HANOI to DA LAT — Flight, Train, Bus? ☀️

8 min readJun 14, 2020

How do you get from Hanoi to Da Lat? You can travel by plane, train+bus or sleeper bus.

From Hanoi to Da Lat (Lam Dong) — from the northern to southern Vietnam.

Da Lat (Đà Lạt) is the capital of Lam Dong province in southern Vietnam. It lies about 310 kilometers northeast of Ho Chi Minh City, 26 km south of Lien Khuong Airport. Da Lat has a pleasant climate due to its altitude (1500 m above sea level), therefore it is sometimes nicknamed the “city of eternal spring.” Temperatures are usually between 18–25 °C. In the whole area, a huge amount of vegetables and flowers are grown in greenhouses and foil plants, which shine at night, and from a height of ten kilometers they form interesting patterns. The Langbian Plain, in the center of which Da Lat lies, offers absolutely perfect conditions for agriculture. The best way how to explore this place is to rent a motorbike.
There is also a possibility to buy fresh strawberries and lots of vegetables also in January. In addition, a large amount of coffee is grown there. Da Lat still has a great influence of French colonialists and it is clear at first glance that it is one of the richest cities in Vietnam. Beautiful villas from the early 20th century, an artificial lake, lots of trees and flowers and luxurious hotels. One of the most inresting places in Da Lat is Elephant Waterfall (Pongour Waterfall), it is situated in Nam Ban (Nam Ban) town, about 40 km away from Da Lat. There are 3 option how you can travel to Da Lat from Hanoi in northern Vietnam - by plane (direct flights), by train+bus via Nha Trang or by sleeper bus (via Da Nang or Nha Trang).

🥇 You can search and book bus/train tickets or direct flights from Hanoi to Da Lat on Baolau or 12go.asia
(You can change your route, e.g. Hanoi > Nha Trang, Nha Trang > Da Lat…)

From Hanoi to Da Lat you can travel by plane (direct flight) train+bus or bus.

Travel distance from Hanoi to Da Lat in Lam Don province is about 1400 km by land. The best and fast option how to reach Da Lat from Hanoi is to travel by plane. There are various direct flights every day between these cities and flights start already at $45–50/pp. Direct flight from Hanoi to Da Lat takes about 2 hours and flights are operated by 4 vietnamese airlines. If you want to visit only Da Lat and you want to save your travel time you should definitely take a direct flight.
If you want to visit also another places in central Vietnam (e.g. Hue, Da Nang…), you can travel by train from Hanoi to Nha Trang and from Nha Trang you can travel by tourist bus to Da Lat. Travel time by train+bus via Nha Trang is about 30–32 hours (about 25 hours to Nha Trang and about 4 hours by bus from Nha Trang to Da Lat). There are sleeper trains of Vietnam Railways or tourist luxury trains to Da Nang. Travel by train+bus from Hanoi to Da Lat (via Nha Trang) costs about $22–70/pp.
The last option is to travel by sleeper tourist bus. But this option is not so comfortable, if you can - travel by train+bus, trains are better. You can travel by sleeper bus from Hanoi to Da Nang and from Da Nang you can take another tourist bus to Da Lat. Travel by sleeper bus takes about 30–35 hours and bus tickets cost about $25–30/pp. From Da Lat you can travel to Ho Chi Minh City - the biggest city of southern Vietnam.

How do I get from Hanoi to Da Lat?

1. DIRECT FLIGHTS from Hanoi to Da Lat

the most fastest and best way how to travel from Hanoi to Da Lat
direct flight from Hanoi to Da Lat takes about 2 hours
direct flight from Hanoi to Da Lat cost about $45–170/pp
airlines from Hanoi to Da Lat: Vietnam Airlines, VietJet Air, Jetstar Pacific, Bamboo Airways
international airport in Hanoi: Noi Bai International Airport (about 30 km north of Hanoi)
international airport in Da Lat: Lien Khuong International Airport (about 30 km south of Da Lat City)

From Hanoi to Da Lat — direct flight. — From Hanoi to Da Lat you can travel by plane-direct flight.

2. TRAIN+BUS from Hanoi to Da Lat (via Nha Trang)

A) TRAIN from Hanoi to Nha Trang

travel distance by train from Hanoi to Nha Trang is about 1300 km
there are about 6 trains to Nha Trang of Vietnam Railways
1st class+2nd class trains of Vietnam Railways (hard+soft seats or sleeper berths in cabin)
travel by train from Hanoi to Nha Trang takes up to 24–28 hours
train ticket from Hanoi to Nha Trang costs about $22–70/pp
you can read this article: How to travel from Hanoi to Nha Trang?
you will receive your train e-ticket to Nha Trang by email, ready to print or carry in your smartphone / tablet and present when boarding the train in Hanoi Railway Station

B) BUS or TAXI from Nha Trang to Da Lat

travel by bus or taxi from Nha Trang to Da Lat takes about 4 hours
bus companies to Da Lat: Hanh Café, TheSinh Tourist, Phuong Trang (Futabus), Lac Hong Limousine,
one-way bus ticket from Nha Trang to Da Lat costs about $5–10 (depends on the type of bus, minivan)
you can read this article: How to travel from Nha Trang to Da Lat?

From Hanoi to Nha Trang by train — You can travel from Hanoi to Nha Trang by train and by bus from Nha Trang to Da Lat.

3. SLEEPER BUS from Hanoi to Da Lat (via Da Nang)

From Hanoi to Da Lat you can also travel by sleeper tourist bus. But travel distance is about 1400 km, think carefully if you want to travel by sleeper bus, because buses are not so comfortable for this long trip. You can travel by sleeper bus from Hanoi to Da Nang and from Da Nang to Da Lat.

STEP — Bus from Hanoi to Da Nang
- travel by sleeper bus from Hanoi to Da Nang takes about 16–18 hours
- read this article: How to go to Da Nang from Hanoi?
STEP — Bus from Da Nang to Da Lat
- travel by sleeper bus from Da Nang to Da Lat takes about 12–17 hours
- read this article: How to go to Da Lat from Da Nang?

Tips + Faqs — Travel route from Hanoi to Da Lat:

How and where to book and buy tickets or flights from Hanoi to Da Lat?

🥇 You can search and book bus/train tickets or direct flights from Hanoi to Da Lat on Baolau or 12go.asia
(You can change your route, e.g. Hanoi > Nha Trang, Nha Trang > Da Lat…)

How long does it take to travel from Hanoi to Da Lat?

Travel by plane from Hanoi to Da Lat takes about 2 hours (direct flight).
Travel by train+bus from Hanoi to Da Lat (via Nha Trang) takes about 30–32 hours.
Travel by sleeper tourist bus from Hanoi to Da Lat (via Da Nang) takes about 30-35 hours.

How much does it cost to travel from Hanoi to Da Lat?

Travel by plane from Hanoi to Da Lat costs about $45–170 (direct flight).
Travel by train+bus from Hanoi to Da Lat (via Nha Trang) costs about $27–70/pp.
Travel by tourist sleeper bus from Hanoi to Da Lat (via Da Nang) costs about $25–30/pp.

How far is Da Lat from Hanoi?

Travel distance from Hanoi to Da Lat is about 1400 km by land or about 950 km by plane from Noi Bai Airport.

What is the best and fast option of transport to Da Lat from Hanoi?

The best and fast option of transport from Hanoi to Da Lat is to travel by plane. There are various direct flights every day of 4 vietnamese airlines. Sometimes these flights to Da Lat are cheap (low-cost flights).

What is the cheapest way of travel to Da Lat from Hanoi?

The cheapest way of travel to Da Lat from Hanoi is to travel by combination of bus or train via Nha Trang. If you can - it is better to travel by train, buses are not so comfortable.

Is there a train from Nha Trang to Da Lat?

No, there is no train from Nha Trang to Da Lat, the only way how to go from Nha Trang to Da Lat is to travel by bus, taxi or motorbike.

How to explore Da Lat?

Da Lat offers various interesting sites aroung the city. The best option how to explore this area is to rent a motorbike (or your private motorbike driver - Easy Rider, e.g. Da Lat Easy Riders)

What you should visit if you travel via central or southern Vietnam to Da Lat?

There are various interesting places in central and southern Vietnam. Da Nang is the biggest city of central Vietnam, but you can travel to Quy Nhon from Hanoi (not so visited place by foreign tourists). Ideal place for beach relax. From Quy Nhon you can travel by bus to Da Lat.

Where you can travel from Da Lat?

You can travel to Saigon, but before this city you can travel by bus to Phan Thiet - Mui Ne. Travel by bus from Da Lat to Mui Ne takes about 4–6 hours and bus tickets are cheap, start already at $5–7/pp. You can also travel by bus or plane to Ho Chi Minh City.