Over the years of living in Vietnam and Thailand, I’ve spent thousands of dollars on the Grab app. Not for taxis, though – for food deliveries! The Grab app is an all-in-one solution for anything transport-related in Vietnam and elsewhere in Southeast Asia.
The app’s main categories are Food, Car, Bike, and Mart, but there are also Hotels (through Agoda or Booking), Express for package delivery, and Dine Out for eating out.
I use the Grab app daily on my Android (Google Pixel) in Ho Chi Minh City. It works flawlessly. You’ll need Wi-Fi or a SIM card to use Grab.
Since you’re in trip planning mode, read my Vietnam travel FAQs and visa guide. If you have any questions about using the Grab app or other travel apps, contact me in my Vietnam travel planning Facebook groups: Ho Chi Minh City or Da Nang & Hoi An.
Continue reading for my tips and instructions on how to use Grab in Vietnam.
Download the Grab app: Apple (iOS) • Google Play Store (Android) • Official Website
GrabFood
Ninety-nine percent of my Grab app usage is ordering food delivery. In the app, it’s called GrabFood.
If you visit one of Vietnam’s popular cities, such as Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Hoi An, or Da Nang, the app offers endless local and international restaurants.
Local, Indian, Mexican, Italian, Korean, Mediterranean, pizza, hamburgers, coffee, smoothies, milk tea, bubble tea, and desserts.
If you want to discover a new restaurant within the app, it’s best to search through the choices before you get hungry. Otherwise, if you’re like me, you’ll get overwhelmed and hungrily reorder from previously discovered but excellent Western restaurants instead.
GrabFood Cost
Coming from the United States, I’ve found ordering GrabFood to be more than affordable. Since there is a wide range of local and international cuisines, though, you can really spend as little or as much as you’d like.
Local cuisines will be cheaper. You can find cơm gà (chicken and rice) for as little as 40.000 VND. Bánh mìs (Vietnamese baguettes with meat/vegetables) can be found for as little as 20.000 VND.
When ordering from a Western restaurant, a filling meal for one can cost between 120.000 VND and 200.000 VND or more.
The app will initially present you with curated restaurant choices when ordering food. You can dig past these. Use the search function at the top and play around entering specific food words you’re interested in. Shop around a bit.
I usually order a larger meal of Western food for dinner every night.
Clicking the Activity tab at the bottom of the app will reveal your recent history. The table below shows my last five dinner orders.
| Food | Restaurant | Cost* |
|---|---|---|
| Hamburger, chicken sandwich, fries, drink | Fill My Buns | 223.000 VND |
| Chicken burrito (x2) | Tacos DANANG | 139.000 VND |
| Chicken pita (x2), fries, mango smoothie | Kebab Ngon | 195.000 VND |
| Vietnamese roasted chicken, rice, vegetables, soup (x2) | Com Ga Hoi An | 100.000 VND |
| Chicken wrap, chicken strips, pesto salad, pineapple mango lemonade | Jeremy’s Kitchen | 263.000 VND |
How to Order GrabFood Delivery
- Download the Grab app: Apple (iOS) • Google Play Store (Android) • Official Website
- Inside the app on the top, click Food
- Next, I like to click Nearby
- Then, I begin searching and using the filter on top
- Pay attention to a restaurant’s review stars and the amount of reviews
- After adding items to your basket, click Basket
- On the next screen, ensure your Deliver to address is correct
- Scroll down to Payment details – cash, card, or digital wallets are accepted
- Click Place Order
- You’ll be shown a picture of your driver, their rating, and ETA with your food
Tipping: You can tip your driver during and after your order. Tipping is not required or expected in Vietnam. If you feel like tipping, though, click one of the pre-filled amounts up to 50.000 VND or enter your custom tip. Here is an interesting article on tipping in Vietnam.
GrabBike & GrabCar
If you visit Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi especially, you’ll see GrabBike taxi drivers zipping all over the city with customers on the back of their scooters – some will be holding onto the bike’s frame for dear life (tourists), whereas locals usually don’t hold onto anything.
Taking a GrabBike or GrabCar is a very easy and convenient way to get around. There is also the GrabTaxi option, which will hire a nearby metered taxi for a pre-determined fare.
GrabBike drivers usually wear a green Grab jacket uniform with a green Grab helmet. They will have an extra helmet for passengers.
When ordering a GrabBike moto-taxi, the driver will usually be to you within minutes. GrabCars can take a little longer.
But with both options, you can track your driver’s whereabouts in real time, and an estimated arrival time is displayed. You’ll also be able to chat and send photos if you or your driver can’t locate each other.
Always double-check the driver’s information (car make/model, license plate, photo) in the app before riding. This is especially true when flying into an airport in Vietnam and needing to get into the city. There are drivers who will approach tourists at the airports, pretend to be their Grab driver, and then cancel the booking on their phone so you ride with them instead.
Once you understand the app, using Grab is one of the best ways to get from the airport to your hotel.
GrabBike Safety
I first came to Vietnam in 2018. Since then, I have personally never seen or heard of an accident on a GrabBike. I myself have ridden on the back of a moto-taxi dozens of times and have not been part of any close calls.
I’m sure accidents involving tourists do happen, however.
My personal thoughts on riding on the back of a motorbike: Vietnamese people grow up on motorbikes. When visiting Vietnam, you will see full families jammed onto one motorbike. Think of the family minivan headed to soccer practice but on a motorbike.
It’s not unusual to see dad driving, with one kid standing on the platform in front of him, with mom behind dad, cradling an infant. You will see newborns and infants being held on motorbikes. They’ll grow up riding on them.
These are the GrabBike drivers years later, but now they chauffeur passengers all day for a living. I’ve written more about riding motorbikes in my article on Vietnam’s safety for tourists.
GrabBike & GrabCar Cost
Using Grab to get around Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Da Nang, or Hoi An is simple and cost-effective. It is the best way to get around if you don’t drive your own motorbike. Grab is also an easy way to get between cities, like going from Da Nang to Hoi An. Read about Da Nang vs. Hoi An here.
Compared to nearby counterparts like Bangkok and Taipei, public transportation is lacking in Vietnam’s bigger cities.
Grab taxi (motorbike or regular car) rates will vary depending on the time of day, traffic, and how busy the drivers are.
When flying into an airport in Vietnam, I prefer to use Grab instead of a traditional taxi because I know exactly what to expect: the fares are shown upfront.
Here are some sample airport fare costs of common trips and their distances in Ho Chi Minh City. Keep in mind these may fluctuate, as I just pulled live data from the app itself.
| From | To (km) | Vehicle* + Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport (SGN) | Ho Chi Minh Statue (downtown District 1)(8 km) | GrabCar 128.000 VND GrabBike 44.000 VND |
| Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport (SGN) | Bui Vien Walking Street (District 1)(8 km) | GrabCar 129.000 VND GrabBike 46.000 VND |
| Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport (SGN) | Thao Dien (District 2)(15 km) | GrabCar 176.000 VND GrabBike 59.000 VND |
You can store your credit card in the app and go entirely cashless, making it even more convenient. I do this. I use a Visa card and keep it locked, but Grab is considered recurring, so small charges (taxi fares and food) get processed.
How to Book a GrabBike or GrabCar Ride
- Download the Grab app: Apple (iOS) • Google Play Store (Android) • Official Website
- Inside the app on the top, choose Car or Bike
- Enter your destination in Where to?
- It’s OK if you don’t know the exact address. Begin typing what you know, and suggestions will pop up, or click the Map button on the top right and choose your destination
- Confirm your pickup location – Choose This Pickup
- You will be shown numerous vehicle options and fixed-rate prices for both GrabBike and GrabCar
- Among the choices, you’ll see GrabTaxi, which will be metered – the displayed price is an estimation. (I never use this).
- After choosing your vehicle, click Book on the bottom
- You will then be shown a picture of your Grab driver, the vehicle’s make and model, license plate, driver’s Grab rating, and ETA on their arrival.
- Always double check the license plate matches when your driver arrives.
Tipping: Like ordering GrabFood, tipping your Grab driver is not required or expected. It’s totally up to you.
How to Use Grab in Vietnam (FAQs)
How does Grab ensure the safety of its passengers?
When booking a ride, Grab provides details of the driver and the vehicle beforehand, allows you to share your trip with contacts, and has a feature for emergency assistance in case of any issues during the ride.
Would you recommend using Grab for transportation in Southeast Asia?
Yes, I use the app daily. Grab is very convenient and easy to use, and it is available in countries like Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, Cambodia, and the Philippines.
Is Grab an alternative to Uber in Vietnam?
Grab purchased Uber’s Southeast Asia business in 2018. Since then, it has been considered the Uber alternative in Vietnam.
Can I pay with cash when using Grab in Vietnam?
You can pay in cash if using the app in Vietnam. Other payment methods accepted are debit and credit cards and digital wallets like Moca Wallet, MoMo, and ZaloPay.
