Noi Bai airport sits about 27 km north of central Hanoi, and two ways into the Old Quarter beat the rest. Bus 86 is the bargain: it stops outside both terminals, costs 50,000 VND and takes roughly 40 to 65 minutes. A Grab or Green SM car booked in the app is the easy option for late flights, families and big bags, at about 40 minutes and 250,000 to 350,000 VND. The other options, from local buses and shared shuttles to the offers you get in the arrivals hall, are slower, pricier or riskier.
How we built this guide: on 2 October 2026 we checked the bus 86 operator's published timetable and fares, Grab's Noi Bai pages and its August 2026 fare notice, Green SM's airport price list, 12Go's transfer listings for 14 October 2026, news reports on the airport's new traffic plan, and the Canadian and British governments' travel advice. We did not ride these services 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 2 October 2026. Where a site showed dollars, the VND figure is our conversion.
Which way from Noi Bai to the Old Quarter suits you?
Take bus 86 if you travel light and land in daytime, and book a car in the app for everything else. Our Hanoi guide covers where to stay once you are in town.
| Mode | Time to the Old Quarter | Price seen on 2 Oct 2026 | Hours | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bus 86 (express airport bus) | About 40 to 65 minutes | 50,000 VND (about $1.90) | From T2 06:40 to 22:15 | Solo travelers, light luggage |
| Grab car | About 40 minutes | 250,000 to 350,000 VND (about $10 to $13), Grab's average | On demand | Late arrivals, couples, bags |
| Green SM airport package | About 40 minutes | 189,000 VND for 20 km, then 9,500 VND a km | On demand | A fixed formula, electric cars |
| Pre-booked private car | About 45 minutes | From $12 to $16 per car (about 314,000 to 419,000 VND) on 12Go | Any time | Being met with a name sign |
| Shared shuttle bus on 12Go | About 1 hour | About $22 per adult (about 576,000 VND) | Set departures | Rarely worth it over bus 86 |
| Local city buses (17 and others) | Not published; ordinary city stops | 8,000 to 20,000 VND by route length | Roughly 05:00 to 22:00 | Rock-bottom budgets |
How do you take bus 86 from the airport?
Walk out of arrivals to the ground-floor kerb and look for the bus 86 stop. The operator's timetable lists the pickup at column 14 outside Terminal 2 and column 12 outside Terminal 1. The bus is run by the Hanoi BRT Fast Bus Enterprise, a branch of the Hanoi Transport Corporation (Transerco).
Timetable and fare
The published timetable shows 26 departures a day from Terminal 2, the first at 06:40 and the last at 22:15, spaced roughly 25 to 50 minutes apart. Each bus reaches Terminal 1 about four minutes later. The operator's home page lists the fare at 50,000 VND and sells tickets online. A July 2025 guide on mia.vn still showed 45,000 VND, so the fare appears to have risen.
Where it stops in town
Heading into the city, the bus calls at Lac Long Quan street, the Cua Bac and Yen Phu junction, the Long Bien bus interchange, a stop the operator labels Hanoi Old Quarter, the Opera House, the Melia hotel and Hanoi Railway Station. On the timetable, the Old Quarter stop comes 42 to 66 minutes after Terminal 2, depending on the hour, and the railway station about 20 minutes after that.
Tip: The mia.vn guide describes bus 86 as air-conditioned with a roomy luggage compartment, so one suitcase is no problem. With two big bags each, or as a family, a car costs little more per person and drops you at the door.
Going back to the airport
From town, buses start at Hanoi Railway Station from 05:15 and stop at 59 Ly Thuong Kiet, the post office at 75 Dinh Tien Hoang, 23 Hang Tre in the Old Quarter and the Long Bien interchange. The last of the 26 daily departures leaves the station at 20:40. From 23 Hang Tre, the timetable allows about 40 to 55 minutes to Terminal 2, so leave plenty of margin before an international check-in.
How much is a Grab or taxi from Noi Bai?
A car booked in an app costs about 250,000 to 350,000 VND to the center and takes about 40 minutes, per Grab's Noi Bai page. The fare is fixed in the app before you get in.
Grab
Since a new traffic plan began on 3 August 2026, Grab picks up at Terminal 1 in lane 3 in front of hall E, and at Terminal 2 from car parks P1 and P7, according to its fare and pickup notice. The same notice set new airport fares from 6 August 2026, with a minimum of 142,364 VND for trips of 5 to 16 km, and says tolls, airport fees and surcharges are extra. Follow the in-app walking directions to the car park.
Green SM's airport package
The electric taxi company Xanh SM renamed itself Green SM in April 2026, per Bao Phap Luat, so look for the new name in app stores. Its Green Airport price list for Hanoi charges 189,000 VND for the first 20 km and 9,500 VND for each kilometer after that, before tolls and fees. For the 27 to 30 km to the Old Quarter, that works out at roughly 255,000 to 285,000 VND by our arithmetic.
Metered taxis and the scams to avoid
Use the official taxi lane or an app, never a driver who finds you first. Under the 3 August plan, taxis, licensed shuttles and public buses use lane 4 on the ground floor at Terminal 2, per Bao Phap Luat. The Government of Canada says criminals posing as taxi drivers at Noi Bai have robbed foreign visitors by forcing them to withdraw cash, and that travelers have been robbed by drivers holding name placards. It advises arranging a pickup through your hotel or using authorized airport taxis, and checking the driver and plate before you get in.
Watch out: The UK government warns that offers of free bus transfers to hotels can be scams unless you arranged them in advance. If a hotel is collecting you, ask for the driver's name and plate number by message before you land.
Are shuttle vans and pre-booked cars worth it?
Pre-booked cars can be, shared shuttles mostly are not. On 12Go, 51 options were listed for 14 October 2026, from $12 to $92. The cheapest private cars started at about $12 to $16 per vehicle, about 314,000 to 419,000 VND, timed at around 45 minutes, which is close to the Grab price and adds a driver waiting at arrivals. Get the driver's name and plate number in advance, since Canada's warning about fake name placards applies here too. Shared AC shuttle buses to the city center were listed at about $22 per adult, many times the bus 86 fare for a similar ride.
Can you take a cheaper local bus?
Yes, but it is slow and few visitors bother. Hanoi's subsidized buses charge 8,000 to 20,000 VND depending on route length under the fare table in force since 1 November 2024, per Bao Van Hoa. The July 2025 mia.vn guide listed route 17 between Long Bien and Terminal 1 every 10 to 20 minutes from 05:00 to 22:00. Long Bien sits at the northeastern edge of the Old Quarter, but these are ordinary city buses rather than an airport express.
Which terminal will you land at, T1 or T2?
Terminal 2 handles international flights and Terminal 1 domestic ones, per Grab's airport guide, so most first-time visitors arrive at T2. Bus 86 calls at both, a few minutes apart. If you are connecting between terminals, a free electric shuttle bus between T1 and T2 began on 1 July 2023, running every 15 to 20 minutes, according to The Saigon Times. Confirm your terminal with your airline, because assignments can change.
Should you buy a SIM card at arrivals?
Buy one at arrivals if you need data for the ride, and wait for a city store if you want the best price. A guide on vietnamtourism.com, a commercial travel site that updated it in August 2026, says SIM kiosks in the arrivals halls at Noi Bai open for every flight and that a tourist package costs around 250,000 to 300,000 VND there, against 150,000 to 200,000 VND at a carrier store in town. All three carriers register physical SIMs against your passport. An eSIM installed before you fly avoids the queue. Either way, a working phone lets you book a Grab at the kerb.
Key facts at a glance
- Bus 86 costs 50,000 VND and runs 26 times a day from Terminal 2, first at 06:40 and last at 22:15, per the operator's timetable.
- Grab's average ride from the city center takes about 40 minutes and costs 250,000 to 350,000 VND, per Grab.
- Since 3 August 2026, Grab picks up at Terminal 2 from car parks P1 and P7, per Grab Vietnam.
- Green SM's Hanoi airport package is 189,000 VND for 20 km plus 9,500 VND per extra km, per Green SM.
- The Canadian government reports robberies by fake taxi drivers at Noi Bai, per the Government of Canada.
Limitations
Fares and timetables on this page were checked on 2 October 2026 and can change without notice. The bus 86 operator's home page says buses run every 45 minutes from 05:15 to 22:10, while its detailed timetable shows the times we quote, so treat the timetable as a guide and allow for traffic. App fares rise with demand, at night and in rain, and Grab's average is an estimate, not a quote.
The airport's traffic plan changed on 3 August 2026, and pickup points may move again. Follow the signs and your app's directions on the day. Our SIM prices come from a single commercial guide, and our Green SM fare to the Old Quarter is our own calculation from its price list. Around Tet, the Lunar New Year, expect long queues for cars and full buses. For onward trips, see our routes from Hanoi, and if you are flying on to the south, our Tan Son Nhat airport guide.
