Take the GreenlinesDP ferry from the Saigon waterfront if one of its two morning sailings fits your day: it takes about 2 hours, skips the traffic and costs 350,000 VND. Otherwise a nine-seat limousine van is the easy choice, at 2 to 3 hours for around 200,000 VND, with pickups across the city and at Tan Son Nhat airport. A private car is quickest since the new expressway opened in 2026. There is no train.
How we built this guide: on 4 October 2026 we checked GreenlinesDP's booking system for 17 and 21 October 2026 and its fare and service notices, listings on Vexere and 12Go for Wednesday 21 October 2026 and on Baolau for Saturday 10 October 2026, plus 2025 and 2026 news reports on the ferry pier and the Bien Hoa to Vung Tau expressway. 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 26,170 VND per dollar on 4 October 2026.
Which way from Ho Chi Minh City to Vung Tau suits you?
Take the ferry for the river views and a central start, a van or bus for value and frequency, and a car for a group or a flexible day. Our Vung Tau guide covers what to do once you arrive.
| Mode | Time | Price seen | Catch | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GreenlinesDP ferry | About 2 hours | 350,000 VND (about $13.40) adults | Only 09:00 and 12:00 from Saigon | Travelers staying in District 1 |
| Nine-seat limousine van | 2 hours 15 minutes to 2 hours 35 minutes | 180,000 to about 286,000 VND | Pickup points vary by company | Most travelers, airport arrivals |
| Seated bus | About 2 to 3 hours | From 160,000 VND (about $6.10) | Cannot use the new expressway | The lowest fare |
| Private car | About 1.5 to 2 hours | From 900,000 VND (about $34) per car on 12Go | Weekend traffic leaving the city | Groups, families |
Does the ferry run, and where does it leave from?
Yes, the ferry runs in October 2026, twice a day from central Saigon. GreenlinesDP's booking system showed departures at 09:00 and 12:00 from Saigon and at 12:00 and 15:00 from Vung Tau, for both Saturday 17 and Wednesday 21 October 2026. The operator's homepage gives the trip as 120 minutes, and its website asks passengers to confirm the latest schedule by hotline. The boats are high-speed catamarans, per the same site, though many people still call the route "the hydrofoil".
The pier moved in 2025
The service stopped on 5 May 2025, when GreenlinesDP had to hand its old pier at Bach Dang over for the construction of a footbridge across the Saigon River, Phap Luat TP.HCM reported. It came back from a new berth: an operator notice on its homepage says the Saigon terminal moved to Pier No. 4, opposite Ham Nghi street and about 400 m from the old terminal, from 28 August 2025. The booking system gives the address as 10B Ton Duc Thang, Saigon ward, opposite Ham Nghi street. Older guides and maps may still show the old pier.
In Vung Tau, boats use the Ho May ferry terminal at 1A Tran Phu street, per the booking system. The service also paused from 14 to 16 September 2026 for maintenance of the pontoon and boarding bridge at the Vung Tau terminal, per a GreenlinesDP notice.
Fares from 1 October 2026
Adults pay 350,000 VND (about $13.40) every day. A fare notice dated 25 September 2026 raised the weekday adult fare from 320,000 VND to 350,000 VND because of fuel costs, matching the weekend fare that a July 2026 notice had left unchanged. Passengers aged 63 and over and children aged 6 to 11 pay 300,000 VND, and children under 6 ride free in an adult's seat.
Tip: book on the operator's own site or by phone. On 4 October 2026, 12Go listed the 09:00 and 12:00 sailings in its timetable but showed none bookable for 17 or 21 October, and Baolau returned only buses for 10 October.
How long do limousine vans and buses take?
Plan on 2 to 3 hours. Vexere counted 15 companies and about 1,066 trips a day on 4 October 2026, with an average of 2.8 hours. These are the services we saw:
- Anh Quoc Limousine: nine-seat vans from its District 1 office, timed at 2 hours 35 minutes for 200,000 VND, and from Tan Son Nhat airport at 2 hours 15 minutes to 2 hours 20 minutes for 180,000 to 210,000 VND, on Vexere for 21 October.
- Hoa Mai: seated buses at 07:00, 11:00 and 13:00 from its eastern office, timed at 2 hours 5 minutes for 180,000 VND (about $6.90), on Vexere.
- Hong Minh Travel: a 06:00 seated bus to Vung Tau bus station, 3 hours, for 160,000 VND after a discount, on Vexere.
- Vie Limousine: 20 departures between 05:00 and 18:30 from District 1 to 3 Thang 2 street in Vung Tau, 2 hours, 270,000 VND (about $10.30), on Baolau for 10 October.
- Huy Hoang: vans from District 1 to Nguyen An Ninh street, 2 hours 20 minutes, 230,000 VND, on Baolau.
- Halong Travel Limousine: VIP vans from 32 Nguyen Thai Binh, 2 hours 30 minutes, 285,840 VND (about $10.90), on 12Go for 21 October.
Baolau notes that buses can arrive about 30 minutes earlier or later than scheduled, depending on traffic. A September 2026 vietnamtourism.com guide says buses fill from Friday afternoon to Sunday evening, so book ahead for weekends.
How fast is a private car on the new expressway?
About 1.5 to 2 hours, because cars can now stay on expressways almost to Ba Ria. The 54 km Bien Hoa to Vung Tau expressway opened in full at 17:00 on 18 May 2026, running from Phuoc Tan ward in Dong Nai to the National Road 56 roundabout in Tam Long ward, where it meets the old highway into Vung Tau, per Tien Phong. For now it admits only cars with fewer than nine seats, at 60 to 80 km/h. Full-size buses cannot use it.
The link from the city came three weeks later. On 6 June 2026 all the ramps at the Long Thanh interchange opened, joining the Ho Chi Minh City to Long Thanh to Dau Giay expressway to the new road, SGGP reported, with traffic backing up at times near Gate 11. The last stretch is local road: Vung Tau lies about 25 km southwest of Ba Ria, per Wikipedia.
On 12Go for 21 October 2026, private cars from Ho Chi Minh City were timed at 2 hours from 900,000 VND (about $34) per vehicle, and a Chou Travel SUV to Ho Tram, up the coast, at 2 hours 30 minutes for 1,080,000 VND. Vietnamtourism.com's guide puts the drive at 70 to 90 minutes. Split three or four ways, a 900,000 VND car costs less per head than the ferry.
Where do vans and buses pick up and drop off?
Pickup points are spread across the city, and most companies drop off at their own offices in Vung Tau.
- District 1: Anh Quoc, Vie Limousine and Huy Hoang leave from offices in District 1, and Halong Travel Limousine from 32 Nguyen Thai Binh. Check the exact address on your ticket.
- Tan Son Nhat airport: Anh Quoc vans; our Tan Son Nhat airport guide covers the terminal.
- In Vung Tau: Vie Limousine drops off on 3 Thang 2 street, Huy Hoang on Nguyen An Ninh street and Hong Minh Travel at Vung Tau bus station, which Baolau places at 192 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia. Vexere flagged a shuttle drop-off for Anh Quoc and Hoa Mai, so ask whether yours stops at your hotel.
Going the other way: Vung Tau to Ho Chi Minh City
The same options run in reverse. The ferry leaves the Ho May terminal at 12:00 and 15:00, per the booking system for 17, 18 and 21 October 2026, and vans run through the day. If you are heading on to an island, Vung Tau is also a departure port for the Con Dao ferry in calmer months; our Ho Chi Minh City to Con Dao guide explains when it runs. For a longer beach stay, compare our Ho Chi Minh City to Mui Ne guide, and for other trips out of the city see the Starting from Ho Chi Minh City hub.
Key facts at a glance
- GreenlinesDP showed ferries at 09:00 and 12:00 from Saigon for 17 and 21 October 2026, per its booking system.
- Adult ferry fares are 350,000 VND on any day from 1 October 2026, per GreenlinesDP.
- Vexere listed 15 bus and van companies with an average trip of 2.8 hours on 4 October 2026, per Vexere.
- The 54 km Bien Hoa to Vung Tau expressway opened in full on 18 May 2026, for cars under nine seats only, per Tien Phong.
- The Long Thanh interchange connecting it to the Long Thanh expressway opened fully on 6 June 2026, per SGGP.
Limitations
Ferry times come from the operator's booking system for three October dates, and GreenlinesDP itself asks passengers to confirm schedules by hotline; it has paused the route before, for a pier move in 2025 and for repairs in September 2026. Fares and van times are a snapshot of listings checked on 4 October 2026 and change around weekends and holidays. The expressway's vehicle limits are described as temporary, so they may change. Car times assume clear roads, and leaving the city at rush hour or on a Friday takes longer. Distances vary by source, from 96 km on Baolau to 122 km on Vexere, depending on the route taken.
