Lien Khuong airport: flights and the road to Da Lat
Lien Khuong (DLI) is Da Lat’s only airport, 28–30 km south of the centre — about 45 minutes on the road. There are no direct international flights yet, everything is domestic; foreign routes are announced for December. Here is what flies, what it costs to get into town and back, and how much time to allow. The airport has been open since 19 August 2026, after five months of runway works.
What kind of airport it is
Lien Khuong (Liên Khương in Vietnamese) is the only airport serving Da Lat and the whole of Lam Dong province. Its codes are DLI for airlines and VVDL for air traffic control. It stands not in the town itself but in Duc Trong commune by highway QL20, thirty kilometres to the south. The 3,250-metre runway takes medium-haul jets, and the airfield lies at 962 metres above sea level — higher than most airports in Vietnam, because Da Lat itself sits on a plateau. The current terminal opened on 26 December 2009: two floors, twelve and a half thousand square metres, built for one and a half to two million passengers a year.
The schedule is still settling The frequencies below were announced by the carrier for the reopening, and the province warns outright that the schedule may change. The first weeks after a restart are the most volatile: check the flight in the airline's own app before you buy a non-refundable ticket.
What flies from 19 August
Route
Flights a week
Hanoi — Da Lat
28
Ho Chi Minh City — Da Lat
7
Vinh — Da Lat
7
Hai Phong — Da Lat
4
Da Nang — Da Lat
3
International flights from December
Right now Lien Khuong flies domestic only, so with an international ticket you still land in Ho Chi Minh City or Cam Ranh and drive up the hill. What is announced next: Kuala Lumpur four times a week, Singapore from December three times a week, Seoul (Incheon) also from December, four times a week. The province gives no exact dates inside December, and international plans here have slipped more than once — treat this as an intention rather than a timetable.
From the airport into town
The airport sits 28–30 km south of the centre and the drive takes about 45 minutes — a proper run down the highway, not a hop.
The Phuong Trang shuttle costs 50k ₫ and terminates in town at 2 Le Quy Don. It runs to the flight schedule.
A taxi or Grab is 250–300k ₫ per car. That is a checked price, not the meter: at the exit they quote more.
Arriving in the evening — arrange a transfer in advance: after the last flight there are few cars at the terminal.
Know a current price — send it through the “what you pay” form and we will show the median.
From town to the airport
The way back is the part people plan worst: an early flight, and the bus does not run around the clock. Allow an hour for the road plus time for check-in.
The Phuong Trang bus leaves from the office at 2 Le Quy Don and from the bus station at 1 To Hien Thanh. The line runs 06:00 to 22:00 and the ticket is the same 50k ₫.
Tickets go through the desk, the FUTA Bus Lines app or the operator's phone line — in advance if your flight is at a busy hour.
A flight before seven in the morning or after eleven at night is not covered by the bus: that leaves a taxi or Grab at the same 250–300k ₫, and the car is best booked the night before.
What this means for prices in town Five months without an airport kept Da Lat in “only the determined get here” mode. From 19 August the flow returns to six or seven thousand people a day, and rooms and transfers will feel it first. Travelling in late August — book earlier than you normally would.
The reopening and the first day come from government outlets and the Lam Dong provincial paper, 19–20 August 2026, as do the Vietjet frequencies. The international routes are provincial plans announced before the reopening. Codes, elevation, runway and terminal are open reference data on the airfield. Line hours, stops and ways to buy a ticket come from the carrier, Phuong Trang (FUTA Bus Lines). Checked on 26 August 2026.
Options and prices
Grab, Be and InDrive must
App · city-wide
25–75k₫
$1–2.85
typical 3 km trip · approx.
Works with foreign cards, needs no Vietnamese phone number, and the app is fully in English. It removes every taxi argument.
Worth knowing. Grab is the default: cars and bikes arrive in minutes and the price is fixed in the app. InDrive works differently — you name your own price and wait longer for someone to take it, which pays off on long runs: people get to Nha Trang for around 500,000 ₫ and order a seven-seat minivan for under a million.
The alternative to flying to Ho Chi Minh City: Phuong Trang runs 41-seat sleepers with wifi and a free hotel shuttle at both ends.
Worth knowing. Book on Vexere or 12Go two or three days ahead. Ask for the lower deck, seats 4–12 — the passes shake noticeably less there. Our ticket on 16 August 2026: operator Tiến Oanh, a VIP Cabin capsule bus, one berth for 450k ₫. Departure 22:30 from the office on Phạm Hồng Thái (ward 10), arrival 05:40 at the Saigon office at 266 Đồng Đen, Tan Binh — seven hours ten minutes on the road, the night spent travelling. Cancelling late costs 30% of the fare.
Careful. Thanh Buoi has been running this route as contract buses rather than a licensed fixed route since early 2025. Prefer Phuong Trang.
Da Lat ⇄ Nha Trang
Limousine vans, 11 departures daily
170–300k₫
$6.50–11.50
3–4 hours · checked
The fast escape to the sea — three to four hours over the Khanh Le pass. The same road serves Cam Ranh airport, though since August 2026 Da Lat has its own working one again.
Worth knowing. Runs as daytime vans with hotel pickup, not overnight sleepers. The Khanh Le pass is spectacular — sit on the right going down.
Da Lat ⇄ Mui Ne
Limousine vans, 3 departures daily
250–490k₫
$9.60–19
4.5–5.5 hours · checked
The sand dunes. Since the 2025 merger Mui Ne is technically the same province as Da Lat, and it is one of Vietnam's two Russian-speaking hubs.
Worth knowing. Not a day trip — the dunes are a sunrise and sunset thing. Plan at least one night.
Open again since 19 August 2026 after a full runway rebuild — the new strip is 3,250 m. Flights go to Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Da Nang, Hai Phong, Vinh and Can Tho, five of those routes flown by Vietjet. The international side came back on 2 September: AirAsia to Kuala Lumpur, four times a week.
Worth knowing. The Phuong Trang shuttle is 50k and ends at 2 Le Quy Don in town. A taxi or Grab is 250–300k.
Careful. Kuala Lumpur is so far the only international route. Seoul, Bangkok, Singapore, Taiwan and Japan are on the province's list but without dates: for a connection from abroad, count on landing in Ho Chi Minh City or Cam Ranh and driving the rest of the way.
Street taxis — Mai Linh & Lado
City-wide
12.5–14.5k₫
$0.48–0.56
per metered kilometre · approx.
If you must flag one on the street, use only Mai Linh (green) or Lado. Mai Linh 0263 3838 3838, Lado 02633 666 777.
Worth knowing. That is the running rate per kilometre; the pick-up charge is counted separately, so a short hop across town works out dearer per kilometre. Call centres: Mai Linh 1055, Lado 1900 1111; Lado keeps a Da Lat office at 222 Mai Anh Dao.
Careful. The classic Da Lat scam: a driver tells you your hotel is closed or full and takes you to a commission property. It is never true. Use Grab.
Xanh SM taxi (electric)
App · city-wide
12.5–20k₫
$0.48–0.77
per km · approx.
VinFast's all-electric fleet — silent, clean cars and drivers who do not haggle. A good second app when Grab is surging.
Worth knowing. Card support is still patchy; carry cash. A Vietnamese number helps but is not always required.