Getting there and away

Air

HCMC's Tan Son Nhat International Airport is a 20 minute journey from the city centre and is well serviced by taxis (should cost no more than 80,000 dong). Take a bus from the airport to centrally located Ben Thanh market, from there Pham Ngu Lao is a five minute walk. Taking a Xe Om is only recommended with small amounts of luggage -- to take one, stroll past the enthusiastic taxi drivers to the terminal gate. The trip should cost 15-20,000 dong.

International departure tax at Tan Son Nhat is now incorporated into the ticket price, so you don't need to save a wad of US cash to get out of the country. A brand new Japanese designed International terminal is now fully operational, leaving the shoddy original terminal for domestic flights only. Vietnam Airlines covers domestic routes with reasonably priced and regular flights to Hanoi, Da Nang, Hue, and Phu Quoc amongst others -- the only other domestic carrier is Jetstar Pacific (previously known as Pacific Airways) which flies a handful of domestic routes.

Ho Chi Minh City is well connected to SE Asia with competitive prices to Singapore (Tiger Airways, Singapore Air, Vietnam Airways, Garuda Indonesia), Bangkok (THAI, Vietnam Airways, Lufthansa, AirAsia) and Kuala Lumpur (Malaysian Airlines, Vietnam Airways, AirAsia). You can also fly to Laos, Vientiane (Vietnam Airways), and Cambodia, Siem Reap (Vietnam Airways). Domestic carriers of the following countries, along with Vietnam Airlines, connect to Ho Chi Minh City -- Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, China, the Philippines, Australia, the US and Europe. Vietnam Airways flies to Paris direct, but the majority of European routes will involve a transfer in Bangkok.

Arriving from SE Asia and the surrounding region is becoming easier with the arrival of budget airlines. Cheap flights are available from Singapore with Tiger and from KL and Bangkok with AirAsia, Another interesting routes is Viva Macau's direct flights, an interesting way to get up to Hong Kong and mainland China.

Train

Saigon train station or Ga Sai Gon is tucked away in District 3 -- 1 Nguyen Thong St. Tickets can be purchased from the station itself or for a couple of dollars more from the travel agents on Pham Ngu Lao St. It's best to book in advance to ensure your spot, especially if you're travelling on the weekend. Trains run north-south, with 5 trains daily departing for Hanoi.

Trains on the HCM-Hanoi line will stop along the way in Hue, Da Nang, Nha Trang and other smaller provincial cities. Prices depend on the type of train (express/slow) and the type of berth (hard/soft sleeper, aircon/fan, bottom or top bunk), . Some approximate times are as follows:

Saigon - Hanoi: 36 hours, $47 - $63
Saigon - Hue: 22 hours, $32 - $43
Saigon - Da Nang (for Hoi An): 17 hours, $27 - $37

Worth mentioning is the new express service to Nha Trang reducing the journey from 12 hours to 7 ($7.5 - $15), and the recently resumed Phan Thiet train which leaves daily at 07:30 (4 hours, $4). Check www.vr.com.vn/english for detailed timetables and prices. The train station is only a short distance from the city centre, about 10 minutes by taxi.

Bus

Saigon's Ben Thanh Bus Station is directly opposite Ben Thanh market in District 1 -- these buses serve the city and it's various districts. Cho Lon Station (86 Trang Tu St, District 5, T: (08) 854 8832) used to serve the Mekong Delta but no longer -- you now need to travel out to Minh Tay or Mien Dong bus stations for buses to the Delta. For destinations in the rest of the country, Mien Dong Station (Dinh Bo Linh, Binh Thanh District, (08) 898 4893) should be your first port of call.

To reach the outlying bus stations from Ben Thanh station catch the following:
Cho Lon Station: Bus #1, 56
Mien Dong Station: Bus #26
Mien Tay Station: Bus #2

Selected departure details from Mien Dong bus station include:

Bac Lieu: 14 departures daily, 125,000 dong, 4.5 hours.
Ben Tre: 8 departures daily, 60,000 dong, 2 hours.
Buon Ma Thuot: 07:00, 10:00, 20:00, 21:00, 22:00, 120,000 dong, 8.5 hours.
Ca Mau: Hourly 06:00-23:00, 145,000 dong, 8.5 hours.
Can Tho: Departures every ten minutes, 24 hours/day, 90,000 dong, 4.5 hours.
Cao Lanh: Hourly 04:00-21:00, 80,000 dong, 3.5 hours.
Chau Doc: Departures every 30 minutes, 24 hours/day, 120,000 dong, 6.5 hours.
Da Lat: 8 departures daily, 100,000 dong, 7 hours.
Da Nang: Departs 10:00, 16:30, 18:30, 300,000 dong, 20 hours.
Gia Lai: Departs 18:30, 20:30, 150,000 dong, 13 hours.
Hanoi: Departs 15:00, 19:30, 600,000 dong, 40 hours!
Kon Tum: Departs 17:00, 21:30, 170,000 dong, 15 hours.
Long Xuyen: Departures every 30 minutes, 24 hours/day, 100,000 dong, 5 hours.
Nha Trang: 7 departures daily, 125,000 dong, 9 hours.
Phan Thiet: 19 departures daily, 80,000 dong, 4.5 hours.
Quang Ngai: Departs 14:00, 16:00, 17:00, 250,000 dong, 17 hours.
Qui Nhon: Departs 14:30, 21:00, 210,000 dong, 15 hours.
Rach Gia: Departures every 30 minutes, 24 hours/day, 120,000 dong, 7 hours.
Soc Trang: 14 departures daily, 110,000 dong, 6 hours.
Tra Vinh: 10 departures daily, 80,000 dong, 4 hours.
Vinh Long: Hourly 05:00-17:30, 70,000 dong, 3 hours.
Vung Tau: Hourly 05:30-19:30, 60,000 dong, 2.5 hours.

Selected departure details from Minh Tay bus station include:

Bac Lieu: Departs every 30 minutes 06:30-23:30, 125,000 dong, 6.5 hours.
Ben Tre: 8 departures daily, 55,000 dong, 2.5 hours.
Ca Mau: Hourly 06:00-22:00, 140,000 dong, 8 hours.
Can Tho: Every 20 minutes 03:00-23:00, 85,000 dong, 4 hours.
Cao Lanh: Hourly 05:00-23:00, 80,000 dong, 3.5 hours.
Chau Doc: Hourly 05:00-24:00, 115,000 dong, 6 hours.
Long An: Every 15 minutes 04:30-19:00, 6,000 dong, 1.5 hours.
Long Xuyen: Departures every 30 minutes, 24 hours/day, 100,000 dong, 5 hours.
Rach Gia: Hourly 05:00-24:00, 115,000 dong, 6 hours.
Soc Trang: Every 30 minutes 06:30-23:30, 110,000 dong, 6 hours.
Tra Vinh: Every two hours 05:00-23:00, 85,000 dong, 4 hours.
Vinh Long: Every 30 minutes 06:00-16:00, 70,000 dong, 3.5 hours.

An easier, better organised, and slightly more expensive alternative is to take the tourist buses from Sinh Cafe (246 De Tham St, District 1, T: (08) 837 6833). Open tour buses (jump on-jump off) run a variety of routes:

Saigon - Da Lat - Nha Trang - Hoi An - Hue (one way) $24
Saigon - Nha Trang - Hoi An - Hue (one way) $22
Saigon - Mui Ne - Nha Trang - Hoi An - Hue $24
Hue - Hanoi (one way) $11

There are also direct routes including:

Saigon - Da Lat $5.50
Saigon - Nha Trang $10
Saigon - Mui Ne $5

Departures are from De Tham St early in the morning. You can also connect to Phnom Penh with Sinh Cafe's daily bus (08:45, $12, arriving at 16:00). Open tour companies such as Sinh and its rival Hanh Cafe have updated their fleet of coaches, and 'sleeper' buses now operate on most routes. Your own space to lie down on the top or bottom bunk is a vast improvement for the long road journeys sufferable in Vietnam.

Also worth checking out is the Mai Linh Taxi Company who run small, air con vans across the country and to Cambodia. Check their website at http://www.mailinh.vn/.

Boat

The journey from Bach Dang Wharf at the end of Nguyen Hue St to the southern city of Vung Tau takes only an hour via the hydrofoil service. The boat departs six times daily starting from 06:00, the last return trip being at 16:00. A ticket costs 140,000 VND ($8.50). See http://www.vinaexpress.com.vn/?l=en for details.

Trips to the Mekong Delta can be arranged through a travel agency. Tours range from a day trip to a 5 day 4 night extravaganza. It is also possible to get to Phnom Penh by boat but you must first travel to Chau Doc -- there are no public boats from Saigon to Chau Doc.

Other

Travel Agencies

There are plenty of travel agencies who organise tours out of Saigon. Here is a selection:

Saigon Tourist - Government run agency (49 Le Thanh Ton St, District 1, T: (08) 829 8129)
Sinhbalo - Specialises in customised trips to the Mekong Delta and Central Highlands including cycling trips (283/80 Pham Ngu Lao St, District 1, T: (08) 837 6766).
Sinh Cafe - Budget tour agency (248 De Tham St, District 1, T: (08) 836 7338)

Scour the streets of Pham Ngu Lao and De Tham to find many more.

Getting Around

By far the best way to navigate Ho Chi Minh City is by motorbike. Xe Om or Honda Om drivers reside on every street corner waiting for their next customer, or victim, depending on your point of view. A short ride should cost between 10,000 and 20,000 VND -- only pay 20,000-30,000 for a cross-city journey. If entrusting your life to one of these guys isn't too appealing, rent your own bike -- they aren't hard to find (around Pham Ngu Lao) and should cost around US$6 a day. Always park the bike in a parking space serviced by attendants -- they are easy to find and cost 2-5,000 dong depending on time of day and location (don't be surprised if asked for 10,000 dong in the city centre in the evening). Most restaurants and shops have a security guard who tends the bike for free.

Taxis are a safer method of getting around, and usually drivers are reliable and the fares cheap ($1-5). Make sure you have the address of where you're going written down because pronouncing street names correctly can be tricky. All taxis are metered, starting at around 12,000 dong. The city is attempting a clamp down on unlicensed taxis with dodgy meters, just avoid these altogether. Go with the companies listed below if possible but note that the resourceful scammers even decorate their cars in the same colors and try the same name minus a letter.

Mai Linh Taxi Company - (08) 822 6666
Vina Taxi - (08) 811 1111
Saigon Taxi - (08) 842 4242

If time isn't a factor try a ride in a cyclo. Most remaining cyclo drivers work with tourists and speak a little English, perhaps giving a commentary on the way. The true price is 30,000 dong an hour, or no more than 15,000 for a short journey, but be prepared for a much higher asking price which can be bartered down to something more realistic. Cyclosare being phased out in Saigon and it may not be possible to see them on the streets much longer. However, the remaining cyclos remain mostly in the tourism industry and are still easy to find.

The best way to get to and from the airport apart from a taxi is the air-conditioned bus, number 152i. It runs from Ben Thanh Market station. It may be worth checking if the hotel will pick up from the airport as many, even the budget options, will have someone who can collect you and save you some hassle.