The cheapest overnight sleeper fares in Vietnam are short hops — Ho Chi Minh City to Mui Ne and Nha Trang to Da Lat run around 150,000–220,000 VND (roughly 6–8 USD) as of mid-2026. The most expensive single ticket is the full Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi run, which reaches about 1.8 million VND (around 50 USD or more) for a premium cabin berth. The pattern underneath is simple: a standard open-sleeper berth costs roughly 500–800 VND per kilometre, and the per-kilometre rate falls as the route gets longer — so long hauls look expensive in absolute terms but are the best value by distance. Cabin and VIP berths run about 1.4–2x the standard fare on the same route.
This page is a pure fare reference. It does not re-explain what a sleeper bus is, what to expect on board, or which operator to trust — those live in dedicated pages. For the ride experience and safety, see our sleeper bus explainer; for who runs what, the operator atlas; for the seat-versus-pod choice, the cabin versus sleeper comparison; and for bus-versus-rail, the sleeper bus versus train guide. Everything below is just the numbers.
How sleeper fares scale
Two forces set the price of any Vietnamese sleeper ticket. The first is distance: fares broadly track kilometres, but not linearly. Short routes cost more per kilometre — the fixed overhead of a departure is spread over fewer kilometres — while a 1,000-plus-kilometre haul dilutes that overhead and lands nearer the bottom of the per-kilometre band. The second is seat class: a standard open berth is the floor, a cabin or VIP pod sits about 1.4–2x above it, and a private double cabin can be more again. Season sits on top of both and can override everything — see When fares spike.
Route-by-route fare table
The table below covers the major overnight and long-distance sleeper routes as of mid-2026. "Standard" is an open reclining berth; "cabin / VIP" is the enclosed-pod premium where it runs. USD figures use a rate of about 26,300 VND to 1 USD. All ranges are hedged planning baselines, not live quotes.
| Route | Standard berth (VND) | Standard (USD) | Cabin / VIP (VND) | Duration | Main operators |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HCMC–Mui Ne | 120,000–280,000 | ~5–11 | ~300,000+ | 3–5 hrs | Futa, Hanh Cafe |
| Nha Trang–Da Lat | 150,000–220,000 | ~6–8 | mostly daytime seater | 3–4 hrs | Futa, Phuong Trang |
| Hue–Hoi An (via Da Nang) | 120,000–300,000 | ~5–11 | 180,000–500,000 | 3–4 hrs | Queen Cafe, Hoi An Express |
| Hanoi–Sapa | 200,000–380,000 | ~8–14 | 420,000–720,000 | 6–7 hrs | Sao Viet, Sapa Express, Interbus |
| Hanoi–Ha Giang | 250,000–350,000 | ~10–13 | 400,000–900,000 | 6–7 hrs | Cat Ba Express, Ha Giang lines |
| HCMC–Da Lat | 200,000–340,000 | ~8–13 | 300,000–450,000 | 6–7 hrs | Futa, Thanh Buoi, Kumho Samco |
| HCMC–Nha Trang | 250,000–390,000 | ~10–15 | 500,000–560,000 | 8–10 hrs | Futa, The Sinh Tourist, Hanh Cafe |
| Da Nang / Hoi An–Nha Trang | 250,000–450,000 | ~10–17 | 450,000–700,000 | 9–11 hrs | Futa, The Sinh Tourist, Hanh Cafe |
| Hanoi–Hue | 350,000–500,000 | ~13–19 | 500,000–1,200,000 | 12–14 hrs | Futa, The Sinh Tourist, Queen Cafe |
| Hanoi–Da Nang / Hoi An | 400,000–550,000 | ~15–21 | 550,000–1,200,000 | 14–17 hrs | Futa, The Sinh Tourist |
| HCMC–Hanoi (full run) | 830,000–1,300,000 | ~28–50 | up to ~1,800,000 | 30–40 hrs | Hoang Long, Mai Linh Express, Futa Ha Son |
A few honest caveats on this table. Operators are indicative, not exhaustive — Futa (Phuong Trang) runs nationwide, The Sinh Tourist works the classic backpacker open-tour corridor, and several routes have a dozen smaller lines competing on price. Two routes are not really "sleeper" propositions: Nha Trang–Da Lat is short and mountainous and runs mainly as daytime seaters or limousine vans, and Hue–Hoi An is short enough that seat and limousine services dominate over true berths. They are included because travellers search for them, but the overnight framing does not apply.
Seat versus cabin: the price gap
The single biggest lever on your fare, after distance, is the seat class you pick. Across the routes above, the cabin or VIP premium clusters around 1.4–2x the standard open-berth fare, with the multiple widening on premium sub-brands and narrowing on budget lines. On a short daytime hop the premium buys little — you are not sleeping anyway — so the open berth is the sensible default. On an overnight leg over roughly eight hours, the enclosed pod's curtain or door, extra width, and light-blocking are what most travellers are actually paying for. The cabin versus sleeper comparison breaks down when the upgrade earns its keep route by route.
When fares spike
Every figure here is an off-peak baseline. During Tet (Lunar New Year) and national holidays, sleeper fares commonly double or triple and popular routes sell out days in advance — a 300,000 VND ticket can reach 900,000 VND, and Hanoi–Sapa berths have been reported at 750,000–1,000,000 VND at peak. Weekends and the summer domestic-travel season push prices up more mildly. The reliable savings move is to book two to three days ahead on an aggregator rather than at the station window, which off-peak can cut 30–50 percent versus a walk-up fare.
Limitations
- Fares are volatile and change without notice. These are mid-2026 ranges gathered from booking platforms and operator listings, not a live feed. Season, day of week, booking channel, and how far ahead you book all move the number, and Tet can override the whole table.
- Two "routes" are not true overnight sleepers. Nha Trang–Da Lat and Hue–Hoi An are short enough that daytime seater and limousine services dominate; the sleeper-berth figures for them are thinner and included mainly for completeness.
- Operator lists are indicative. Many routes carry a dozen or more competing lines; we name the most prominent rather than surveying every operator on every corridor.
- We could not cleanly separate every cabin tier. On some routes "VIP" and "luxury cabin" blur together across sources, so the cabin column is a single hedged band rather than a per-tier price.
- USD figures depend on the exchange rate. They are derived, not quoted at the till; a shift in the VND/USD rate moves every dollar figure here.
Methodology
Fares were gathered in mid-2026 from Vietnamese and traveller-facing booking platforms — Vexere, 12Go, Baolau, and Redbus — cross-referenced against operator listings and a published route cost table, then expressed as hedged ranges rather than single points because the same seat prices differently across channels and dates. Where sources disagreed, the range was widened to span them rather than picking one. USD conversions use a rate of about 26,300 VND to 1 USD, the mid-July 2026 level, which sat in a narrow 26,250–26,320 band that month. Any route that could not be sourced cleanly was flagged in Limitations rather than estimated.
Related reading
- Vietnam sleeper buses: the honest guide — what the ride is actually like, and safety
- Sleeper bus operator atlas 2026 — who runs what, scored on safety and reviews
- Cabin bus versus sleeper bus — when the pod upgrade is worth it
- Sleeper bus versus train — the mode-by-mode cost and comfort trade-off
- Vietnam travel cost index 2026 — the full sourced cost baseline
- Vietnam land transport atlas 2026 — corridor-by-corridor mode comparison
Booking platforms referenced: Vexere, 12Go, Baolau, and Redbus Vietnam.