Getting Here & Around

With nearly 2,000 miles of coastline, Vietnam is a narrow S-shaped country stretching over 1,000 miles from north to south. Most visitors fly into Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City, which are separated by a 2 hour flight or a 30 hour train ride. Some shorter trips out of major cities or towns are best done by train, but other trips are ideal by bus. Motorcycles and bicycles can be rented for those who prefer to travel on two wheels. Developing a good, country-wide transportation infrastructure has been hampered by much of the country's hilly and mountainous terrain.

Vietnam's cities are notorious for their chaotic traffic. There are several options for getting around but taxis are generally the safest, most efficient, and a bit more expensive. Taxi scams are not uncommon, but can usually be avoided by only riding with a trusted taxi company—Vinasun and Mai Linh are two of the country's more reputable companies.

Addresses in Vietnam often contain words such as district (huy?n), road (d??ng) or street (ph?). Odd and even numbered addresses are usually on different sides of the street. Sometimes one address will be broken into several units (A, B, C, etc.)