TRAFFIC IN HO CHI MINH CITY 

 I - How is the traffic in Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam?

1 - Statistics

Ho Chi Minh City is the transportation hub of Vietnam, with adequate good and convenient infrastructure for exchange with localities in the Southern region in particular and localities in the country and the world in general.

The traffic in Ho Chi Minh city is estimated to be about 8.05 million vehicles (including nearly 755,500 cars and nearly 7.3 million motorbikes). The number of recent traffic accidents in Ho Chi Minh City is as follows: in 2018, the number of traffic accidents was 3817, the number of deaths was 718; but in 2019, the number of traffic accidents decreased by 5.58% to 3604 cases, the number of deaths decreased by 10.3% to 644 cases. 

2 - Ho Chi Minh transportation system & infrastructure

Roadway:

Ho Chi Minh City connects the Mekong Delta region with provinces in the Central and the North by National Road 1A, Ho Chi Minh City expressway to Long Thanh and Dau Giay, or National Road 52 to Dong Nai province, and National Road 51 to Ba Ria-Vung Tau,…

Saigon traffic - Source: Quynh Tran

Railway: 

The North-South railway plays an important role in the socio-economic development of Vietnam. Saigon Railway Station is the ending point of the North-South railway system. 

Waterway: 

Visiting Ho Chi Minh City, tourists can take a boat along the Saigon River - the symbol of the city. At Bach Dang wharf, tourists can book a high-speed ship to go from Ho Chi Minh City to Vung Tau city or Can Gio district.

Airway: 

Tan Son Nhat Airport is the largest and busiest airport in Vietnam. 

3 - In-process metro lines information

Another new means of Ho Chi Minh city public transportation is the city metro system. By 2020, Ho Chi Minh City has a plan to construct 8 metro railway routes. 

- Route 1: Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien

- Route 2: Ben Thanh - Tham Luong

- Route 3A: Ben Thanh - Depot Tan Kien

- Route 3B: Cong Hoa - Hiep Binh Phuoc Crossroad

- Route 4A: Thanh Xuan - Hiep Phuoc Urban Area

- Route 4B: Gia Dinh Park Station - Lang Cha Ca Station

- Route 5: Depot Da Phuoc - Can Giuoc - Saigon Bridge

- Route 6: Dam Sen - Phu Lam. 

Among 8 metro routes, route 1 and route 2 are being deployed, and are expected to be completed by 2022 and 2026 respectively. The remaining 5 metro routes are in the process of investment promotion.

The city also has a tramline, Ba Son Station - Mien Tay Bus Station, and 2 single metro routes.

II - Bus & airport in Ho Chi Minh city public transportation system 

1 - Tan Son Nhat Airport

- Location: Truong Son street, ward 2, Tan Binh District, Ho Chi Minh city

- IATA code: SGN

- ICAO code: VVTS

Tan Son Nhat Airport was inaugurated in 1930 and its official name is Tan Son Nhat international airport. 

Located about 8km from the city center, you can take a taxi or bus from the airport to the city. 

 Source: Quang Nguyen Vinh

- By bus: 

The airport public bus system plays an important role in Ho Chi Minh traffic which is suitable for airport transfer. 

Bus lines: Bus 49, 109, and 152 from the airport to the city center, with fares from 6,000 - 40,000 VND / ticket  ($0.3 - 1.7).

Travel time: 25 - 40 minutes

- By taxi: 

Travel time: 15 - 30 minutes

Taxi fare: 50,000 - 60,000 VND / way ($2.2 - 2.6) 

Famous taxi firms: Mai Linh Taxi, Saigon Airport Taxi, and Vinasun Taxi.

2 - Bus stations in Ho Chi Minh city transport 

Ho Chi Minh City has 11 bus stations, many buses are traveling between these stations such as Bus 14 (Mien Dong bus station - Mien Tay bus station), Bus 26 (Mien Dong bus station - An Suong bus station), Bus 32 (Mien Tay bus station - Tu Ga bus station).

Source: Internet

- Mien Dong bus station - the largest bus station in Ho Chi Minh city public transportation system. 

Address: No.292 Dinh Bo Linh Street, Ward 26, Binh Thanh District

The bus station is a hub for bus routes traveling between Ho Chi Minh City and The Northern provinces (Hai Phong, Thai Nguyen, Quang Ninh, Hanoi,..), the Central (Thua Thien Hue, Binh Dinh, Khanh Hoa,...), Central Highlands (Lam Dong, Dak Lak...) and some routes from the Southeastern provinces (Binh Duong, Ba Ria Vung Tau,..).

- Mien Tay bus station: 

Address: No.395, Kinh Duong Vuong Street, An Lac Ward, Binh Tan district

This bus station is an important station of public transport in Ho Chi Minh city system which is the hub for bus routes to and from the city connecting to Central Highlands provinces (Lam Dong, Dak Lak, Dak Nong,...) and the southwestern provinces (Long An, Tien Giang, Ben Tre, Tra Vinh, Vinh Long, Dong Thap, Hau Giang, Kien Giang, Soc Trang, An Giang, Bac Lieu and Ca Mau).

Other bus stations in the Saigon traffic system:

- Cu Chi bus station: National Road 22, Cu Chi District,

- Cho Lon (big market) bus station: Le Quang Sung Street, Ward 2, District 6.

- Tran Bao Tran bus station: No.391 Dinh Bo Linh Street, Ward 26, Binh Thanh District

- Bo Song bus station: No.397 Dinh Bo Linh Street, Ward 26, Binh Thanh District

- An Suong bus station: Highway 22, Ba Diem Commune, Hoc Mon district

- Thao Nguyen bus station: No.83 Tan Thanh street, Tan Phu ward, district 7

- Tuan Hoa bus station: No.76 Le Lai Street, Ben Thanh Ward, District 1

- Nga Tu Gia bus station: No.720 Highway 1A, Thanh Loc Ward, District 12

III - How about Ho Chi Minh city transport for tourists?

1 - By bus

Source: Ilya Plekhanov

There are about 152 bus routes and 2,776 vehicles are in use. The bus system in Ho Chi Minh City is divided into inner-city routes and provincial routes. 

You can take public buses to many neighboring provinces, such as Dong Nai, Binh Duong, Long An, Tay Ninh, Vung Tau. 

Buses (109, 119, 152, 159, 72-1) are convenient for getting to the airport. 

Fares:

- For public buses in Ho Chi Minh city public transportation: 5,000 - 7,000 VND / ticket  ($0.22 - 0.3).

- For express buses (bus 13 & bus 94): 10,000 VND / ticket ($0.43)

2 - Ride-hailing motorbike taxi service

The available taxi apps include Grab, Gojek, Be. 

3 - Taxi in Saigon traffic

The most popular taxi firms in Ho Chi Minh city

- Traditional Taxi 

+ VinaSun Taxi:

Tel: 02838277178/ 02838272727

+ Saigon Air Taxi:

Tell: 02838117234

+ Mai Linh Taxi:

Tel: 0238277979/ 02838225999

- App-based Taxi 

+ Grab taxi: Be, Gojek

4 - Motorbike rental service

If you want to explore the city without taking Ho Chi Minh public transport, renting a scooter is the best way. 

Rental fee: 140,000 - 200,000 VND / day  ($6.03 - 8.6).

Some motorbike rental shops:

- Dragon Bikes: 

Address: No.182/5A, De Tham Street, District 1 

Contact: 0909283280

- Tigit motorbikes: 

Address: No.72 Nguyen Co Thach street, An Loi Dong Ward, District 2 

Contact: 0386518481

5 - Bicycle rental - nice transport to get used to traffic in Ho Chi Minh city

Source: Tripadvisor

Bicycle rental fee: 50,000 - 500,000 VND / day ($2.16 - 21.56)

Some bicycle rental shops:

- Vietnam by bike: 

Address: No.14/20B Chanh Hung street, Ward 4, Dist 8, Ho Chi Minh City

Contact: (+84) 869 142415 - (+84) 888 541515

- Mr. Biker Saigon:

Address: 136/9 Nguyen Thi Tan street, Ward 2, District 8, Ho Chi Minh City

Contact: (+84) 918341728 

IV - Tips when experiencing Ho Chi Minh city traffic

1 - Road congestion in Ho Chi Minh city

The peak hours: 6am - 8am, 11am - 1pm, 4pm - 6pm.

2 - Notes for safety 

More about Vietnam traffic police 

- From May to October is the rainy season in Ho Chi Minh City, the districts such as Binh Thanh or District 7 are often heavily inundated.

- When driving in Saigon, you should notice some one-way roads such as Le Thanh Ton, Ly Tu Trong, Pasteur, Xo Viet Nghe Tinh, from Bach Dang to Binh Trieu bridge,…

- The best way to discover district 1 is by taxi or on foot. 

- Follow the traffic rules.

Here is some information about traffic in Ho Chi Minh City - the biggest city of the country. Hopefully, you have a nice trip to Saigon with full of memorable experiences.