I have lived in four different districts in Ho Chi Minh City (Thao Dien in District 2, District 7, District 8, and Phu Nhuan) and have traveled throughout the city quite a bit. I learned how to ride a motorbike while living in Da Nang, and that’s been my daily means of transportation for the last few years.
Nevertheless, there have been times when I had to utilize transportation other than my motorbike. There are numerous ways to literally get around the city, but not all are easy or convenient. In this article, I’ll only cover the best ways to get around Ho Chi Minh City, not all of the ways.
For quick recommendations on where to stay, I like the Huong Sen Hotel (Agoda / Booking) as a budget hotel, which is in an excellent location on Dong Khoi Street in District 1.
For something a bit nicer, the Liberty Central Saigon Citypoint (Agoda / Booking) nearby is in a great location on Pasteur Street.
If you’re planning a visit to HCMC, here’s my complete travel guide. For specific questions, see my Vietnam travel FAQs or my articles covering things to do in HCMC, the best time to visit HCMC, and how to get a SIM card.
I’ve written some sample one-day and three-day itineraries, too. If you have any questions on HCMC, join my free Ho Chi Minh City travel planning group, where I’ll personally answer them.
Related getting around guides:
• How to Get Around Hoi An for First-Time Visitors
• How to Get Around Da Nang for First-Time Visitors
The Grab App
When giving advice to first-timers traveling to Vietnam, the first thing I always tell them is to download the Grab app—it’s the Uber of Vietnam. You can see my other recommended travel apps here.
Within the app, you can book motorcycle taxis (GrabBike), car taxis (GrabCar), private car services, food delivery (GrabFood), order groceries, and more. You can read my guide on how to use the Grab app.
You don’t need to input or use your credit or debit card in the Grab app. You can select Cash for GrabFood and GrabTaxi and pay on delivery or after getting a taxi ride.
Booking a GrabBike (Motorcycle Taxi)
A motorcycle taxi (“xe om” in Vietnamese) through the Grab app is undoubtedly the most popular way to get around Ho Chi Minh City—unless you have your own motorbike. More on that further down.
There are freelance moto-taxi drivers as well. These are the drivers without uniforms who try to get your attention, ask where you’re going, and offer to give you a ride. You’ll usually see them on corners, sitting on their bikes, sometimes with a “Xe Om” sign, or slowly pulling up alongside you while you’re walking down the street.
GrabBike drivers provide helmets. Once aboard, if you’re unsure where to put your hands because you don’t want to hold onto your driver’s belly, reach behind and use the seat’s rear structure as handles. Then, hold on!
You can pay in cash or put your credit card in the Grab app and go cashless. I do this.
Tips for the driver are not necessary. But adding a couple more bucks is easy in the app if you want to tip.
Booking a GrabCar or GrabTaxi
In addition to offering moto-taxis, Grab offers the option to order a car. I use this when flying into Tan Son Nhat International Airport (SGN) and needing to get into the city. Otherwise, when exiting the airport, you’ll be bombarded by drivers offering you their services. My guide here covers getting from HCMC airport to District 1.
Currently, Grab offers GrabCar, GrabCar Plus, and GrabCar 7. GrabTaxi is another option inside the app, too. This will book a regular taxi through the app but will tell you the price ahead of time. Many taxi drivers also work for Grab.
The Grab app also offers the ability to hire a driver by the hour for both moto-taxis and cars. This is useful if you want to see a few tourist attractions or parts of the city and don’t want to repeatedly order rides after each one.
Vehicle models in Vietnam are a bit different from those in other countries, so with GrabCar, don’t be surprised if something the size of a Toyota Yaris shows up. GrabCar Plus will be a bit bigger—something mid-size like a Toyota Camry. And with GrabCar 7, it’s always been some type of SUV whenever I’ve used it—something like a Toyota Fortuner.
Metered Taxis (Vinasun or Mai Linh)
Vinasun or Mai Linh taxis are the best bet to hail a taxi right off the street. In general, they’re the most reputable local taxi companies. Personally, I’ve only hailed a regular taxi a handful of times in all my years in Vietnam. The Grab app really is super convenient. It’s on my list of must-use travel apps for Vietnam.
Here’s another link to download the Grab app.
Vinasun’s vehicles are white with red and green stickers. They have sedans and vans.
Mai Linh’s vehicles are green. They also have sedans and vans.
If you hail a regular taxi right off the street, always ensure the driver turns the meter on. Otherwise, the driver may ask where you’re going and then try to give you a price quote instead of turning on the meter. The price may be fair, but without previous experience, you won’t know for sure.
A metered taxi from the airport into District 1 should cost no more than 200.000 VND. If you get into a bigger vehicle, perhaps 300.000 VND, but that should be the upper limit.
When you exit the airport’s arrivals area, there is a taxi stand to the left. At the time of publishing, that’s where it is (it might change locations). You can get a fixed-rate quote at the stand, but be prepared for a potentially inflated price.
300.000 – 400.000 VND, while a bit overpriced, may be worth it if you’re exhausted after a long trip and don’t want the headache of negotiating. After all, the difference between the “fair” rate of 200.000 and the “inflated” 400.000 is less than $10 USD.
There is a ticket fee to exit the airport, which you are responsible for and can usually pay at the end of the ride, but you can pay it there if you like or if your driver asks. The Grab drivers also have a way of adding that amount to your Grab fee, all within the app.
This airport exit fee is usually around 10.000 VND, not 50.000 or 100.000.
The bottom line is that I still recommend getting a SIM card or e-SIM, then downloading the Grab app and using that to get into the city. It will really save a lot of potential headaches.
Renting a Motorbike
Renting a motorbike is the most fun way to get around Ho Chi Minh City. You have the freedom to explore the city and visit attractions more easily without relying on booking apps or taxis.
Keep in mind that traffic in Ho Chi Minh gets pretty intense. If possible, avoid the morning (9 AM) and evening (5 PM) rush hours, and sometimes there’s a lunchtime rush as well.
If I want to explore the city with the most freedom, the sweet spots are between 1 PM and 3 PM.
There are countless motorbike rental companies in Saigon. They vary widely in terms of the quality of bikes in their fleets, rental rates, scammy vibes, etc.
The strategy is to contact a few different providers, find out what bikes they have available, get some quotes, and go from there. You can then go check out the bikes before committing to renting one.
A great fully automatic starter bike is the Honda Air Blade. You can see it in this YouTube video.
Two companies that I have personally used and strongly recommend:
DC Motorbikes has two locations in Ho Chi Minh City: Thao Dien (District 2) and Phu My Hung (District 7). Ask for Richard.
Tigit Motorbikes* has locations in Ho Chi Minh, Da Lat, Da Nang, and Hanoi. Here is their location in Sala (District 2).
*I rented from Tigit for a long time when they allowed city (monthly) rentals, but I believe they discontinued that service. Still, I included them here because the service was excellent. Reach out to them to check because they are great.
Walking Around Ho Chi Minh City
If you’re staying in District 1 and are interested in seeing only the local attractions, you can walk everywhere you need to go. But sometimes, it gets hot. And when it’s humid, too, be prepared to sweat.
The areas around popular attractions like the Independence Palace, the War Remnants Museum, the Notre Dame Cathedral of Saigon, the Saigon Central Post Office, Book Street, the Ho Chi Minh City Opera House, and the Ho Chi Minh Statue are all walkable.
The Metro
After years of delays, Line 1 of the Ho Chi Minh City metro finally opened in December 2024. I checked it out on opening week, and it was very crowded. This isn’t a surprise since it’s the first metro in Ho Chi Minh City, and they were offering free rides for the first 30 days.
Line 1 connects the Ben Thanh Market area to Binh Duong Province at Suoi Tien.
The benefit for travelers that I’ve been able to see so far is that there’s a station at Thao Dien in District 2. Thao Dien is a popular area for travelers, expats, and their families. So, having a station at Thao Dien means easy access to downtown District 1.
Extra Travel Tips for Getting Around Ho Chi Minh City
Be cautious with your belongings. The city has a lot of activity, especially in District 1. It’s easy to get distracted and open yourself up to being pickpocketed or have your phone snatched by a drive-by motorbike. You can read more in my article on tourist safety in Vietnam.
I use a fanny pack or crossbody bag every day. Look into them, money belts or waist packs.
Public transportation (the city bus) is always an option, but it’s a bit more difficult to navigate without speaking Vietnamese or having a clear plan ahead of time. As mentioned, using the Grab app is much, much easier.
However, if you want to take the public bus, download the BusMap app.
The Ben Thanh Bus Station is a popular stop across the road from Ben Thanh Market. Be careful walking across this intersection; it can be hectic.
There are many tourist attractions around Ben Thanh Market, so it’s a great destination to take the bus or to start your day’s explorations.
