Cam Ranh airport sits beside Cam Ranh Bay, about 35 km by road south of Nha Trang, and the ride into town is easy. Bus 18 is the bargain at 50,000 VND and 50 to 60 minutes. For a late landing, heavy bags or two or more people, a car is better value than it looks: the airport posts a 300,000 VND taxi fare to the city, and Grab puts its average at 250,000 to 350,000 VND. If Nha Trang is not your first stop, vans run from the airport straight to Da Lat, and cars to Mui Ne.
How we built this guide: on 19 October 2026 we checked the airport operator's transport page, Khanh Hoa's tourism portal, Grab's and Green SM's airport pages, listings on 12Go for Wednesday 4 November 2026 and on Vexere, OpenStreetMap's car routing, Vietnamese news on the airport road and the Khanh Le Pass, and the UK government's travel advice. We did not make these trips for this guide. Prices are in Vietnamese dong (VND) with US dollar estimates at Vietcombank's selling rate of 26,080 VND per dollar on 19 October 2026. Where a site showed dollars, the VND figure is our conversion.
Which way from Cam Ranh airport to Nha Trang suits you?
Take bus 18 by day if you travel light, and a taxi or app car for everything else. Our Nha Trang guide covers where to stay once you arrive.
| Mode | Time to central Nha Trang | Price seen on 19 Oct 2026 | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bus 18 | 50 to 60 minutes | 50,000 VND (about $1.90) per person | Solo travelers, light bags, daytime |
| Posted airport taxi, four seats | About 35 to 45 minutes | 300,000 VND (Quoc Te) or 350,000 VND (GSM), about $11.50 to $13.40 | Late arrivals, a fixed price at the kerb |
| Posted airport taxi, seven seats | About 35 to 45 minutes | 360,000 VND (about $13.80) | Families and groups |
| Grab car | About 45 minutes | About 250,000 to 350,000 VND, Grab's average | Booking in the app |
| Green SM airport package | About 35 to 45 minutes | 350,000 VND for up to 35 km | A fixed formula in the app |
| Pre-booked car on 12Go | 30 minutes to 1 hour, operator estimates | From 327,565 VND (about $12.60) per car for 4 Nov | Being met at arrivals |
How do you take bus 18 from the airport?
Ask at the information desk where the bus stops, because the airport does not publish a stop location or timetable. Khanh Hoa's tourism portal gives the same advice and lists the reference fare at 50,000 VND a trip.
Route, fare and hours
The airport's transport page names two operators on route 18, Dat Moi Bus and VinBus, both at 50,000 VND per person for 50 to 60 minutes. It lists the stops from the city end: the 19/8 Stadium in Nha Trang, 10 Tran Hung Dao by the provincial library, Nguyen Thien Thuat street, 1 Tran Quang Khai, the Phuoc Loc junction, the Cam Lam roundabout, Company 71 and the airport. From the airport you ride them in reverse, ending at the stadium, which a 2025 VinWonders guide places at 10 Yersin street.
For hours, a September 2026 guide on mia.vn lists the first bus at 04:30 and the last at 20:55, about every 30 minutes, without saying which end those times refer to. Treat them as a rough guide. Our airport transfer research found the same 50,000 VND fare in October 2026, level with Noi Bai's bus 86 in Hanoi.
Tip: Two people already pay 100,000 VND on the bus. For three, the 300,000 VND posted taxi works out at 100,000 VND each and drops you at your door.
What does a taxi cost from Cam Ranh airport?
The airport posts fixed taxi fares to Nha Trang city at the international terminal, which is the simplest way to avoid haggling. The rates on Cam Ranh International Terminal's page on 19 October 2026:
| Company | Car | Posted fare to Nha Trang | About in USD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quoc Te Corporation | 4 seats | 300,000 VND | $11.50 |
| Quoc Te Corporation | 7 seats | 360,000 VND | $13.80 |
| GSM (Green and Smart Mobility) | 4 seats | 350,000 VND, one way | $13.40 |
| GSM Premium | 4 seats | 400,000 VND, one way | $15.30 |
The same page lists private cars at 350,000 to 500,000 VND a trip, booked through a travel agency, a hotel or a website, and says fares may vary with the time of day, so confirm the price with the driver before you set off. The UK government advises travelers to book the full journey in the app when using ride-hailing and to be wary of people who claim to work for those companies.
Grab and Green SM
Grab puts the trip at about 35 km, 45 minutes and 250,000 to 350,000 VND on its Cam Ranh airport page, which lists pickup points at gates A and B of international departures and at international arrivals. Its figures appear to describe the ride from Nha Trang to the airport, so treat them as a guide for either direction.
GSM is the company behind Green SM, the electric taxi brand it renamed from Xanh SM in April 2026, per Bao Phap Luat. Green SM's airport price list for Khanh Hoa charges 350,000 VND for up to 35 km in either direction, then 11,000 VND per extra kilometer, with Premium at 370,000 VND and Limo at 390,000 VND. Tolls, airport fees and surcharges are added on top. The 35.4 km to the beachfront would come to roughly 355,000 VND before those extras, by our arithmetic. The airport's own list shows GSM Premium at 400,000 VND, so check the app.
Pre-booked private cars
A pre-booked car costs about the same as a taxi and adds a driver waiting at arrivals. On 12Go for 4 November 2026, 12 car listings ran from 327,565 VND (OUROS Travel, three passengers, 45 minutes) and 341,807 VND (Saigon DMC) to 1,425,000 VND. Binh Minh Tai Limousine listed a hotel transfer at 420,000 VND, and S Travel picked up at the domestic terminal from 355,790 VND. Get the driver's name and plate number by message before you land.
What is the coast road like, especially at night?
The airport road is Nguyen Tat Thanh, a coastal boulevard that runs north past Bai Dai beach and over the Cu Hin pass into Nha Trang. OpenStreetMap's fastest route from the international terminal to the Tram Huong Tower on the beachfront is 35.4 km, about 31 km of it on Nguyen Tat Thanh, including 7.6 km across the pass. In free-flowing traffic it takes about 35 minutes.
It is the main link, so one incident can slow everything. Tien Phong calls it the vital artery between the airport and the city and reported a long jam after a truck overturned at the foot of the Cu Hin pass on 9 July 2026. In November 2024, the province closed the pass section from 17:00 to remove a loose boulder of several tonnes. The UK government puts central Vietnam's rainy season at October to December, with seasonal flooding in October and November, so give yourself extra margin for a flight out in those months.
At night, the practical issue is the bus, not the road. If the last bus 18 leaves around 20:55, as mia.vn says, a later arrival needs a taxi at the posted fare, an app car or a pre-booked transfer. Book in the app or at the official taxi desk rather than with a driver who approaches you, and check the plate before you get in.
Can you go straight from the airport to Da Lat or Mui Ne?
Yes, and it saves a backtrack through Nha Trang. Plan the Da Lat leg for daytime.
- Da Lat: Vexere, updated 18 October 2026, listed Cat Thien Hai Limousine 16-seat vans from Cam Ranh airport at 07:00, 10:00, 11:30 and 12:30, about 4.5 hours, from 299,000 VND (about $11.50). 12Go showed no airport to Da Lat options for 4 November. The direct road crosses the Khanh Le Pass, and Dan Tri reported new signs on 26 September 2026 banning traffic there from 18:00 to 05:00. Our Nha Trang to Da Lat guide covers the pass in detail.
- Mui Ne: 12Go listed 17 car options from the airport for 4 November 2026, from 1,200,000 VND (about $46) per car, timed at about 2 hours 50 minutes to 4 hours 30 minutes. Mixi Travel listed 1,309,000 VND and 2 hours 50 minutes. Our Nha Trang to Mui Ne guide covers the coast road past Vinh Hy if you want to make a day of it.
Will you land at the domestic or international terminal?
International flights use Terminal 2 and domestic flights Terminal 1. Grab's airport guide lists VietJet, Vietnam Airlines and Bamboo Airways at Terminal 1, and AirAsia, China Southern and Korean Air at Terminal 2, and notes that assignments can change. Terminal 1 opened in December 2009, while Terminal 2 opened on 30 June 2018 under Cam Ranh International Terminal (CRTC), per Wikipedia.
The posted taxi fares above are listed for Terminal 2. If you arrive on a domestic flight, app cars and pre-booked transfers work the same way: Grab's airport page covers both terminals, and some 12Go listings name the domestic terminal as the pickup. A master plan reported by Bao Phap Luat in June 2026 expands both terminals and adds a third one in the longer term.
Going back to the airport
Allow at least an hour for the road plus your airline's check-in time. Bus 18 starts at the 19/8 Stadium and calls at the stops listed above, Green SM's 350,000 VND package also covers the city to airport direction, and Grab's estimate of about 45 minutes is for this direction. For onward trips from the city, see our routes from Nha Trang, and if you are flying in from Saigon, our Ho Chi Minh City to Nha Trang guide compares the flight with the train.
Key facts at a glance
- Bus 18 costs 50,000 VND and takes 50 to 60 minutes, per Cam Ranh International Terminal.
- The airport's posted four-seat taxi fare to Nha Trang is 300,000 VND (Quoc Te), per Cam Ranh International Terminal.
- Green SM's Khanh Hoa airport package is 350,000 VND for up to 35 km, per Green SM.
- The fastest road route from the international terminal to the Tram Huong Tower is 35.4 km, per OpenStreetMap.
- The Khanh Le Pass on the road to Da Lat is closed from 18:00 to 05:00, per Dan Tri on 26 September 2026.
Limitations
Fares were checked on 19 October 2026 and change without notice. Bus 18's hours come from a travel site, not the operator, and sources describe its city routing differently: the airport lists Tran Hung Dao and Tran Quang Khai, while a 2025 VinWonders guide routes it along Tran Phu and Nguyen Duc Canh.
Grab's figures are averages, and app fares rise at night, in rain and at busy times. The 12Go and Vexere prices are for 4 November 2026 or a general route page, and car times are the operators' own estimates. Our Green SM figure for the beachfront is our own calculation. Rules on the Khanh Le Pass have changed several times since late 2025, so check before you book a van to Da Lat, and keep a spare hour in the October to December rains.
