Getting To Ho Chi Minh City by Road

Getting To Ho Chi Minh City by Road

Vietnam has a well developed network of roads. The condition of the roads are however another matter. Many of the roads are not in a very drive-able state, though the Vietnamese do manage pretty well even on these conditions. If you are planning on going to Ho Chi Minh City by road it is advisable that you hire a car with a driver as the system of self-driven car hire is practically unheard of here. This is actually a blessing in disguise, given the sad condition of the roads and the thousands of bicycles motorbikes and pedestrians which throng the streets. Other than the basic rules of stopping at red lights and using headlights while driving at night, no-one bothers to adhere to traffic rules here. Driving on these roads can thus be quiet a nightmare.

The city does not offer any emergency breakdown services. So if, god forbid, your car does break down on the way to a destination you are on your own.

Routes to Ho Chi min City: The national highways are all assigned numbers. Highway 1 covers the length of the country from the very south, through Ho Chi Minh City and northwards to Hanoi and goes beyond to the Chinese border. Major towns in the south of Vietnam on Highway 1 are My Tho, Can Tho, Phan Thiet and Nha Trang.

The time it will take you to drive to Ho Chi Minh City are given here: From My Tho – 1 hour 30 minutes; Vung Tau – 2 hours; Cambodian border – 2 hours 30 minutes; Phan Thiet – 3 hours 30 minutes; Can Tho – 4 hours 30 minutes; Dalat – 7 hours; Nha Trang – 12 hours.

Book Ho Chi Minh City hotels now