Getting to Da Lat in 2026: airport, buses, prices and travel times
Lien Khuong airport reopens on 19 August 2026 after a runway rebuild. Until it does, the only way in is by road: 6–8 hours from Ho Chi Minh City, 3–4 from Cam Ranh. Here is what each option costs and where people lose money on arrival.
The airport: open or not
Lien Khuong (DLI) resumes work at 00:00 on 19 August 2026 with 36–40 flights a day. All of them are domestic. Seoul, Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur routes have not been announced, so an international ticket still lands you in Ho Chi Minh City or Cam Ranh. Reconstruction has run late before — check the date again before you book.
Fly into Cam Ranh, not Ho Chi Minh City
From Cam Ranh the drive is 3–4 hours, from Ho Chi Minh City 6–8. The difference is half a day, and the ticket price to either airport is usually close. If you are coming from Nha Trang anyway, this is the cheapest way in.
Take the night sleeper bus
Sleeper buses leave in the evening and arrive early in the morning, so the ride replaces a night in a hotel. The last hour is mountain switchbacks: if you get motion sick, take a seat in the middle of the bus and skip dinner.
Order a car in the app instead of taking one at the station
The standard trick: the driver says your hotel is closed or overbooked and takes you to another one for a commission. Grab works with foreign cards and does not need a Vietnamese number. On the street, only Mai Linh and Lado are safe defaults.
Withdraw cash at VPBank or Eximbank
Da Lat still runs on cash. VietQR, which locals pay with, needs a Vietnamese bank account, so it is closed to tourists. VPBank and Eximbank charge the least per withdrawal; Vietcombank charges the most — 50,000–66,000 ₫ a time.
Prices were collected in July–August 2026 from carrier listings and our own trips. They rise around Tet and national holidays.
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.