The morning train is the best way from Ho Chi Minh City to Nha Trang for most people, and the flight is the fastest. SE8 and SE6 leave Saigon at 06:00 and 08:45 and arrive 7 hours 21 minutes to 7 hours 43 minutes later, with soft seats from 239,000 VND. A flight to Cam Ranh takes about an hour, but airport time and the 35 km ride into town stretch it to nearly 5 hours door to door. The expressway completed in 2024 cut road times, but most sleeper buses are still timed at 7 to 9 hours. With a spare day, stop in Mui Ne or Phan Rang.
How we built this guide: on 19 October 2026 we checked Vietnam Railways' official timetables and fares for Wednesday 28 October 2026, listings on 12Go for the same date, Vexere's route page, Baolau, The Sinh Tourist's schedule, Cam Ranh airport's transport page and news reports on the expressway, and compared them with our fly-or-ride research. We did not make the trip 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.
Which way from Ho Chi Minh City to Nha Trang suits you?
Take a morning train for value and comfort, fly if your days are short, and take a bus or car for a pickup near your hotel. Our Nha Trang guide covers where to stay.
| Mode | Time | Price seen on 19 Oct 2026, for 28 Oct | Comfort and catch | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight, Tan Son Nhat to Cam Ranh | 1 hour to 1 hour 25 minutes in the air, about 4 hours 50 minutes door to door | From 719,168 VND (about $28) on 12Go | 7 kg cabin bag only on the cheapest fares; airport 35 km from town | Short trips |
| Day train (SE8, SE6, SE22, SE10) | 7 hours 21 minutes to 8 hours 36 minutes | Soft seat from 239,000 VND (about $9) on SE8 | Room to walk, toilets, fixed times | Most travelers |
| Night train (SE4, SE2, SNT2) | 7 hours 9 minutes to 7 hours 55 minutes | SNT2 4-berth from 682,000 VND (about $26) | SE4 and SE2 arrive at 02:40 and 03:44; SNT2 at 05:40 | Saving a hotel night |
| Sleeper or cabin bus | About 6.5 to 9 hours | From 290,304 VND (about $11) on 12Go | Pickups in District 1, night driving | Lowest fare |
| Private car | About 4 to 8 hours, operator estimates | From 2,640,000 VND (about $101) per car on 12Go | Door to door, your own stops | Groups, families |
How long does each option really take?
The flight wins, but the morning train is less than 3 hours slower once you count the airports, at a third of the price.
Flight: about an hour in the air, nearly 5 hours door to door
On 12Go for 28 October 2026, VietJet flew direct at 07:20, 14:20, 15:10 and 22:30 from 719,168 VND, with a 7 kg cabin bag and no checked bag. Vietnam Airlines flew at 07:00, 11:30 and 15:55 from 877,823 VND (about $34), and flights sold under both Vietnam Airlines and Pacific Airlines codes left at 09:40 and 19:10, the later one from 730,224 VND.
Our fly-or-ride research timed the trip at 4 hours 50 minutes door to door: 40 minutes to Tan Son Nhat, two hours at the airport, the flight, 20 minutes to leave the terminal and 50 minutes into town. Cam Ranh airport is 35.4 km by road from central Nha Trang, per our airport transfer research. The airport posts taxi fares to the city of 300,000 VND (about $11.50) for a four-seat Quoc Te car and 350,000 VND for GSM, and bus 18 costs 50,000 VND for a 50 to 60 minute ride, per Cam Ranh International Terminal. The bus hours are not published, so plan on a taxi after a late landing. For the Saigon end, see our Tan Son Nhat airport guide.
Train: 7 to 8.5 hours
Vietnam Railways' timetable for 28 October 2026 lists seven trains over the 411 km:
- SE8: 06:00, arriving 13:43, 7 hours 43 minutes
- SE6: 08:45, arriving 16:06, 7 hours 21 minutes (fastest by day)
- SE22: 10:15, arriving 18:05, 7 hours 50 minutes
- SE10: 13:15, arriving 21:51, 8 hours 36 minutes
- SE4: 19:20, arriving 02:40, 7 hours 20 minutes
- SE2: 20:35, arriving 03:44, 7 hours 9 minutes
- SNT2: 21:45, arriving 05:40, 7 hours 55 minutes
On SE8, a soft seat cost 239,000 to 282,000 VND, a 6-berth sleeper 352,000 VND (top tier) to 447,000 VND (bottom tier) and a 4-berth sleeper 472,000 VND (upper) to 538,000 VND (lower). SE6 charged the same for berths, and the evening trains more: 727,000 to 807,000 VND for a 4-berth sleeper on SE4.
Of the night trains, pick SNT2, the one train that runs only between Saigon and Nha Trang, because it arrives at 05:40 rather than in the small hours. Bao Van Hoa lists it as a daily pair with SNT1, and on 12 October 2026 Railway Transport JSC relaunched both with 32 refurbished carriages, Wi-Fi, security cameras and a dining car, VOV reported. For 28 October its 4-berth compartments cost 682,000 to 810,000 VND, and private carriages on 12Go cost 2,375,000 VND per berth (Hana Train) and 2,500,000 VND (Charmy Express).
Sleeper bus: about 6.5 to 9 hours
12Go listed 331 bus trips for 28 October 2026, from 290,304 VND, timed at 6 hours 30 minutes to 11 hours:
- Binh Minh Tai Limousine: 6 hours 30 minutes from 119 Nguyen Cu Trinh to 09 Thich Quang Duc in Nha Trang, with a 32-berth sleeper at 12:30 for 353,780 VND and 22-cabin coaches for 518,700 VND.
- Nam Hai Limousine: a 34-cabin bus at 23:00 from 229 Pham Ngu Lao, 7 hours, for 304,087 VND.
- Hanh Cafe: a 41-berth sleeper from 273 Pham Ngu Lao at 07:45 and 19:30, 9 hours, 290,304 VND.
- FUTA Bus Lines (Phuong Trang): from the New Eastern, Mien Tay or An Suong bus station to Nha Trang's southern bus station at Dien Khanh, in about 7 hours to 9 hours 20 minutes; Vexere listed it at 350,000 VND.
Vexere counted 50 operators and 594 trips a day, with fares from 200,000 to 1,100,000 VND and an average of about 8 hours for about 410 km. Our comparison of Vietnam's bus companies explains how the main operators differ.
What did the new expressway change?
It cut road times on paper, but bus timings have fallen less. After Dau Giay to Phan Thiet (99 km) opened on 29 April 2023, per Wikipedia, the 49 km Nha Trang to Cam Lam and 101 km Vinh Hao to Phan Thiet sections followed on 19 May 2023 with an 80 km/h limit, per VnEconomy. The last gap, the 78 km Cam Lam to Vinh Hao section with a 2.2 km tunnel through Vung Mountain, opened on 26 April 2024, per SGGP and DTiNews. SGGP said the full chain cut the trip by road from 7 to 8 hours to about 5.
Buses have not matched that. The quickest on 12Go are timed at 6 hours 30 minutes, Vexere averages about 8 hours, and The Sinh Tourist still schedules 10 to 11.5 hours for what it lists as 447 km. Private car operators on 12Go estimate 4 hours 10 minutes (Bao Chung Travel, from 2,750,000 VND) to 8 hours, most about 6 to 7, so ask whether the quote assumes the expressway.
How does this compare with our fly-or-ride research?
The verdict is the same. For 21 October, our fly-or-ride research found a 703,781 VND VietJet fare on Vexere, a Binh Minh Tai sleeper timed at 5 hours 45 minutes for 250,000 VND and the same 239,000 VND SE8 seat. For 28 October the cheapest flight was about 2% higher, and flying still saves under 3 hours for about 480,000 VND more, the smallest saving of the study's 18 routes.
Should you stop in Mui Ne or Phan Rang?
Yes, if you have a spare day. Both sit on the way, and each turns one long day into two short ones.
- Mui Ne: buses from Ho Chi Minh City take about 3.5 to 4 hours (see our Ho Chi Minh City to Mui Ne guide and Mui Ne guide). The Sinh Tourist continues from Mui Ne to Nha Trang at 13:00 and 01:00, each scheduled at 5 hours.
- Phan Rang: its station is Thap Cham, 318 km from Saigon. SE8 arrives at 12:06, with soft seats from 207,000 VND on Vietnam Railways, and next day SE8 at 12:10 or SE22 at 16:32 takes about 1.5 hours on to Nha Trang. The Po Klong Garai Cham temples stand near Phan Rang, which has been part of Khanh Hoa province since Ninh Thuan merged into it in 2025, per Wikipedia.
Where do trains, buses and flights leave from and arrive?
Trains use the city stations and buses use offices or bus stations, so check the drop-off before you pay.
- Trains: Saigon Railway Station at 1 Nguyen Thong in District 3, to Nha Trang station at 17 Thai Nguyen, per Baolau.
- Buses: offices on Pham Ngu Lao and Nguyen Cu Trinh streets in District 1, or bus stations for FUTA. In Nha Trang most companies stop at their offices or partner hotels, but FUTA ends at the southern bus station in Dien Khanh, outside the city.
Going the other way: Nha Trang to Ho Chi Minh City
The morning trains are again the pick. Vietnam Railways' Nha Trang to Saigon timetable for 28 October lists SE7 at 08:47 (arriving 17:00) and SE5 at 10:25 (arriving 18:20), with SE7 soft seats from 240,000 VND. SNT1 leaves at 20:20 and arrives at 05:00, with 4-berth compartments at 655,000 to 777,000 VND. On 12Go, direct flights ran from 08:40 to 20:55, from 823,445 VND (about $32). For other trips, see routes from Nha Trang or our Nha Trang to Da Lat guide.
Key facts at a glance
- Fastest daytime train: SE6, 08:45 to 16:06, 7 hours 21 minutes over 411 km on 28 October 2026, per Vietnam Railways.
- SE8 soft seat: 239,000 to 282,000 VND, per Vietnam Railways.
- Direct flights: 1 hour to 1 hour 25 minutes, from 719,168 VND for 28 October 2026, per 12Go.
- Bus 18 from Cam Ranh airport to Nha Trang: 50,000 VND, 50 to 60 minutes, per Cam Ranh International Terminal.
- The 78 km Cam Lam to Vinh Hao expressway, the last link, opened on 26 April 2024, per SGGP.
Limitations
These are listings seen on 19 October 2026 for Wednesday 28 October, and fares and times move. Train fares vary with the date, the berth and how early you buy: Bao Van Hoa reports 5 to 15% off SE and SNT tickets bought 10 or more days ahead, on a limited number of seats, until 30 December 2026. Bus and car times are the operators' own estimates and differ between sites.
Tet is the hardest time to travel. Vietnam Railways' Tet 2027 timetable runs from 23 January to 25 February 2027 and names Nha Trang to Saigon among the routes it will strengthen, per its announcement, so book early for those weeks.
Weather matters too. The UK government puts central Vietnam's rainy season at October to December, with floods most likely in October and November, and warns that bus crashes are more likely at night, so keep a spare day in late autumn.
