Travel Tips

Where Do You Fly Into for Vietnam?

The short answer: Vietnam's three main airports

Vietnam is a long, narrow country, so the airport you fly into shapes how your whole trip flows. Three international airports handle almost all visitors: Hanoi in the north, Ho Chi Minh City (still widely called Saigon) in the south, and Da Nang in the centre. All three take long-haul and regional flights, and all three connect easily to the rest of the country by short domestic hops.

The right choice is simply whichever end of the country you want to start in. Below we go through each one, then the open-jaw trick that saves most people a wasted internal flight, and the new airport opening near Ho Chi Minh City in 2026.

Fly into Hanoi (Noi Bai) for the north and Ha Long Bay

If your trip centres on Ha Long Bay, Sapa, Ninh Binh or the capital itself, fly into Noi Bai International Airport (HAN), about 45 minutes north of Hanoi's Old Quarter. Hanoi is the gateway to northern Vietnam: Ha Long Bay is a couple of hours away by road, and Sapa and Ninh Binh are easy onward trips.

For most first-timers whose main reason for the trip is Ha Long Bay, Hanoi is the obvious arrival airport. Our 5-day north Vietnam itinerary and the guide to how many days you need in Hanoi both start here.

Fly into Ho Chi Minh City (Tan Son Nhat) for the south

For the south, fly into Tan Son Nhat International Airport (SGN), Vietnam's busiest airport, only a few kilometres from the centre of Ho Chi Minh City. It is the gateway to the Mekong Delta, the island of Phu Quoc, and the energy of the south.

If you want to travel the country from south to north, or your trip leans towards the Mekong and the beaches of the south, start here. Our south Vietnam itinerary is built around a Ho Chi Minh City arrival.

Fly into Da Nang for Hoi An and the centre

Da Nang International Airport (DAD) sits right in the city and is the handiest arrival point for the central coast. Hoi An's old town is about 45 minutes away, the beaches are on the doorstep, and the former imperial capital of Hue is a scenic couple of hours north. Da Nang takes a growing number of international and regional flights, though it has fewer long-haul options than Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City.

If the heart of your trip is Hoi An and central Vietnam, flying straight into Da Nang saves you a connection. See how many days you need in Hoi An to plan the stay.

The smart move: fly in one end, out the other

Here is the single most useful tip on this page. If you want to see more than one region, do not fly in and out of the same city. Instead, fly into one end of the country and out of the other. A classic route is to land in Hanoi, work your way down through the centre to Ho Chi Minh City, and fly home from there, or the exact reverse. This is called an open-jaw or multi-city ticket.

The pay-off is that you never backtrack. You see Ha Long Bay, Hoi An and the south in one smooth line instead of doubling back for your return flight, which saves a day and often an extra internal flight. Our 14-day Vietnam itinerary and 10-day route are both built this way. When we plan a trip we sort the open-jaw flights and the internal hops so the whole route joins up.

Vietnam's other international airports

Beyond the big three, a handful of smaller airports take some international and regional flights, which can be handy for a specific trip. Phu Quoc (PQC) serves the southern beach island directly. Cam Ranh (CXR) is the airport for Nha Trang and the south-central coast. Cat Bi (HPH) in Hai Phong is close to Ha Long Bay and useful for a few regional routes. Phu Bai (HUI) serves Hue, mostly on domestic flights.

For a first trip, though, you will almost certainly come through Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City or Da Nang, and reach these smaller places on a short, cheap domestic flight. Our guide to flying around Vietnam covers the internal network.

The new Long Thanh airport: what changes in 2026

There is one timely thing worth knowing. A large new airport, Long Thanh International (LTH), is being built in Dong Nai province, about 40 kilometres east of central Ho Chi Minh City. A technical opening took place in late 2025, and the first commercial flights are currently targeted for around December 2026, though that date has already moved once and could slip again.

Importantly, Long Thanh supplements Tan Son Nhat rather than replacing it. Long-haul international flights are expected to move across first, in phases, while domestic and short regional routes stay at Tan Son Nhat for now. The practical advice: check the airport code on every segment of your booking, as SGN and LTH are different airports about an hour apart by road, and do not book an arrival at one and a departure from the other without a generous buffer. When we book flights for a trip we keep an eye on which airport each one actually uses.

Getting from the airport to where you are going

All three main airports are well connected to their cities, and onward travel is straightforward. From Hanoi it is about 45 minutes into the Old Quarter and a couple of hours on to Ha Long Bay. Tan Son Nhat is minutes from central Ho Chi Minh City. Da Nang airport is in the city, with Hoi An about 45 minutes away.

One small practical point: Vietnam uses a digital arrival card that you can complete online before you land, which our arrival card guide walks through. On a planned trip we have a driver waiting at arrivals, so there is no scramble for a taxi after a long flight.

So which airport should you choose?

To boil it down: fly into Hanoi if Ha Long Bay and the north are the point of the trip, Ho Chi Minh City if you are drawn to the south and the Mekong, and Da Nang if Hoi An and the central coast are your focus. If you want to see the sweep of the country, fly into one end and out of the other and let the route run in a line.

The honest answer for most first trips is that the airports matter less than the route you build between them, and that is the part worth getting right.

Let us sort the flights and the route

Working out which airports to use, in which order, with the open-jaw ticket and the internal hops all lining up, is exactly the kind of thing we take off your hands. We are private Vietnam specialists, not resellers, and we never take commission, so we plan the route around what you want to see rather than around what pays us. We book the flights, arrange the drivers, and run the whole trip for you from arrival to departure.

We are rated five-star on Tripadvisor. If you tell us where you want to go and roughly when, we will tell you which airports to fly into and out of and build the trip around them. Read why it is worth booking a private Vietnam trip, or go straight to a free personalised itinerary.

Common questions

Where do you fly into for Vietnam?

Most visitors fly into one of Vietnam's three main international airports: Hanoi (Noi Bai, HAN) in the north, Ho Chi Minh City (Tan Son Nhat, SGN) in the south, or Da Nang (DAD) in the centre. Choose the one closest to where your trip begins, or fly into one end of the country and out of the other.

Which airport is best for Ha Long Bay?

Fly into Hanoi (Noi Bai, HAN). It is the gateway to northern Vietnam, and Ha Long Bay is about a two to two and a half hour drive away. There is no international airport at Ha Long Bay itself, so Hanoi is the arrival point for a cruise.

Should you fly into Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City?

Fly into Hanoi if Ha Long Bay, Sapa and the north are your priority, and Ho Chi Minh City if you are drawn to the Mekong Delta, Phu Quoc and the south. If you want to see both, fly into one and out of the other so you do not have to backtrack.

Can you fly into one city and out of another in Vietnam?

Yes, and it is usually the smartest option for a trip covering more than one region. An open-jaw or multi-city ticket lets you land in Hanoi, travel south, and fly home from Ho Chi Minh City (or the reverse), so you never double back for your return flight.

What is the new Long Thanh airport?

Long Thanh International (LTH) is a large new airport about 40 kilometres east of Ho Chi Minh City, with first commercial flights targeted for around December 2026. It supplements Tan Son Nhat (SGN) rather than replacing it, so check the airport code on each flight segment.

Do you need to fill in anything on arrival in Vietnam?

Vietnam uses a digital arrival card that you can complete online before you travel, and most visitors either enter visa-free or on an e-visa. It is quick to do in advance, which saves time at the airport after a long flight.