Bus in Vietnam

Nowadays, bus is becoming more and more common means of transportation in Vietnam especially for foreign tourists because of its cheap price, availability and well-developed system. Bus system in Vietnam can be divided into 2 types which are inter-provincial and local buses. Here are some tips that can help you use this public transportation more easily.

Inter-provincial buses
In each province in Vietnam, there are several main terminals to support the transportation of that city. Known as two of the biggest and crowed cities of Vietnam, Hanoi owns two major terminals called My Dinh and Giap Bat Bus Station; otherwise, Ho Chi Minh City has Mien Dong and Mien Tay Bus Station. These buses will take passengers to every tourist destinations and other provinces in Vietnam as well. Notably, they have high quality in terms of service and facilites. Another advantage of using buses is that there is no limitation for your baggage’s size. To get a ticket, you can buy it from ticket booths inside the terminals and then show it to the conductor to get in the bus.

In addition, passengers can ask their travel agencies to buy ticket in advance or book it through Internet. However, only few bus companies such as Hoang Long offer online booking for customers. The ticket price depends on the distance of the trip and type of seats that you choose. One things you should notice is that you have to change your buses to travel to big cities such as Hanoi, Hue, Danang and Ho Chi Minh City if you depart from other provinces because there is no direct route to those destinations.

Local buses
In major cities like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, etc. local people and foreigners can use a cheap and convenient means of transportation which is public buses. Similar with inter-provincial buses, local buses also depart from main terminals in the city then work on different routes. Bus stations are place where passengers wait and catch a bus. In big cities, there are many buses and bus stations so travelling by this kind of vehicle is very easy. To get in the buses, you have to buy a ticket from the conductor with price under 10,000 VND. However, you may have bad experiences on the bus. For instance, it is very crowed especially in rush hours, conductor can not speak English well and there is no air conditioners in old buses, etc. Overall, bus is still an ideal means of transportation for people who want to save money or get experiences like local people.

Hanoi Bus
At the present, there are many kind of buses working in Hanoi. One of them is traditional one covered by 3 typical colors of white, red and yellow. There is a number sticked in the front of each bus which is correlative with its routes. The price of them usually ranges from 5,000 to 10,000 VND depending on the distance of the route and the types of bus. Recently, there is a particularly new kind of bus which only serve customers travelling from Hanoi Train Station to Noi Bai Airport with the price of only 30,000 VND. These buses are recognized by the typical cover with orange. In addition, in Dec 31 2016, there was a new type of bus called BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) expected to improve the quality and speed circulation of Hanoi traffic. However, it is being operated as a pilot project for 1 month. In this period, people can experience it on free of charge.

Some important bus routes
Hanoi bus
– No.07 and 17: They all have arrival spot at Noi Bai International Airport. Bus 07 will pass by Thang Long Brigde and head to Cau Giay District and bus 17 will cross Chuong Duong Bridge and head to Old Quarter.

– No.33 or 02: They will take you to Ba Dinh District to cross Ho Chi Minh Complex and other beautiful streets such as Dien Bien Phu, Le Hong Phong, etc.

– No.09: The bus will pick you up at Hoan Kiem Lake then take you to areas nearby. They also stop at some bus stations in Le Hong Phong and Dien Bien Phu Streets.

Ho Chi Minh Bus
There are 152 routes covering almost every part of Ho Chi Minh City. Buses in Ho Chi Minh City are recognized by the white cover and a light green strip. Depending from the distance of the routes and types of buses, the price can range from 3,000 to 10,000 VND.

The advantage of using bus in Ho Chi Minh City is that it is not crowed like in Hanoi. However, Ho Chi Minh City is very large so the distance between tourist destinations and bus stations is quite long that results in the long waiting time of passengers. Therefore, bus seems not to be a good choice to use for tourists in this city. Similar with buses in Hanoi, buses in Ho Chi Minh City also have its terminals before spreading out to the whole city. Ben Thanh Station, Cho Lon Station and Mien Dong Station are the biggest bus stations in Ho Chi Minh City.

Some important bus routes
– No.147 and 152: Both of them have the arrival spot at Tan Son Nhat Airport. Bus 147 will depart from Cho Lon Station, while bus 152 will start from Trung Son Resident.
– No.11: The bus departs from Ben Thanh Station then finish its route at Dam Sen Cultural Park – one of the most interesting recreation center of Ho Chi Minh City in about 40 minutes with the price of only 3,000 VND.
– No.30: The bus takes a long route from Binh Tan District then heads to the Northeast after passing the cente of the city. On the road, it will cross many well-known attractions such as Suoi Tien Resorts and Hung Temple.
– No.19: The bus departs from Ben Thanh Market and stops at the National University after crossing the Saigon Opera House in the center of the city.

Tips
– You should choose well-known inter-provincial bus companies such as Hoang Long, Sinh café, Hanh Café and Mai Linh, etc. because they have high quality in terms of service and facilities. Do not catch buses along the way which may not depart on time because they can run around the city to get enough passengers.
– Ask price before get in cars to avoid excessive price.
– Maintain your baggage and other belongings carefully.
– Bring along a piece of paper and a pen to write down your destination, information, etc. in case that conductor or driver can not speak English.