Long Bien, Hoan Kiem Lake and the railway station.
- Expect 40 to 60 minutes to the centre, longer at peak, and tell your hotel your arrival time.
Landing at Tan Son Nhat
- Follow the signs from Terminal 2 and collect your bags.
- Open Grab and set the pick-up to “Tan Son Nhat International Airport”, then follow the app to the designated pick-up area.
- Or walk to the taxi stand just outside arrivals and look for Vinasun (white with red and green stripes) or Mai Linh (green) cars.
- Expect 20 to 30 minutes and 120,000 to 200,000 VND to District 1.
- If you take bus 152 or 109, allow 45 to 70 minutes and carry small notes.
Arrival Tips and Mistakes to Avoid
Most arrival problems are small. These come from the sources and our own reading, and they apply at both airports.
- Know your terminal. International flights use Terminal 2 at both airports. A domestic connection means a different building, so allow time.
- Check the fare before you ride. Trip.com lists metered taxis from Noi Bai at 300,000 to 400,000 VND, so a flat quote far above that deserves a question, and our scams guide has the details.
- Carry small dong notes. A city bus can cost 6,000 to 45,000 VND, and a driver may not have change for a big note.
- Use the app. Booking Grab inside the airport lets you see the fare before you ride, and the pick-up zone is signposted at both airports.
- Expect delays at the Hanoi run in peak traffic. Trip.com puts a 40 to 60 minute drive at 70 to 80 minutes at peak.
- Check your e-visa or exemption before you fly. Our visa guide covers entry, and the SIM and eSIM guide helps you get online at the airport.
From the Airport to Sapa
Sapa does not have an airport, so almost every route starts in Hanoi. None of the pages we read connects Noi Bai to Sapa or to Lao Cai, so for that leg use our own guides. How to get to Sapa compares the limousine van, sleeper bus and train, the sleeper bus guide covers the overnight bus, and the power plug guide and vaccinations guide help you prepare. If you land late, a night in Hanoi before the road north is usually the calmer plan. A day on foot in the Muong Hoa valley is a good way to start, and the tour cards below show the options.
Sapa Treks to Plan Around Your Flight
1-Day Trek
Trekking Through Rice Terraced Fields
Lao Chai to Ta Van with lunch at a family restaurant in Y Linh Ho.
Homestay
Rice Terraced Fields & Homestay
Dinner and breakfast with a family in Ta Van, lunch on day one.
Local Favourite
Mountain Views and Villages Trek
Lunch at a restaurant run by local people in Hang Da village.
Sources and the Dates We Checked Them
We read these pages on 3 November 2026. Parts of the Wikipedia pages were cut off when we read them, so a few details come from a summary and are marked as such. Where two sources disagree, the text says so.
- Wikipedia, Noi Bai International Airport; secondary source, partly summarised.
- Wikipedia, Tan Son Nhat International Airport; the terminal section was read from a summary.
- Wikipedia, Long Thanh International Airport; says it was last edited on 31 October 2026.
- Trip.com, Hanoi airport to city, 17 December 2025, and Tan Son Nhat to the city, 16 April 2026; booking-site guides.
- Authentik Travel, Noi Bai transfer, 1 December 2020; old, used for hours and the bus list.
- Da Nang airport distance: Rough Guides, 25 November 2025.
The Part We Do Sell
- Hanoi to Sapa transport — sleeper buses, limousines and the overnight train, bookable with your trek
- Hanoi to Sapa guide — what each option costs and how long it takes
- How to get to Sapa — the first leg, in detail
Rent at Our Office Before You Trek
Gear Rental
Trekking Boots Rental
Waterproof ankle-support boots. Cleaned and checked before each rental. Available at 105 Thach Son Street.
Gear Rental
Walking Poles Rental
Trekking poles available to rent at $2/day at our office, 105 Thach Son Street. Essential for descents.
Frequently Asked Questions
Noi Bai (HAN) in Hanoi. Sapa has no commercial airport, so the route is a flight to Hanoi and then a limousine van, sleeper bus or train to Sapa or Lao Cai. Our guide to getting to Sapa compares the options.
About 35 km according to Wikipedia, or 25 to 30 km on other guides. Expect 40 to 60 minutes by taxi or Grab, and up to 70 to 80 minutes at peak (Trip.com, 17 December 2025).
A city bus. Bus 86 runs to Long Bien, Hoan Kiem Lake and Hanoi Railway Station, and bus 17 is cheaper but slower. Fares quoted range from 9,000 VND (bus 17, 2020) to 35,000 to 45,000 VND (bus 86), so check the fare on board.
Trip.com (17 December 2025) gives 300,000 to 400,000 VND for a metered taxi and a 2020 article gave 280,000 to 450,000 VND. Grab is quoted at about 14 to 19 Singapore dollars with a 40 to 60 minute drive.
By Grab for 120,000 to 180,000 VND or a taxi for 150,000 to 200,000 VND, both 20 to 30 minutes, or by bus 152 or 109 for 6,000 to 20,000 VND in 45 to 70 minutes (my.trip.com, 16 April 2026).
Terminal 2 at both airports. At Noi Bai, Terminal 1 is domestic. At Tan Son Nhat, Terminal 1 and the new Terminal 3, opened in April 2025, are domestic.
Wikipedia gives a planned date of 1 December 2026 and an official commercial launch on 24 December 2026, after earlier delays. Tan Son Nhat will keep operating beside it, so check the airline before booking a flight that depends on it.
No. The nearest big airport is Noi Bai in Hanoi. From there, a bus, limousine van or train takes you to Sapa. None of the airport pages we read covers the onward trip to Sapa, so use our Sapa transport guides.
