Transportation in Da Lat

In Da Lat you will find various forms of transport, so getting to your destination will never be a problem. Situated in the south central highlands of Vietnam, Da Lat is famous for its scenic landscapes, and the climate here is soothing and pleasant. People and goods mostly travel by road in Da Lat, with a large number of vehicles of all kinds plying the roads. The Da Lat waterways are served by thirty one boats, of which eighteen are for carrying goods and thirteen for passengers.

You can travel through Da Lat city by bus, boat, taxi or motorbike.

Getting to and around Da Lat is easy with our Da Lat Transportation Guide below. To help get a better understanding of the layout of the city and see the sights you can always book one of our Da Lat tours. For more information regarding transportation in Vietnam visit our Vietnam Transportation Guide.

Da Lat Transportation Guide

Getting to and around Da lat

By Car/ Taxi

If you choose to travel by taxi in the city, you will find it very comfortable. No matter where you are in Da Lat, you are sure to find a taxi. Da Lat transportation network is well-connected by road to the important places in Vietnam, so getting to Da Lat by car is easy. In fact, the highway was built only recently and it's in perfect condition, so you can reach the city pretty fast.

If you are driving by private car to Da Lat from Nha Trang, you have a route specially designed for you. Buses are not yet allowed on to this new road that cuts as much as 70 km from your journey from Nha Trang.  You can get to Da Lat the fastest by car - just about two and a half hours, as compared to the four and a half hours by bus. You will share the car with a minimum of two passengers, and it will cost you around US$65.

By Bus

Buses operate from various parts of Da Lat. There is a long-distance bus to the city from the capital of Hanoi, and buses from other places in Vietnam as well. A trip from Ho Chi Min city to Da Lat (308 km) takes seven hours, while a journey from Nha Trang (205 km) will take about 4.5 hours at the most. Public and tourist buses run both of these routes with stops.

Most locals and foreign tourists choose to travel to Da Lat by bus. A favorite is the famous Sinh Cafe Hanoi-HCMC bus route. If you are travelling to Da Lat from Nha Trang, the bus will stop at a dilapidated Cham temple site that is frequented by tourists.

Seeing there are many travel agencies in Da Lat It will be easy for you to find one that can book buses to all parts of the country. The Da Lat Airport, 30 km south of the city, has daily Vietnam Airlines flights to HCMC and Hanoi.

Open Bus Tickets

If you are backpacking from Saigon to Hanoi you're in luck. Just get yourself an Open Bus Ticket. The buses - operated mostly by cafes and travel companies - cover all the tourist hot spots in the country, and the Open Bus Ticket enables you to travel at your own pace and go wherever you like with no restrictions. When you want to move on, all you have to do is confirm your departure one day in advance. These tickets are valid for one year from the date of purchase.

Independent travellers absolutely love Vietnam's 'Open Tours'. These tours are a simple, safe and comfortable way to travel around the country, and they are really cheap, due to the fierce competition among local tour operators. These tours are flexible and you travel between Saigon and Hanoi by on-again, off-again private bus, and get to choose from various stops on this 800-mile journey.

You can purchase individual segments as you go along, such as Saigon - Da Lat ($6), Da Lat - Nha Trang ($8), and Nha Trang - Hoi An ($11), or opt for longer routes like Saigon - Hue ($28) or Hue - Hanoi ($19).

The whole experience will take about two weeks. You could fly into Saigon or Hanoi and take the overland Open Tour north or south. You can buy Open Tour tickets in Saigon from the Pham Ngu Lao region, which is also known as the 'backpacker's ghetto ( 272 De Tham Street, tel. 8/836-9859) or from Sinh Cafe (248 De Tham Street, tel. 8/836-7338).

In Hanoi you can buy these tickets from Love Planet (25 Hang Bac Street, tel. 4/828-4864), or Sinh Cafe (52 Hang Bac Street, tel. 4/926-0038). The buses will pick you up in front of various cafes, and from a number of spots along the route, like Hue, Danang, Hoi An, or Da Lat.

By Air

Da Lat Airport is referred to as the Lien Khoung Airport. It is the largest of the four airports found in the Lam Dong province of Vietnam. Compared with the runways of other airports in the country, the Da Lat Airport runway is rather short. Planes also fly in here from Japan and Russia. Vietnam Airlines flies into Da Lat from and Saigon once a day, and four times a week from Hanoi.

Cycles and Motorbikes (Easy Riders)

Since Da Lat is a pretty small hill station, you will find transportation around Da Lat on bicycle very convenient. You can hire a two-person bike at a very cheap hourly rate. You'll find these cycles on the corner of Nguyen Thi Minh Khai and other places near the lake. You can also rent a bike from most hotels in Da Lat, with some even on offer free of charge.

For cycling enthusiasts, a one day guided cycling tour is available from most hotels. The easiest ride covers about 30 km of spectacular pine-covered hills and picture-postcard valleys dotted with small farms. The ride lasts about four to six hours, depending on your pace, and ends at Dankia Lake, 15 km from Da Lat.

If you are not staying too far out of Da Lat, you can walk to most parts of the city for sightseeing and eating out, but the best way to travel is by a Xe Om (motorbike taxi). If you are planning an out-of-town excursion, this popular mode of transport in Da lat is the fastest. You can rent a motorbike by the hour or by the day.

If you would like to experience Da Lat from a fresh perspective and see the spots most tourists miss out on, or view Vietnam's glorious countryside, hire a motorbike that comes with a guide or driver, or both. These local drivers and guides speak good English and seem to know everyone in Da Lat, which can prove useful.

 Look for them at the Peace Cafe in Peace Hotel. Make sure the driver is licensed. You can tell a legitimate driver by the book he carries, usually filled with wonderful comments from tourists he has shown around. You can hire a motorbike with driver/guide from about US $ 20 for an 8-hour tour to US $ 60 a day for long distance multi-day trips, with accommodation included most of the time.

Or you could choose to ride around yourself. Motorbikes on rent are available from cafes, hotels, travel agencies, and motorbike shops. A 100 cc moped will usually give you unlimited mileage and costs only about US$5 per day. Remember that most rental places will expect to keep your passport until you return the bike. So try and get them to sign an agreement which states all the details - the type of bike you're renting, the cost, etc.

By Boat

The waterways offer another mode of transport in Da Lat, but travelling by boat is only possible during the dry season.