Ho Chi Minh City to Vung Tau is about 95 to 100 km by road. The GreenlinesDP hydrofoil takes about 2 hours down the Saigon River and across the bay, for 350,000 VND since 1 October 2026. Limousine vans take about 2 to 2.5 hours and coaches about 3 to 3.5 hours, for roughly 160,000 to 230,000 VND. A private car takes about 2 hours, from about 800,000 VND one way. The new expressway has not yet shortened the drive much.
Vung Tau has been part of Ho Chi Minh City since Ba Ria-Vung Tau province merged into it in July 2025, but it is still a separate seaside town at the end of a peninsula. The Vung Tau day trip guide covers what to do once you arrive.
Comparison at a glance
| Option | Time | Price (2026) | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| GreenlinesDP hydrofoil | ~2 hours | 350,000 VND (~$13) | The river trip, a car-free day out |
| Limousine van | ~2-2.5 hours from the centre | Most travellers, airport pickups | |
| Coach | ~3-3.5 hours | The lowest fare | |
| Private car or Green SM car | ~2 hours | Families, groups, luggage | |
| Drive via the Can Gio ferry | ~1.5-2 hours for the ferry leg | 350,000 VND per car on the ferry | Drivers and motorbikes |
Prices are for one person, one way, unless a car is shown, at about 26,000 VND to the dollar.
By hydrofoil: GreenlinesDP
The fast boat is the most memorable way to arrive: it runs down the Saigon River, through the Can Gio mangroves and across Ganh Rai Bay, and GreenlinesDP, which runs it, puts the crossing at 120 minutes.
Where it leaves from. Since 28 August 2025 the boat has left from Pier No. 4, opposite Ham Nghi street, about 400 m from its old pier at Bach Dang, according to the operator's relocation notice. The boat had stopped on 5 May 2025, when its Bach Dang pier was handed over for the Saigon River footbridge. In Vung Tau it docks at Ho May pier, at the north end of Front Beach.
What it costs. In a notice dated 25 September 2026, GreenlinesDP raised its weekday fares to match the weekend ones from 1 October 2026, "until further notice", citing fuel prices:
| Passenger | Fare from 1 October 2026 |
|---|---|
| Adult, 12 and over | 350,000 VND |
| Senior, 63 and over | 300,000 VND |
| Child, 6 to 11 | 300,000 VND |
| Child under 6 | Free, sharing an adult's seat |
Weekday adults had paid 320,000 VND from 1 July 2026, so other websites may still show the lower fare.
When it runs. The operator no longer publishes a timetable online. Its schedule page asks passengers to call or message the hotline, 0988 009 579, also on Zalo, so check the times a day or two ahead. The service also stops for maintenance, as it did from 14 to 16 September 2026, and can be suspended in rough seas.
The day trip guide suggests the hydrofoil down in the morning and a limousine van back, so you are not tied to the boat's afternoon times.
By limousine van or coach
Vexere lists about 15 operators and roughly 1,000 departures a day on the road route in October 2026. Most are limousine vans, usually 9-seaters with wide seats, that pick up at their own offices, many on Nguyen Thai Binh street in the old District 1, or at Tan Son Nhat airport. These are some of the larger operators, with the fares and trip times listed on Vexere on 18 October 2026:
| Operator | Vehicle | Picks up at | Listed time | Fare |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vie Limousine | 9-seat limousine | 131 Nguyen Thai Binh | ~2 hours | 210,000 VND |
| Ben Thanh Travel | 9-seat limousine | 32 Nguyen Thai Binh, airport | ~2 hours | 210,000 VND |
| Hoa Mai | Limousine and small vans | District 1, Binh Thanh, airport | ~2 hours | 180,000-230,000 VND |
| Anh Quoc Limousine | 9-seat limousine | District 1, Mai Chi Tho, airport | ~2h 15m | 180,000 VND |
| Huy Hoang | 9-seat limousine | 72 Nguyen Thai Binh, airport | ~2h 20m | 200,000 VND |
| Phuong Trang (FUTA) | 28-seat coach | Western (Mien Tay) bus station | ~3h 30m | 170,000 VND |
The cheapest seat on Vexere was 160,000 VND, on Hong Minh Travel's coaches. Limousines drop off at their Vung Tau office, and many will take you to your hotel; coaches stop at Vung Tau bus station. The limousine van guide explains what you get, and the Phuong Trang guide covers the coach company.
The listed times assume normal traffic, and pickups at the airport add to them. Coaches still use the old National Route 51, and weekend and holiday departures can take much longer. If you are flying in, an operator that picks up at the airport saves the trip into town; the Tan Son Nhat airport guide covers the terminals.
By private car, Grab or Green SM
A car with driver is the quickest door to door, at about 2 hours. Vexere's car-hire page, updated in October 2026, lists one-way fares from about 800,000 VND for a 4-seat car, 970,000 VND for a 7-seater and 2 million VND for a 9-seat limousine, and returns from about 1.6 million VND for a 4-seater. Confirm whether tolls and waiting time are included.
Green SM, the electric taxi company that was called Xanh SM until April 2026, sells fixed prices on this route through its intercity service, according to its price list:
| Green SM intercity | Price |
|---|---|
| Shared car, from a pickup hub | 180,000 VND per person |
| Shared car, door to door | 260,000 VND per person |
| Whole car (Limo Green, up to 6) | 980,000 VND per car |
A surcharge applies if you are more than 5 km from its nearest hub. Grab will also make the trip, but it does not publish an intercity fare, so compare the price in the app with these. The Grab and taxis guide covers the apps.
The new expressway: what has changed
The Bien Hoa-Vung Tau Expressway opened along its full 54 km on 18 May 2026, after its southern sections opened on 29 April, as Thanh Nien reported. It runs from Bien Hoa to the National Route 56 junction near Ba Ria, so the last stretch into Vung Tau is on ordinary roads. It is open only to cars, at up to 80 km/h. Vehicles of more than 9 seats and trucks are barred, which is why coaches still use National Route 51, a road Thanh Nien called overloaded on 4 October 2026, when the Deputy Prime Minister asked Ho Chi Minh City and Dong Nai to find a way to let them in.
The real saving from the city centre depends on the Tan Hiep junction, which will link the Ben Luc-Long Thanh Expressway to the new road. The link would cut the drive from about 120 minutes to about 70, VnExpress reported on 5 October 2026. As of 16 October it had still not opened, because of safety concerns about the slope of one of its bridges, according to Dan Tri. Until it does, plan on about 2 hours by car.
Via Can Gio and the car ferry
Drivers and motorbike riders have a slower, quieter option: south to the Can Gio mangroves, then the car ferry from Tac Suat pier across Ganh Rai Bay to Vung Tau, about 15 km. In August 2026 Tien Phong reported five vessels on the route, departures as often as every 30 minutes at busy times, and fares of 70,000 VND for a passenger, 50,000 VND for a motorbike and 350,000 VND for a car of under 9 seats. The paper put the trip at about 90 to 120 minutes, and a road link of bridges and a tunnel is planned for 2029. The Can Gio guide covers the drive down.
Which should you pick?
- Most travellers: a limousine van from the city centre or the airport.
- For the journey itself: the hydrofoil one way, booked by phone the day before.
- Three to six people, or a family: a Green SM whole car or a hired car.
- Driving or riding yourself: the Can Gio ferry one way, for a change of scenery.
Gotchas
- Weekends. Vung Tau is the city's weekend beach, so roads and beaches are busiest at weekends and on holidays. Travel midweek if you can, and book ahead for weekends.
- Weather. The rainy season runs from May to October, with storms in the afternoon, and the hydrofoil can be suspended in rough seas. The Vung Tau weather guide has the month-by-month figures.
- Old fares online. Some booking sites still show the hydrofoil's old pier and its 320,000 VND weekday fare.
- Going on to Con Dao. Vung Tau is also a departure point for the ferry to Con Dao; the Con Dao guide and ferry prices guide cover it. For other escapes from the city, see the best day trips from Ho Chi Minh City guide.
Limitations
The hydrofoil fares come from the operator's own notice, which calls them temporary, and its timetable is not published. Bus fares and trip times are Vexere's listings on 18 October 2026, and the car-hire prices come from the same platform. Green SM does not publish its surcharges on its price page. The expressway rules and the Tan Hiep junction were changing as this was written, and the Can Gio ferry details come from a single August 2026 press report.
Workaround: call GreenlinesDP a day or two ahead, compare a named limousine operator's own price with Vexere, and confirm a car's total price, tolls included, in writing.