When people ask me “what’s the best way to get from Ho Chi Minh City to Vung Tau,” the honest answer is “it depends what you actually care about.” Speed, money, comfort, having your own wheels at the other end. They’re all different trips.

My guide breaks down all three options the way I’d explain it to a friend over coffee. What works, what’s overrated, what’s changed in 2025-2026 (some things have, including a major ferry terminal move and an administrative reshuffle that put Vung Tau under HCMC), and how to actually book each one.

This is an article under my Saigon travel guide. The broader practical stuff (visas, money, getting around the city itself) lives there. This article is just the road, the ferry, and the trip out to the beach.

Quick Answer: The ferry from Ho Chi Minh City to Vung Tau is the most pleasant option (about 2 hours, $13-17 USD, scenic boat ride down the Saigon River and out to the coast). The bus is the cheapest and most frequent (2-3 hours, $5-15 USD, dozens of departures daily). Motorbike is technically possible but takes 3-4 hours, requires the Cat Lai ferry crossing since bikes are banned from the expressway, and most travelers shouldn’t bother.
The Big Picture:
- Distance is around 90-100 km depending on route.
- Three real options for travelers: ferry, bus, motorbike. Private car/taxi is option four but pricey.
- Vung Tau is now administratively part of Ho Chi Minh City as of mid-2025, though it still feels like a separate beach town.
By Ferry (Greenlines DP):
- About 2 hours, $13-17 USD one way (300,000-450,000 VND).
- Departs Bach Dang Speed Ferry Terminal 2 in District 1.
- 2-3 departures daily on weekdays, more on weekends.
- No motorbikes or bicycles allowed on board.
- Book the return ticket in advance to avoid a known scam in Vung Tau.
By Bus:
- 2-3 hours depending on operator and traffic.
- Cheapest option: Phuong Trang (Futa) from 95,000-185,000 VND ($4-7) from Mien Tay Bus Station.
- Limousine/premium operators: Hoa Mai, Anh Quoc, Vie Limousine for $10-15, with pickup from District 1 offices.
- 400+ daily buses, easy to book same-day except weekends.
By Motorbike:
- 3-4 hours minimum, motorbikes banned from the fast expressway.
- Two main routes: QL51 via Cat Lai ferry (industrial and unpleasant) or the scenic Can Gio route via the Can Gio-Vung Tau car ferry.
- Best for experienced riders who want freedom in Vung Tau, not for casual day-trippers.
Quick Pick:
- First-time traveler doing a day trip: take the ferry.
- Budget backpacker on a weekday: take the bus.
- Experienced rider with a free weekend: do the Can Gio motorbike route.

Short Videos

The Big Picture (Before You Pick)

A few things to know before we get into the specific options.

The distance from central Saigon to Vung Tau is about 96 km by road and roughly 90 km by the ferry route. The travel time looks short on paper. In practice, traffic getting out of HCMC and the bottleneck around Phu My on Highway QL51 can stretch every estimate.

Mode	Time (realistic)	Price (one way)	Where you start
Ferry (Greenlines DP)	2 hours	$13-17 USD	Bach Dang Pier, District 1
Bus (cheapest)	2.5-3 hours	$4-7 USD	Mien Tay Bus Station (far from D1)
Bus (limousine)	2-2.5 hours	$10-15 USD	District 1 offices
Motorbike (QL51 route)	3-4 hours	Fuel + ferry fee	Anywhere
Motorbike (Can Gio route)	3 hours+	Fuel + ferry fee	Anywhere
Private taxi	2 hours	$35-50 USD	Anywhere

One thing that surprises a lot of people: as of mid-2025, Vung Tau is now administratively part of Ho Chi Minh City. The old Ba Ria-Vung Tau province got folded into the city in the wave of administrative reshuffles.

Nothing has really changed for travelers (it still feels like a separate beach town, still a 2-hour trip out, still has its own vibe), but if you see “Ho Chi Minh City – Vung Tau” written as if they’re the same place on official documents, that’s why.

Right. Onto the actual options.

Option 1: The Ferry

The Greenlines DP high-speed ferry is what I’d recommend to most first-time travelers, and it’s how I take guests when I want them to see the trip itself as part of the experience.

What the ride is actually like

You board at Bach Dang Speed Ferry Terminal 2 in District 1. The first 30-40 minutes of the journey winds you down the Saigon River, past the new high-rises and the container ports and the river barges that work this corridor. Then you hit the river mouth, the boat opens up, and you’ve got maybe an hour of open coastline before you arrive at Vung Tau.

It’s a modern hydrofoil, air-conditioned to “bring a jacket” levels, with around 60 to 300 seats depending on which boat you’re on. They hand out a bottle of water and a small snack packet. The seas can get bumpy on the open stretch, so if you’re prone to seasickness, take something before boarding.

The journey is genuinely scenic. You see Saigon from the water, which is a different city than the one you see from a Grab. Worth doing once even if you take a different option on the return.

Prices and schedule (2026)

Detail	Info
Operator	Greenlines DP
Saigon port	Bach Dang Speed Ferry Terminal 2, 10B Ton Duc Thang, District 1
Vung Tau port	Cau Da Port, 12/1 Tran Phu Street
Journey time	~2 hours
Price (weekday)	320,000 VND adult / 270,000 VND child or senior
Price (weekend/holiday)	350,000-450,000 VND (~$14-17 USD)
Saigon-Vung Tau (Mon-Fri)	09:00, 12:00
Saigon-Vung Tau (Sat-Sun)	09:00, 12:00, 14:00
Vung Tau-Saigon (Mon-Fri)	12:00, 15:00
Vung Tau-Saigon (Sat-Sun)	12:00, 14:00, 16:00
Children under 6	Free if sharing a seat
Motorbikes/bicycles	Not allowed on board

The schedule shifts a bit through the year, so always confirm before you book. The 09:00 Saturday morning ferry is the one I’d take for a day trip, gets you to Vung Tau around 11:00, and the 16:00 return gets you back to District 1 around 18:00 with time for dinner.

Heads up about the terminal. As of August 28, 2025, Greenlines moved to a new terminal location (Bach Dang Speed Ferry Terminal 2) which is still in District 1 but a slightly different pier from the older one. If you booked through an older guide, double-check the location. It’s about 5 minutes’ walk from Nguyen Hue Walking Street.

Booking

The cleanest way is through 12Go, which compares Greenlines with bus and other options in one place and confirms with an e-ticket you can show on your phone. Greenlines also sells direct through their own website if you prefer.

Warning worth taking seriously: There’s a long-running scam where ticket sellers in Vung Tau tell foreign tourists the return ferry is sold out, then route them to a private agency at 2-3 times the price. Book your round trip ticket from Saigon before you go. If you only bought one way, buy your return online the moment you arrive at Vung Tau pier, not at the ticket window.

Option 2: The Bus

The bus is what most locals take. It’s frequent, cheap, and covered by dozens of operators with hundreds of daily departures. The reason it doesn’t always feel obvious for tourists is that the cheapest options (Phuong Trang especially) leave from a bus station that’s annoyingly far from District 1.

The two-tier bus market

The bus market here splits into two clear tiers.

Tier 1: Standard bus operators (Phuong Trang/Futa, Kumho Samco). These are the workhorses. Cheap tickets, frequent departures, large coaches. The catch is they leave from Mien Tay Bus Station at 395 Kinh Duong Vuong in Binh Tan ward. That’s a 40-50 minute Grab ride from District 1 just to get to the bus station. So while the bus ticket is cheap, your effective door-to-door cost goes up.

Tier 2: Limousine and door-to-door services (Hoa Mai, Anh Quoc, Vie Limousine, Huy Hoang). These run smaller vans (typically 9-16 seats) with pickup from District 1 offices, often with leather reclining seats, WiFi, USB ports, and sometimes free water. They’re 2-3x the price of standard buses but you save on the cross-town Grab and arrive less crumpled.

taking The Bus ho chi minh city to vung tau 4 scaled Vietadvisor

taking The Bus ho chi minh city to vung tau scaled Vietadvisor

Operators worth knowing about

Operator	Type	Price	Departure	Pickup
Phuong Trang (Futa)	Standard	95,000-185,000 VND ($4-7)	Mien Tay Bus Station	Limited city office options
Hoa Mai Limousine	Premium van	~$12 USD	Multiple D1 offices	Hotel pickup sometimes available
Anh Quoc Limousine	Premium van	$12-15 USD	District 1 offices	Yes, with notice
Vie Limousine	Premium van	$10-15 USD	131 Nguyen Thai Binh, D1	Yes
Huy Hoang	Limousine	200,000 VND	79 Nguyen Thai Binh + others	Yes
Toan Thang	Standard/sleeper	Mid-range	Various	Limited

Hoa Mai Limousine has the fastest official journey time I’ve seen (1 hour 55 minutes), though that obviously depends on traffic. Phuong Trang is the most reliable for sheer frequency and reasonable pricing if you don’t mind the Mien Tay trek.

Check availability & Take a Seat

Booking and timing

You can show up at Mien Tay Bus Station and buy a ticket on the spot during most days. For weekends (especially Friday afternoon and Sunday evening), book ahead because it gets packed.

For the limousine operators, you basically have to book ahead since they’re smaller vans. 12Go lists all of them with seat selection and English booking, which beats trying to figure out each operator’s individual website. Vexere and Bookaway are alternatives if you want to compare further.

The bus departs Vung Tau-bound from roughly 4 AM through 9:40 PM, depending on the operator. There are around 400 daily buses on this route from all operators combined, so unless you’re traveling on a major Vietnamese holiday, you won’t be stuck for an option.

What to expect on the ride

The route goes south through District 4, onto the Long Thanh-Dau Giay Expressway, then connects to Highway QL51 at Long Thanh, then south to Vung Tau.

The expressway portion is fast and smooth. QL51 is the bottleneck. It’s a 6 to 8 lane road but with constant truck traffic, construction zones, and frequent slowdowns near Phu My. Allow 2.5 to 3 hours realistically.

Option 3: The Motorbike

This is where things get complicated, and where I’m going to be more direct than most guides are.

Most travelers shouldn’t take a motorbike from Saigon to Vung Tau. Not because it can’t be done, but because the reality of doing it is rougher than the romance of doing it suggests.

Here’s why.

The expressway problem

The fast route between Saigon and Vung Tau (the one cars and buses take) goes via the Long Thanh-Dau Giay Expressway. Motorbikes are banned from this expressway. You will be turned around at the toll booth if you try. This isn’t optional and the police do enforce it.

So if you want to go by bike, you have two options, and both have downsides.

Route A: Cat Lai ferry + QL51

Cross from District 2 over the Saigon River using the Cat Lai car ferry (which does take motorbikes), then connect to Provincial Road 769, then onto QL51, then south to Vung Tau.

The Cat Lai ferry runs frequently, every 10 minutes from 5 AM to 9 PM, then every 30 minutes through the night. So that part is fine.

QL51 is the problem. Long-time motorbike riders here genuinely don’t love this road. It’s industrial, dusty, full of trucks, has aggressive traffic, and goes through the Phu My industrial zone. The traffic police also work this route hard, so foreign riders without an international driving permit can get pulled over. Plan for 3-4 hours of unpleasant riding.

I’ve taken this route once. I would not take it again.

goes through the Phu My industrial zone 4 scaled Vietadvisor

goes through the Phu My industrial zone 3 scaled Vietadvisor

Route B: Can Gio + the new sea ferry

This is the route I’d actually consider if I were going to bike it. You ride south through District 7 and Nha Be to the Binh Khanh ferry crossing, then along the wide, mostly empty Rung Sac Highway through the Can Gio mangrove forest, then catch the Can Gio to Vung Tau car ferry for a 30-minute crossing.

The Rung Sac portion is genuinely a nice ride. Open road, mangroves on both sides, almost no traffic outside peak hours, the kind of motorbike trip Southern Vietnam should feel like.

The catch is the timing. If you hit Saigon traffic on the way out (6-9 AM or 4-7 PM), the first 30 minutes is a slog. And the ferry from Can Gio to Vung Tau doesn’t run constantly, so you might wait 30-60 minutes for the next departure.

If you time it well, total door-to-door is around 3 hours. If you don’t, it can stretch to 4 or more.

Binh Khanh ferry crossing scaled Vietadvisor

Binh Khanh ferry crossing 2 scaled Vietadvisor

Who this actually suits

If you are…	Should you bike?
A first-time visitor to Vietnam	No
New to riding scooters in Asia	No
Wanting just a quick beach day	No, take the ferry
An experienced rider who wants freedom in Vung Tau	Yes, do the Can Gio route
Doing a longer southern Vietnam motorbike trip	Yes, this is a logical leg
Looking for the cheapest option	No, the bus is cheaper and easier

If you do go by bike, rent from a reputable shop in Saigon (full daily rates run 120,000-240,000 VND, so $5-10), wear a proper helmet (not the flimsy ones some rentals give you), and carry an international driving permit if you have one.

Head-to-Head Comparison

The straight comparison, all options on one screen.

Factor	Ferry	Standard Bus	Limousine Van	Motorbike (Can Gio)
Time	2 hours	2.5-3 hours	2-2.5 hours	3+ hours
Price one-way	$13-17	$4-7	$10-15	Fuel + 70,000-150,000 VND ferry fee
Comfort	High	Medium	High	Low to medium
Departures per day	2-3 weekday, 3-4 weekend	100+	30-60 per operator	Anytime
Departure point	Walking distance from D1 hotels	Far (Mien Tay)	D1 office pickup	Anywhere
Booking required?	Recommended for weekends	Walk-up usually fine	Yes	None
Carries motorbike?	No	No	No	Yes (it is one)
Best for	First-timers, scenic option	Budget travelers	Comfort on a budget	Experienced riders
Worst for	Riders, late-night returns	Travelers far from Mien Tay	Backpackers on a tight budget	Anyone in a hurry
Scenic?	Yes, river + coast views	No	No	Yes (Can Gio route)
Weather sensitive?	Yes (rough seas, occasional cancellations)	No	No	Yes

Which One Should You Pick?

A short decision tree, since the right answer depends on you, not on which mode is objectively best.

Take the ferry if:

It’s your first trip to Vung Tau and you want the journey to be part of the experience
You’re doing a day trip and value time over money
You’re traveling on a weekend (ferry schedule has more options then)
You’re not budget-constrained and would rather pay $15 for 2 pleasant hours than save $10 on 3 stressful ones
You’re staying in District 1 already

Take the standard bus if:

You’re on a real backpacker budget
You don’t mind the 40-minute Grab to Mien Tay
You’re flexible on departure time and ok with crowded conditions on weekends
You want to travel late at night or very early morning (more options than ferry)

Take a limousine van if:

You want the cost benefit of bus but the comfort closer to ferry
You’re staying in District 1 and want pickup nearby
You’re traveling in a small group (the van is more sociable than a bus)
You hate big bus stations

Take a motorbike if:

You’re an experienced rider and want to extend your trip
You want your own wheels in Vung Tau (this is the real selling point)
The Can Gio route appeals to you and you have time to do it properly
You’re combining Vung Tau with a longer southern Vietnam ride

Take a private taxi if:

You’re in a group of 4 and the per-person cost evens out
You’re going to a specific hotel and want door-to-door
It’s late and other options have stopped running

See all available options

Specific Scenarios

A few real-world cases I get asked about.

“I want to do a day trip from Saigon to Vung Tau.”

Take the ferry. The 09:00 Saturday or Sunday ferry gets you in by 11:00, gives you 5 hours in Vung Tau, and the 16:00 return puts you back in District 1 around 18:00 with time for dinner. The weekday schedule (12:00 return only) is too tight for a real day trip.

Book the round trip on 12Go before you go to avoid the return ticket scam I mentioned earlier.

“I want to stay overnight and come back the next day.”

Either ferry or bus works. The ferry is more pleasant but the schedule is restrictive (you have to be back at the pier by 16:00 latest, even on Sundays). The bus runs into the evening so you have more flexibility on the return. Many travelers do ferry out, bus back.

For accommodation, Vung Tau has options from $20 hostels to $150 beachfront resorts. I tend to use Agoda for Vietnamese coastal hotels because they often have better local pricing than Booking.com on this stretch, though it’s worth checking both.

More: Review 8 Best Vung Tau Hotels Near the Beach

“I’m flying into Tan Son Nhat in the morning and want to go straight to Vung Tau.”

Take a limousine van that picks up from the airport area or from a District 1 office near where you’d transfer through. Hoa Mai and some others run limousines that pick up at or near the airport. The journey time is similar to a Grab + bus combination but with one transfer instead of two, and you don’t have to navigate Mien Tay Bus Station while jet-lagged.

“It’s late and I want to get back to Saigon.”

After 16:00 (the last weekend ferry), your only option is the bus. Buses run until 9:40 PM and offer late-night departures. If you’re stuck after the last bus, a private taxi from Vung Tau is around $40-50 to District 1.

My Actual Pick

If a friend visiting for the first time asked me right now, “How should I get to Vung Tau on Saturday?”, I’d tell them:

Take the 09:00 ferry out. Book the 16:00 return as part of the same booking. Get coffee at Bach Dang pier 30 minutes before. Sit on the open side of the boat for the views. Have a long lunch and an afternoon swim at Back Beach. Be back at the pier by 15:30.

That’s the trip. The bus is fine if budget is tight, the bike is fine if you’re already a rider, but the ferry plus a beach afternoon is the version of this trip that most people remember.

For everything else about traveling in and around the city (transport in Saigon itself, where to stay, what it costs), head back to the main guide. For other day trips and longer Vietnam transport routes, 12Go is the platform I use to compare everything in one place.

Any questions about this route specifically? Drop them in the comments and I’ll answer.

From the field

Ferry, bus or bike from Ho Chi Minh City to Vung Tau?

The Big Picture (Before You Pick)