Tan Son Nhat International Airport to Binh Thanh
About 7 km from SGN, 25-40 min in traffic; Grab (~€4.5-6) and metered taxis (~€6-8.5) are easiest, as buses don't serve it well.
Binh Thanh, Ho Chi Minh CityRadek Kucharski / Wikimedia, CC BY 2.0Binh Thanh wraps around the northeast of the centre and is home to Landmark 81 — Vietnam's tallest tower — plus its SkyView deck, riverside condos, the Vinhomes Central Park estate and a fast-growing cafe and dining scene.
Every way to get there
Our verdict: for Binh Thanh, a private transfer is the easiest door-to-door option (from €14).
What it costs for your group
The bus is charged per person, while a taxi or private transfer is one price for the whole car — so the more of you there are, the better door-to-door value looks.
| Group | Private transfer | Best value |
|---|---|---|
| Solo · 1 traveller | €14 | Private transfer |
| Couple · 2 travellers | €14 | Private transfer |
| Family of 4 · 4 travellers | €14 | Private transfer |
Which option should you choose?
| If your priority is… | Our pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Lowest price | Cheapest fare | From €5, though slower with a change in the city. |
| Speed & comfort | Private transfer | Door-to-door, fixed price, a driver waiting for you. |
| A group of 3–4 | Transfer or taxi | One flat fare splits cheaper than several bus tickets. |
| A late-night arrival | Transfer or taxi | Both run 24/7 when buses and the tram have stopped. |
By transport mode
Taxi
Give or take 120,000-160,000 VND (~€4.5-6). For Landmark 81 or Vinhomes Central Park, drop a precise pin — the estate is huge with several tower entrances.
Where to catch it: Request the ride in-app and meet it at the D1-D2 ride-hail lanes on the ground floor.
Best for small groups in a hurryTaxi
Around 150,000-230,000 VND on the meter with the airport fee. Comparable to a District 1 trip, sometimes a touch more depending on the exact address.
Where to catch it: Grab a metered car from the marked rank outside the arrivals hall.
Best for small groups in a hurryPrivate transfer
Fixed at ~380,000-540,000 VND, with larger vans on request — handy for families or groups heading to the Landmark 81 residences with several suitcases.
Where to catch it: A greeter meets you at the exit and brings your luggage to the car.
Best for families, groups & late arrivalsBinh Thanh & Ho Chi Minh City in photos
Buying tickets in Ho Chi Minh City
From Tan Son Nhat, two public buses reach central Ho Chi Minh City. Bus 109 runs to 23/9 Park by Ben Thanh Market for about 15,000 VND, roughly every 40-45 minutes from around 05:30 to 22:00, with luggage racks. The slower local Bus 152 costs about 5,000 VND. Both take cash only — pay the conductor onboard or at the airport booth, and keep small notes handy as change for large bills is limited.
Taxi scams & safety in Ho Chi Minh City
With a street taxi, insist the meter is running or agree the full fare first, and stick to reputable firms like Vinasun or Mai Linh rather than a lookalike cab with a similar name and logo. The easiest way to avoid haggling is a fixed-price app — Grab, Xanh SM or Be — expect roughly 110,000-250,000 VND to District 1. Book in the app, then follow the signs to the "Parking Lot Area" or designated ride-hailing pickup, not a tout's car.
Getting from SGN to Binh Thanh
Binh Thanh curls along the northeast edge of central Saigon, pinned by Landmark 81 — the tallest tower in Vietnam — with the Vinhomes Central Park estate spread out beneath it along the Saigon River. It sits at a useful middle distance: closer than the far suburbs, but set apart from the crush of District 1, with the river on one side and the new metro line threading through the other. From Tan Son Nhat (SGN) it is about 7 km, which sounds like nothing until you meet the traffic. Reckon on 25 to 40 minutes by car, and know before you start that every option here runs entirely on the road.
Why the metro line under Landmark 81 won't get you here from the airport
Metro Line 1 finally opened along this corridor, and its trains glide past the Vinhomes towers on their way between Ben Thanh and the eastern suburbs. It is a genuinely useful line once you are settled in — but it does not touch the airport, and no rail link connects SGN to the network at all. So the metro is something to enjoy later, on day trips into the centre, not a way to arrive. Coming in from the terminal, you are choosing between a ride-hail car, a metered taxi, or a pre-arranged driver, and all three take the same clogged surface streets past the airport, along Nguyen Van Troi, and toward the river.
Ride-hail and metered taxis: the two everyday choices
For most arrivals the sensible pick is a ride-hail car through Grab, Be, or Xanh SM (the electric fleet). Open the app, request the ride, and walk to the D1-D2 ride-hail lanes on the ground floor to meet it. A car to Binh Thanh usually lands somewhere around 120,000 to 160,000 VND, which is roughly €5 to €6, with the price shown before you confirm — no meter to watch, no fare to negotiate at the kerb. One thing to get right: Binh Thanh's riverside estate is enormous, and Landmark 81 and Vinhomes Central Park have several separate tower entrances. Drop a precise pin on your exact block or lobby, otherwise you may be walking the last stretch with your bags along a very long driveway.
If your phone is dead or you would simply rather not fuss with an app, the metered taxis work fine too. Take a Vinasun or Mai Linh car from the marked rank outside the arrivals hall — these are the two reputable companies, and sticking to their liveried cars keeps you clear of the airport's freelance touts. On the meter, plus the standard airport surcharge, expect it to come to about 150,000 to 230,000 VND, near €6 to €9. That is broadly the same as a run into District 1, occasionally a little more depending on which tower you are aimed at. The gap between a metered taxi and a Grab is small enough that convenience, not cost, should decide it.
When a fixed-price driver earns its keep on this run
A pre-booked private transfer costs more — figure on 380,000 to 540,000 VND, around €14 to €20 through Welcome Pickups or a local Saigon operator — but it buys a specific kind of ease that suits this particular district. A greeter meets you at the exit, takes the luggage, and walks you to a waiting car, and the fare is locked before you leave home. Where that pays off here is the combination of heavy suitcases and those sprawling residential towers: if you are a family or a group checking into an apartment in the Central Park estate, a larger van on request and a driver who will find your exact lobby saves the tiresome dance of coordinating a pin drop in a car you have never sat in. For a couple with carry-on, it is more than you need; for four people and a stack of bags heading to a specific high-floor unit, it is money well spent.
Timing the traffic and landing at the right tower
The single biggest variable on this short hop is the clock. Between roughly 7 and 9 in the morning and 5 to 7 in the evening, the Nguyen Van Troi corridor backs up badly, and that 25-minute drive can stretch past 40. If you arrive in one of those windows, pad your plans and do not panic when the car crawls — it is normal, and switching modes won't help because they all use the same road. Whatever you book, have your destination saved in English and in Vietnamese, confirm the tower name and entrance with your host in advance, and share that pin with the driver. Get the address right and Binh Thanh is one of the smoothest arrivals in the city; get it vague and you will finish your journey on foot beside the river.
