Ho Chi Minh City International Airport. Important information about Ho Chi Minh City International Airport. Calendar of low prices for flights to Ho Chi Minh City
After flying to Vietnam, passengers most often end up at Tan Son Nhat Airport, IATA code - SGN. It is located in the country's largest city, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Like the city, the airport is also the largest in Vietnam, both in terms of area and passenger volume. It was opened in 1930 during the French colonial administration.
Geographic coordinates: 10°49'08" N, 106°39'07" E. Altitude 10 m above sea level. The airport has two runways 3048 m and 3800 m long. 32 million passengers pass through it every year, this is 40% of all Vietnamese air passenger traffic.
The airport is located within the city of Ho Chi Minh City, in its northern part, 6 km from the center. In Vietnamese, “Tan Son Nhat Airport” is written like this: Sân bay quốc tế Tân Sơn Nhất, pronounced approximately like “shan bai quoc te tan son Nhat.”
Phones: +84 8 8448358, +84 8 8446587. Here 84 is the code of Vietnam, after it 8 is the city code of Ho Chi Minh City, then the seven-digit city number.
Arrivals at Tan Son Nhut Airport
Location of services
The airport has two terminals. Terminal No. 1 is for domestic flights, terminal No. 2 is for international flights. The current international terminal of the airport was built in 2007. It is located on four levels.
Check-in counters for domestic flights are located in areas E-F-G-H. In this case, passengers without luggage are checked in at counters E3-F5, business class passengers - F1-F8, economy class passengers - G1-G12, H1-H12, Internet check-in counter - G1A.
Passengers for international flights are checked in in zones A-B. In this case, business class passengers are checked in at counters B1, B2, B3, and economy class passengers are checked in at counters A1-A10, B4–B10.
Transit counters are located on the 1st floor.
Passengers move around the international terminal on foot and by elevators, through the domestic terminal - on foot, between the domestic and international terminals - on foot. The bus is available only for transit passengers from Melbourne, Sydney, Kuala Lumpur to Hanoi and back, as well as for passengers with a connection between flights of less than two hours.
The domestic terminal information desk is located outside the terminal, while the international terminal information desk is located on the ground floor of the arrivals hall. Tourist information is available in the arrivals hall of the international terminal.
Internet access is only available in business lounges. However, according to reviews from tourists, free Internet access via WiFi is also available in other areas of the airport. Currency exchange offices are located in the international and domestic terminals. ATMs are located outside the terminals. Luggage storage facilities are located on the ground floor near the international terminal.
The closest hotel to the international terminal is Mi Linh Hotel, located 200 meters east at B38A Bach Dang Street, Ward 02, Tan Binh District. It has only 20 rooms.
Uyen Anh Hotel, 43-44 Yen The, is located 350 meters from the airport. There are several other hotels within 500 meters to the south and east of the terminal.
Arrival
Upon arrival, immigration control is first carried out by Vietnamese border guards dressed in military uniform. Passengers then go down to the 1st floor and receive their luggage. After this, they go through customs control and go out to the car platform.
Baggage claim for international flights is carried out on the 1st floor at baggage belts No. 1-6. The baggage retrieval point is located opposite the border control area on the left side of the arrivals area of the international terminal. Luggage delivery services are available on the ground floor.
To transfer to a flight to another city in Vietnam, you need to go through a covered passage to the domestic lines hall.
A few days before the Vietnamese New Year (Tet), both terminals are heavily crowded with passengers. Among other inconveniences, during this time there is a surge in thefts of hand luggage and personal items in waiting rooms. The theft must be reported to the airport administration by calling +84909853759 for the international lines terminal and +84906963759 for the domestic lines terminal.
Flights from Ho Chi Minh City
Airplanes from Vietnam Airlines, Aeroflot, Transaero, Qatar Airlines, S7 (Novosibirsk), and Emirates fly from Tan Son Nhat Airport to Russia and some other CIS countries. In January 2013, a new route appeared from Almaty (Kazakhstan) from Air Astana.
Several airlines, mainly Vietnam Airlines, fly from Ho Chi Minh City Airport to other cities in Vietnam. These are Hanoi, Haiphong, Danang, Vinh, Hue, Qui Non, Canto, Dalat, Nha Trang, Buon Ma Tuot, Rach Gia, Pleiku, Chu Lai in Quang Nai province, Duong Dong on Phu Quoc island.
International flights are operated to all inhabited continents. There are especially many of them in East Asian countries. Planes from Vietnam Airlines, Air France, Royal Dutch, Lufthansa, and Swiss Airlines fly to Europe. Flights to Russia are listed on the flights to Vietnam page.
The road from the airport to the city
Buses and taxis depart from the airport to Ho Chi Minh City.
During the working day (07.00-18.00), buses No. 152 go to the Pham Ngu Lao area, where most foreign tourists live. The interval is 15-30 minutes, the cost is up to 20,000 dong. To find the starting stop, you need to exit the international terminal, turn right and walk 15-20 m. This route is mainly used by locals.
Buses on routes No. 49, 109, 119, 159 are more comfortable.
Routes No. 109 and No. 119 go from the airport to the central part of the city. The fare is approximately 20,000 dong (when paying, you must name the place where the passenger intends to get off). Open from 5.30 am to 1.30 am.
Route No. 49 is more expensive (up to 40,000 VND), but it has more stops (especially at large hotels).
Route No. 159 operates from 05.30 to 20.25. He's passing through the airport. Runs between Mien Dong and An Suong bus stations. Therefore, you need to be careful when landing. The fare is 7000-10000 dong ($0.31-0.44).
A taxi to the center of Ho Chi Minh City costs from $8, the distance to Pham Ngu Lao district is 7 km, travel time is 20-40 minutes depending on traffic density. It will take a particularly long time to get there before and after the Vietnamese New Year celebrations.
The journey from the airport to the seaside resort of Mui Ne by taxi takes approximately 3-3.5 hours, depending on the traffic density and the number of stops.
Those tourists who choose a bus to move to other cities go to bus stations or to the offices of travel agencies that have Open Bus type buses.
History and prospects
Tan Son Nhut Airport was built in 1930 by the French colonial administration and had a dual purpose. It has been reconstructed several times. In April 1975, fighting took place at the airport between armed guerrilla groups and the South Vietnamese army, as a result of which it was partially damaged. The last large-scale reconstruction was carried out in 2007.
In 2017, the military agreed to remove some of its services from the airport and vacate the land. A new reconstruction of the runway and terminals is likely to begin soon. After it, starting around 2019, Tan Son Nhat Airport will receive and send 38 million passengers.
The city's former name, Saigon, evokes strong associations with military operations, partisans, and American bombings. Fortunately, all this is in the past.
A little history
In 1930, a small airfield was built near the village of Tan Son Nhat. During the war, the Americans used it as an air base until 1975. They built additional runways, increasingly expanding the territory of the airfield.
In 2007, a new terminal was built, and the airport began to receive and dispatch international flights. The old, first airfield serves exclusively domestic flights.
General information
More than 30 international airlines operate at Tan Son Nhat Airport, Ho Chi Minh City. And this is not the limit. The number of flights is constantly increasing. Now it is the country's largest airport, both in size and in number of passengers. However, in the future it will be repurposed and will carry out only local transportation.
The construction of a modern Long Thanh International Airport is currently in full swing and will be completed by 2020.
But for now, most tourist flights are sent not to the capital, but to Ho Chi Minh City, and at a relatively low price.
The air hub is located within the city, just 6 km from the central streets. Leaving the airport terminal, you immediately immerse yourself in the colorful atmosphere of local life. The closest hotels can be reached on foot.
Ho Chi Minh City airport code is SGN.
Online departure board for today at Ho Chi Minh City Airport
Terminals
The airport has two terminals. They are located in different buildings and are separated by 400 m from each other. To get from one to the other, you need to cross the street. The distance between them is small. However, some travel companies, wanting to make money, organize transfers. That is, they will put you in a taxi, drive you 400 meters and charge you 10 dollars for it. Be careful, read the diagrams, it will not be difficult to navigate. So, I had to shuttle between two main buildings:
- Terminal domestic flights, expanded and updated in 2014. Capable of missing up to 13 million people in one year.
- International terminal, opened in 2007, located in a newly renovated building, serves up to 17 million tourists annually.
Luggage storage rooms are located on the 1st floor on the right in the international terminal. The cost of a cell is $1/hour. Outside the airport terminal you can find luggage storage rooms that are 2 times cheaper. Both storage areas are open 24 hours a day.
International terminal
The building has 4 floors. The lower two are the arrival zone, the upper levels are the departure zone. Let me remind you that they do not communicate with each other. You can go from one to another if you walk a few tens of meters along the street.
You can enter or exit the departure area from the overpass, which is located on the 3rd floor. You immediately find yourself in a parking lot.
Here is the order of actions that need to be performed immediately upon arrival:
- get a Vietnamese visa if you arrive for a period of more than 15 days;
- go through passport control;
- baggage claim;
- pass through customs.
For departure, go up to the 3rd floor. You need:
- register;
- check in luggage;
- proceed to the waiting room;
- go shopping.
Services and transport
The airport has everything a traveler needs. Here you can:
- change currency at a rate slightly higher than in city exchange offices;
- order a taxi;
- to book a hotel;
- buy a local SIM card;
- issue a VAT refund;
How to get from Ho Chi Minh City Airport to the center
Bus
To get to the center, it will be cheaper and easier to just take bus route 152. It will take you to the center of Ho Chi Minh City. Travel time is 20 – 30 minutes. The bus runs every 15 minutes. You need to pay for the fare at the entrance, only 20 cents. You can pay the driver, or you can put money into a special machine that gives you change.
If Ho Chi Minh City is not the final destination of your trip, and you are going to move further around the country by intercity buses, then you need bus No. 147. He will take you to the Sholon bus station.
Taxi
If you want to take a taxi, be aware that the actual cost of the trip is 7-10 dollars. Otherwise, the Vietnamese, seeing a tourist, may ask for all 20 American rubles.
You can also pre-order a transfer from Ho Chi Minh City Airport on the website. The price will be a little higher - from 1,500 rubles, but they will be waiting for you at the airport with a sign.
Mototaxi
Do you want extreme sports? Then go out onto the road and catch a motorbike. You will quickly be driven to any chosen point. It is advisable not to have bulky luggage.
And if your hotel is located nearby, you can easily walk and save money at the same time.
When the lights of Ho Chi Minh City appeared under the wing of the plane, I finally realized that I was in Vietnam, and I had an exciting journey ahead: I would see Saigon, plunge into the warm waters of the South China Sea, admire the temples and waterfalls.
For me, getting to know a city begins with its airport. How will Ho Chi Minh City greet me?
There is only one airport in Ho Chi Minh City, it is called Tan Son Nhat. The international terminal (terminal 2) and the domestic terminal (terminal 1) are located close to each other. But to get from one to the other, you will have to leave the airport building and walk 400 meters.
What I liked about the airport:
The departure area in the international terminal occupies the 3rd and 4th floors. There are enough places to wait, there are small souvenir shops and a duty free shop.
From the domestic flight terminal I flew to Nha Trang. I had a Vietnam Airlines ticket. The airline's check-in counters are located on the left side of the terminal building. The departure area is located on the second floor. There are many cafes, small shops, and vending machines with free drinking water.
In general, Ho Chi Minh City airport seemed small to me (surely, after some time it will no longer cope with such a flow of passengers), but very cozy and calm.
There is no fuss here and you can tune in to the upcoming flight, read a book while waiting for departure, or just look at the runway, remembering the time spent in Vietnam.
And through the southern gate of the country is Ho Chi Minh City Airport. It is the largest in both size and passenger traffic. Tan Son Nhat International Airport serves over 17 million people a year. The close location - just 8 km from the city center - allows arriving passengers to easily reach any point using public transport.
Characteristic
The airport dates back to the 30s of the last century. First, French colonists built a small airfield near Saigon near the village of Tan Son Nhut. During the Vietnam War there was a US Air Force base here and a. In peacetime, after reconstruction, the airfield began to serve as an international airport. Tan Son Nhat is equipped with two runways, the length of which is 3800 and 3048 m, and two terminals. Terminal 1 is intended for domestic air travel, and Terminal 2 for international flights.
The airport is already too crowded to handle such a passenger flow, but so far it is coping with the task. The staff is friendly and speaks broken English. The queues at passport control are short and the halls are clean. The annual increase in tourists coming to Vietnam and the expansion of the territory of Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) led the Vietnamese authorities to the decision to build a new airport at a distance of 40 km from Ho Chi Minh City. The opening is planned for 2020.
Terminals
The peculiarity of Tan Son Nhut Airport is that the domestic and international terminals are located separately. These are two separate buildings located 400 m from each other. To get from one terminal to another you need to cover this short distance on foot. When leaving Terminal 2, you should turn right, and, conversely, from Terminal 1, turn left.
If you look at the diagram, orientation at this airport in Vietnam is not difficult. Information boards are installed everywhere, showing detailed maps of terminal floors and aircraft arrivals and departures boards online. The airport website also provides a diagram, partly in Russian.
Domestic terminal
T1 is a two-story building in which the arrivals area is located on the first floor, and the departure area on the second. There are several check-in counters here. Passengers without luggage are checked in in zones E3-F5. G1A services e-ticket holders. Business class passengers are checked in in zones F1-F8. The way to move around the internal terminal is on foot. Its layout, as can be seen from the diagram, is extremely simple. Exchange offices and ATMs are located outside.
International terminal
T2 is located in a four-story building, inside which passengers move both by elevators and on foot. The two lower floors are dedicated to the arrivals area. On the first one, near the parking lot, there is an entrance/exit. The third and fourth floors are reserved for the departure area. The arrival and departure areas are not connected to each other, so getting from the second floor to the third is only possible by leaving the building onto the street, through an overpass.
Studying the pattern of passenger arrivals at Ho Chi Minh City airport, we see that they first end up on the second floor, where control is carried out by Vietnamese border guards. Then they go down to the lower floor, receive their luggage, and then proceed to go through customs control.
Airport services
The storage room can be found in the right wing of the first floor of T2. If you look at the diagram, its entrance is located near Dominos Pizza. The storage room is open 24 hours a day. The cost of using the cell is clearly overpriced - $1 per hour. There are no hotels at Tan Son Nhat Airport, but since it is literally within the city, comfortable accommodation can be found within a 10-minute drive. Passengers receive the necessary information at the counter on the ground floor.
The internal T1 information desk, like ATMs, can be found outside it. Internet access is available in the VIP waiting room and partially in several cafes. Prices in cafes and shops are higher than outside the airport. Those who have enough free time between flights can leave the terminal and visit the large C.T. Plaza shopping center located a 7-minute walk away. This building is clearly visible from afar. On the fifth floor there is a food court with a variety of dishes from both local and European cuisine.
Which resorts can be reached from the airport?
Ho Chi Minh City Airport is the southern air gateway to Vietnam. From it it is easy to reach such popular resorts in Vietnam as:,. Planes fly from here to Cambodia. Domestic flights are operated by several Vietnamese airlines, while international flights involve more than 40 carriers from different countries.
Tourists arriving at Terminal 2 and connecting to domestic flights to Vietnamese resorts such as Phu Quoc and Nha Trang should have two to three hours left for the connection. After completing all the formalities at the international terminal, you should exit the building and turn right. If you look at the diagram, then down from T2 there is a road to the square near the second parking lot - Terminal 1
The journey along this path with your luggage will take about 10 minutes. Upon entering the local terminal building, you need to look at the board to find out the number of the flight check-in counter. To save time, you can show your tickets to the attendant at the entrance to the terminal so that he can direct you to the correct counter.
The best way to get to the resorts of Vietnam by land from Saigon airport is on comfortable air-conditioned buses. You can buy a ticket for a night bus with recumbent seats, saving on paying for a hotel room. Tickets for tourist buses can be purchased at hotels at the reception or at the offices of travel companies. For $80-120 by taxi you can get to the nearest resorts.
How to get from the airport to Ho Chi Minh City
Buses No. 152 go to the tourist quarter, scheduled from 7:00 to 18:00. The interval is 15-30 minutes, the ticket price is 5 thousand VND, payment to the driver. The stop is located next to the terminals. Route No. 109 runs from Tan Son Nhat Airport to the center. Opening hours: from 5:30 to 01:30. The ticket price depends on the distance. When paying, you need to indicate the place where you want to leave. Route No. 49 has more stops and a higher price.
The most convenient way is a taxi. Travel to the center costs approximately $8-10. You can order a car at the airport building. Look at the diagram, the stand is located not far from the exit. Show your hotel address and they will tell you the fare. Payment is made in Vietnamese currency – dong. After receiving the receipt, you should go to the manager, who will put you in a taxi. The whole process takes no more than 5 minutes.
More than three dozen international companies operate at the airport, and the number of flights is constantly increasing. However, in the future the airport will be repurposed and focused exclusively on domestic flights. International flights will be moved to Long Thanh Airport, which is expected to be completed by 2020.
The history of Ho Chi Minh City Airport begins in 1930, when the first small airport was built near the village of Tan Son Nhat. Over time and with the help of the Americans, the airport expanded, until 1975 Tan Son Nhat Airport was the most used airbase in Asia.
In 2007, Ho Chi Minh City Airport moved to a new stage of its development by opening a second terminal, which became international. The first, old terminal switched to servicing local flights.
Until 1975, Tan Son Nhut Airport was the most used air base in Asia.
Ho Chi Minh City Airport terminals
The airport has 2 terminals: for domestic and international flights.
Services
- duty free shop
- souvenir shops
- ATMs
- luggage storage
- free water
- playground
- free WI-FI
- business center
Tax free
At Ho Chi Minh City Airport, you can apply for a VAT refund by presenting purchases, receipts, a passport and a completed Tax Free form at the Tax Refund counter (Gate 20). The purchase amount in one store must be at least VND 2,000,000. The tax will be refunded in dong, which can then be exchanged for another currency.
How to get to the airport
Taxi
A taxi will not be expensive. You can get to the center of Ho Chi Minh City for about 160,000 - 200,000 VND. Prices on the page are as of March 2019.
Bus
The most convenient way to get to the city is by bus - this is the easiest and cheapest way to travel. Buses run on different routes; before traveling, you need to make sure that you board the bus you need. Route No. 152 runs every 15 minutes from 07:00 to 19:00 to Pham Ngu Lao, the most popular tourist area where most hotels are located. Route No. 147 goes to the Sholon intercity bus station. A one-way trip costs VND 6,000.
Transfer
The fastest and most comfortable option to get there. You need to select a car of a suitable class and capacity in advance, and the driver will meet you at the airport with a name plate. The price indicated at the time of booking will be fixed: for example, traffic jams will not affect it.
- How to book flights? Instructions
- How to buy airline tickets cheaper?
- Baggage rules
- Carry-on baggage rules
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- Where to stay: In colorful Ho Chi Minh City - ancient Saigon, where there are luxury hotels and ultra-budget guesthouses, and a whole bunch of attractions in the area. Fans of beach holidays have a direct route to popular Nha Trang, “lazy” Tuy Hoa, family-friendly Phan Thiet and surfer Mui Ne. Vung Tau will delight you with its developed infrastructure, Phu Quoc with its combination of forested mountains and white sandy beaches, and Con Dao with its almost complete absence of “civilization”. Mountain lovers are invited to Dalat.
- What to see: Reunification Palace, Notre Dame Cathedral, excellent parks, Cu Chi Tunnels and Saigon Market in