Dalat to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): bus, plane or motorbike?

Dalat and Ho Chi Minh City — still called Saigon by almost everyone — are about 300 km apart. There are three sensible ways to make the trip: a sleeper bus, a short flight, or riding it yourself. Which is right depends on how much time you have and whether you want the road to be part of the holiday. Here is an honest comparison, in both directions.

At a glance

• Distance: about 300 km by road, on National Route 20 (QL20) via Bao Loc
• Sleeper bus: roughly 7–8 hours, with departures through the day and night
• Flight: about 50 minutes in the air between Lien Khuong airport (about 30 km south of Dalat) and Tan Son Nhat in Saigon — allow three to four hours door to door
• Motorbike: one long day on QL20, two or three relaxed days, or four days along the coast with a guide
• Train: there is no railway between Dalat and Saigon. Dalat's old station only runs a short tourist line to Trai Mat.

By sleeper bus

Most travellers take the bus. Several companies run the route — Phuong Trang (FUTA) and Thanh Buoi are the names you will see most — with reclining sleeper seats or small cabins. Buses leave from Dalat's main bus station south of Xuan Huong Lake and, for some companies, from their own offices in town. In Saigon they usually stop at Mien Dong bus station or at the company's own office, and some run a shuttle into the centre. Check exactly where yours arrives when you book: the big bus stations are a long way from District 1.

The trip normally takes seven to eight hours, longer at weekends and holidays when traffic backs up on the way into the city. The bus follows QL20 down the Prenn Pass, through Duc Trong, Di Linh and Bao Loc, down the Bao Loc Pass and across the lowlands of Dong Nai.

• Good for: tight budgets, and night buses that save a hotel night.
• Less good: the bends on the passes are hard on anyone who gets travel sick, and at night you see nothing of the road.

By plane

Lien Khuong airport sits about 30 km south of the centre, just off QL20; a taxi or airport shuttle bus takes around 40 minutes. Flights to Tan Son Nhat take about 50 minutes and several airlines fly the route. Add check-in, security and the ride from Tan Son Nhat into the city, and the whole trip is three to four hours door to door — much faster than the bus, and no mountain bends.

• Good for: short trips, onward connections, anyone who hates long bus rides.
• Less good: morning fog on the plateau can delay flights now and then, and fares rise around Tet and public holidays.

Riding it yourself

If you ride, the journey stops being dead time and becomes the trip. There are two main ways to do it.

The direct road: QL20 via Bao Loc

• Prenn Pass and Duc Trong. Leave Dalat on QL20, past Datanla Falls and down the Prenn Pass to the market towns around Lien Khuong. A short detour off the main road takes you to Pongour Falls.
• Di Linh and Bao Loc. The road crosses the coffee plateau around Di Linh, then the tea hills of Bao Loc. Bao Loc is the natural place to stop for the night if you split the ride.
• The Bao Loc Pass. The road drops off the plateau in a long, winding descent shared with heavy trucks and buses. Ride it slowly, stay on your side and use engine braking.
• Madagui, Tan Phu and Dinh Quan. The lowlands are flatter and much hotter. Near Tan Phu a side road leads north to Cat Tien National Park, a worthwhile detour if you have a spare day. Further on, look out for the stacked rocks by the road at Dinh Quan.
• Into Saigon. The last stretch through Dong Nai and Bien Hoa is busy and slow. Motorbikes are not allowed on Vietnam's expressways (signposted cao toc), so stay on the ordinary national roads and let your map app know you are on a motorbike. Aim to arrive before the evening rush.

New expressway sections are being built along this corridor, and some may be open by the time you read this. They will shorten bus journeys, but they are closed to motorbikes, so riders stay on QL20.

In one day the direct road is a long, tiring ride — plan eight hours or more with stops, and the last hours are the hottest and busiest. Two days with a night in Bao Loc is far more pleasant.

The coast road: Mui Ne, Ke Ga and Long Hai

The longer way drops from the highlands to the sea at Mui Ne (see our Dalat to Mui Ne guide), then follows the coast south past the Ke Ga lighthouse, dragon-fruit farms and the beach towns around Long Hai before turning inland to Saigon. It is roughly 545 km and needs at least three or four days, but it is the more beautiful ride by far.

Renting one-way, or riding with a guide

With a one-way rental you pick the bike up at our shop in Dalat and hand it over in Ho Chi Minh City; we suggest two to three days for the direct road, and we give you the drop-off address when you book. For this distance most riders choose the Honda XR150L or CB150X for the bigger tank and luggage space. To ride yourself you need an International Driving Permit (1968 convention, category A) plus your home licence — see our IDP guide.

No licence, or would rather look at the view than the road? Our guided Dalat to Saigon coastal tour takes four days via Pongour Falls, Bao Loc, Mui Ne, Ke Ga and Long Hai, with you on the back of a local guide-rider's bike and three nights' hotels included.

Ho Chi Minh City to Dalat: going the other way

Everything above works in reverse. Buses to Dalat leave from Mien Dong bus station and from the bus companies' offices in the city; flights leave Tan Son Nhat for Lien Khuong through the day. The climb up the Bao Loc and Prenn passes is slower for buses than the descent, so allow a little extra time, and keep a warm layer in your day bag: you leave the heat of Saigon and arrive on a plateau at about 1,500 m, where evenings are cool all year and cold from December to February.

Our rental bikes are picked up at our shop in Dalat, so if you want to ride this road yourself, the one-way trip runs from Dalat down to Saigon. Coming up from the city, take the bus or a flight and start riding here. Would you like the guided coastal tour the other way round? Message us and ask.

So which should you choose?

• Short on time: fly.
• Short on money: take the bus, ideally by day so you see the passes.
• Want the road to be the trip: ride it — two days on QL20 via Bao Loc, or longer by the coast — either on a one-way rental or with a guide.

Whichever way you go, check the season at both ends before you travel: our guide to the best time to ride around Dalat explains why the highlands and Saigon do not always agree.