How to Take a Taxi in Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City is known for crazy traffic! There are viral videos and photos all over the internet that show the chaotic dance of traffic happening here every day. Walking across the street in Ho Chi Minh City seems intimidating to some travelers. Never fear—the taxi cab is here! At the beginning of this article though, I want to make it clear that I believe you should be booking through an online booking application like Grab these days.
As a person who has lived in this city for years, I recommend calling Mai Linh Taxi (028) 38 38 38 38, VinaSun Taxi (028) 38 27 27 27, or booking via the Grab application. This post is a complete guide to traveling happily and safely with taxis in Ho Chi Minh City. I’ve crafted all you need to know about what brands to use and how to contact them.
In the rest of the article, I’ll cover all of this and also give you my personal recommendation on the best way to get around in 2024. If you are on a short stay, check out my 1 day in Ho Chi Minh City guide to make the most of your stay.
🤔What Taxi Brand should I ride with in Ho Chi Minh City?
When visiting Ho Chi Minh City, you should only ride in Mai Linh and Vinasun Taxi Cabs. They are the oldest and most trustworthy brands in Vietnam. If you are still nervous about riding a taxi cab there are alternatives digital brands for you to choose. Go with Grab, Gojek, or XanhSM . These are popular brands here that are used daily It is important to note that Uber does not operate in Vietnam since 2018.
Here are my useful tips for recognizing these brands, booking a taxi, reaching customer service, and what to do if you lose something in your taxi. I’ll also guide you how to get a proper and trustworthy taxi when you first land in the airport.
Mai Linh
📱Call: 028 38 38 38 38 or 028 3827 7979(Southern Vietnam) | Address: 64-68, Hai Ba Trung, Ben Nghe, District 1 | Website: mailinh.vn
The operators speak limited English. We recommend asking for the help of your hotel concierge or a friendly local if you need to call for a taxi.
Mai Linh does have an application, but unfortunately, it has too many errors, making it unusable. We recommend grabbing a cab on the street or booking through the phone.
This taxi is hard to miss, it’s a distinct green color. The green color represents a pure environment and brings some sense of comfort. This brand is familiar to not only local people but also many tourists as this brand can be found all over Vietnam.
Drivers of Mai Linh wear a white shirt, black trousers, and a green tie. These uniforms are really recognizable because of the green tie. If the taxi driver isn’t wearing this uniform, I would be suspicious and wait for a different cab.
Below, we have listed all of Mai Linh’s contact information. It’s a good idea to keep their customer service number on your phone just in case you need to call them about issues.
Vinasun
📱Call: (028) 38 27 27 27 or (84-8) 38 277 178 | Address: Vinasun Tower – 648, Nguyen Trai, Ward 11, District 5 | Website:vinasuntaxi.com
This number speaks better English than Mai Linh. If you need to call on your own, we recommend Vinasun.
This is probably the most popular taxi cab in Vietnam. Their car is bare white with green and red lines connecting the wheels. The logo is a circle formed by red and green arrows, which reminds me of the yin and yang symbols.
These taxis are available in Ho Chi Minh City and all cities in Vietnam. If you want to travel to Danang, Hanoi, or Hue City, remember the phone numbers and follow the same steps.
Similar to Mai Linh, the Vinasun taxi drivers’ uniform is a white shirt, black trousers, and a red tie. There is also a Vinasun logo on the tie.
Contact of customer service departments:
Contact address if you lost your luggage: [email protected]
When you want to complain about their staff: [email protected]
When you have any other concerns: [email protected]
📲Grab / Gojeck / Xanh SM
Grab is now the cheapest mode of transportation in Vietnam. Download the app and install it on your phone. Then, whenever you want a ride, open the app and choose your means of transportation. You can choose between a motorbike and a car.
I believe that everyone should just stick with booking through an app these days, but I understand that it’s not always possible if you don’t have internet service, like when you land in Vietnam for the first time.
I do feel bad making the recommendation as I believe there are lots of taxi drivers who are losing their livelihoods, but it’s just a safer experience to book directly through the Grab app. Too many scammers get away with taking advantage of tourists visiting Vietnam. They use tricks like telling you they are Mai Linh or Vina Sun, and even though it’s rare, sometimes these companies’ drivers aren’t so trustworthy either.
But as mentioned before, it may not always be possible for you to book a grab so its important for you to be familiar with which taxis to take so I’ll have some more recommendations in the rest of the article in case you need it.
✈️How to get a taxi from Tan Son Nhat Airport in Ho Chi Minh City
There are two airports you can come in at in Ho Chi minh City. Getting a taxi from either airport is going to be very similar but a little bit different. We are going to direct you to make your way towards the “Taxi Queue”. At both airports, you are going to need to make your way past the scammers and fake taxis looking to rip you off. These guys are gonna use the word “friend” alot and “looking for taxi”. Be strong but nice, and just keep moving away from them to find the queue.
At the domestic airport, the queue should be across the little street when you exit from the terminal ground floor. In the international airport, you should make a left after exiting the terminal and walk all the way down to the queue for mailinh and vina sun. You’ll probably notice right away after you exit the airport that it’s already a bit hectic and messy, You’ll have to start getting used to this right away. You can read a bit more about that in my “is ho chi minh city dirty?” article, where I talk a bit about walking through this concrete jungle.
We only recommend two taxi services which we discuss in detail below. You are going to be looking for the representatives of these taxi companies so that you can get them to put you into the correct cab. The company’s colors is what you will be looking for to recognize their representative along with the brand logo.
Traveling from the Airport to the Center of Ho Chi Minh City
It takes around 20-30 minutes driving from Tan Son Nhat Airport to District 1, and even longer in rush hour. The cost for a taxi driving from Tan Son Nhat Airport to District 1 is around 200,000 VND to 300,000 VND (about 8 to 15 USD). Before leaving the airport, be sure to exchange some money as in Vietnam we only use our local currency.
🚖How to Hail a Taxi in Ho Chi Minh City
Walking in Ho Chi Minh City is not popular, as the sidewalk infrastructure is a mess. It’s also a big city, so if you were following one of our more local guides like Christmas in Saigon, you would need to hail a taxi to get to this famous local street to see these Christmas lights. It is way too far to walk, and walking in this city can be intimidating. No worries, the taxis are here to help you get around.
Hail a taxi using our tips so that you travel safely in Ho Chi Minh City.
Lucky for everyone, there are usually taxi’s everywhere in Ho Chi Minh City. Specifically talking about the two brands we have mentioned above. It won’t take long to get a taxi if you stand on the street waving one down for a ride. The exception to this rule is during rain and rush hour. When hailing a taxi at these times, you can expect to wait if you don’t get lucky in the first few minutes.
Raise your hand to get the taxi driver’s attention. While they may understand your signal, you don’t have to yell “Taxi!” or whistle like in Western culture. If you can whistle loudly, I recommend you do that because you will just look cool.
When the taxi driver arrives, the next step is just telling them your destination.
Though drivers these days are trained to speak English, there are still elderly drivers who don’t. Thus, you’ll need to carry a phone with you to show them the address or write down the address on a piece of paper. A screenshot of the location is also very helpful.
🧳What do you do when you lose your wallet/luggage/phone in the taxi?
First, immediately contact the taxi customer service and report what you’ve lost. Before calling, you should ensure you can provide as much information as possible, including the taxi identification number, driver’s name, departure and arrival points, total fare, and the route taken.
If you forget your phone, you shouldn’t call your number. In case there are some drivers or passengers who may want to keep it for themselves. Instead, allow the operator to find the taxi you’ve taken and have it sent back to the office.
To conclude, traveling via taxis in Vietnam is easy. Follow these instructions, you have the best chance to enjoy your trip without being a victim of any fake taxis or scams. Just like in life, nothing is a guarantee but we believe that this advice will help every traveler in Vietnam.
