Ho Chi Minh City Airport
TanSon Nhat International Airport is the largest airport in Vietnam. It is located at the north of the center of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).
TanSon Nhat International Airportoperates from two terminal buildings - Domestic Terminal 1 and International Terminal 2. The new international terminal opened in September 2007 with the capacity of 8 to 10 million passengers per year, giving the airport a total capacity of 15-17 million passengers per annum.
TanSon Nhat Airport is the most convenient gateway for tourists, business travellers and other visitors entering Vietnamto the country.
Getting there and around
By plane
Tan Son Nhat is Vietnam's largest international airport. You can fly direct to SGN from Siem Reap, Phnom Penh, Vientiane, Pakse, Bangkok, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Bandar Seri Begawan, Manila, Hong Kong, Taipei, Kaohsiung, Taichung, Nanning, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Beijing, Shanghai, Kunming, Seoul, Busan, Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka, Nagoya, Doha, Frankfurt, Paris, Moscow, Perth, Darwin, Sydney, Melbourne, Yangon and Istanbul. There are two terminals: the new international terminal, which took over all international flights in 2007, and the old terminal, which is reserved for domestic traffic.
By bus from the airport
The recently introduced No. 152 air-conditioned airport bus is the cheapest way to the city from the airport. However, the bus is only available until 6pm. The fee for bags range from an additional 3,000 dong for a smaller bag to 14,000 for two large bags. Try to have exact change or you will be given coins in return which is legitimate currency but many places will not accept.
By taxi from the airport
In lighter traffic periods from 12 midnight to 6am, taxis from the airport to the city center will usually take as little as 15 minutes. During these lighter traffic periods, this should cost no more than 95,000 dong. More typically, taxis can creep along in near-standstill traffic for an hour or more. During these heavier traffic periods, taxis will cost about 130,000 dong to 170,000 dong from district 1 (inclusive of airport tax).
If you are to take metered taxi, you should change just enough amount of money (usually around USD10 is sufficient) at the airport. The exchange in the airport may charge a commission as high as 3%. Taxi drivers earn commission by taking customers to certain hotels, so be explicit about exactly which hotel you want to be driven.
Car Rental Service Drivers Recently, Budget Car Rental became the first international car rental company in Vietnam. They offer English speaking drivers and new model vehicles, one trip to the city costs fixed price of 140,000 dong.
Departure / Leaving HCMC
When you going to the airport, be specific which terminal you want to go to. International flights go from the newer international terminal (go straight); Domestic flights (to Hanoi, Danang, Nha Trang, etc) are from domestic terminal (turn left).
By train
The train station GA Sai Gon is on Cach Mang Thang Tam (CMT8) Northwest of the city center, and is a short taxi or public bus ride away from the main hotel districts.
There is an official train ticket office in the backpackers district, located at 275C Pham Ngu Lao.