[2024] From Sai Gon to Can Tho by bus – Review from my experience

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I was so pumped about the floating market in Can Tho and always wanted to experience it once. And I finally did.

After a few days of staying in Sai Gon (Ho Chi Minh City), I went to Can Tho by bus and stayed there for 3 days to experience the Cai Rang floating market as well as some other attractions.

In this post, you will get a detailed guide on how to travel from Sai Gon to Can Tho by bus including the ticket price, bus schedule, and my review of my bus trip.

Read more: Visiting Cai Rang Floating Market by yourself

1. The distance from Sai Gon to Can Tho

The distance from Sai Gon to Can Tho is around 165 kilometers and it takes about 3- 4 hours to travel between the two destinations. 

You can travel from Ho Chi Minh City to Can Tho by bus, limousine, or private vehicle.

2. How to go from Sai Gon to Can Tho by bus?

Reliable bus operators from Sai Gon to Can Tho

Here are some famous companies which offer buses from Ho Chi Minh City to Can Tho that you can consider:

• Vu Linh Limousine
• Phuong Trang (Futa)
• Truong Sinh Busline
• Thanh Buoi

For my trip, I bought a bus ticket from Vu Linh Limousine on this website and was very satisfied with their service. Polite driver; free hotel pick up and drop off in Can Tho; water & wet tissue provided, and comfortable ride. The price was about 200.000 VND/person. The journey started from their office at 449 Cao Thang Street, District 10. Then the bus dropped me off at their office in Can Tho, from there, they offered a free drop-off service to my hotel.

For the Phuong Trang bus (Futa), I have experienced some other routes provided by this company. Overall, they provided average service (sometimes good, sometimes rude…). An advantage is that the price is quite cheap.

Bus ticket price from Sai Gon to Can Tho

The average bus fare ranges from 150,000 VND to 250,000 VND per person, depending on the bus capacity and seat position.

 ➡ Note: 

• It’s free for children under 5 years old as long as they sit with their parents.
• The weight limit for your luggage is maxed at 15 kg for bus trips and a max of 10 kg for van trips. If you plan on carrying a large suitcase, it’s suggested to purchase an extra seat.

 ➡ Bus ticket price of Vu Linh Limousine:

• Seats next to the driver (Seats 1 & 2): 180.000 VND/person – limited legroom, not so comfortable – if you book tickets online, this is the default option, you can upgrade your seats once arrive at their office and pay a little more.
• Last row seats: 200.000 VND
• Deluxe seats: 250.000 VND

How to buy bus tickets from Ho Chi Minh City to Can Tho?

There are 3 ways to buy Sai Gon-Can Tho’s bus tickets:

• Contact the bus operator directly: you can call them 1 day in advance to book your seat and go to their office to take the bus. Payment can be made when you are on the bus. However, they normally don’t speak English, so you better get help from a local friend. 
• Go to Ben Xe Mien Tay (Western Bus Station): This bus station operates daily buses from Ho Chi Minh City to provinces to the West (including Can Tho City). However, a drawback is that this station is pretty far from Ho Chi Minh City Centre.
• Buy tickets online: This is the most convenient way for foreigners as no communication is needed. There are many options to choose from and many timings (with reviews as well). And remember that each operator offers a different pick-up point (some of them depart from the Western Bus Station). So you need to check the pick-up location on the e-voucher.

This is the website I bought my ticket: click here. Bear in mind that the bus schedule might change. As for my experience, I booked my ticket from Sai Gon to Can Tho at 12 PM. via THIS LINK. But 3 hours before the departure time, the company (Vu Linh Limousine) called me to inform the change of the departure time to 1 PM as they didn’t have enough customers at 12 PM. But that was fine for me. 

Note: 

• You can also buy from your hotel’s tour desk or a travel agency. Just compare the price and choose the best option.
• If you are more than 2 meters tall, I suggest you take a normal bus or limousine. Don’t opt for the sleeper bus because it’s designated for the local people (except for the luxury ones that offer larger bed)

Sai Gon to Can Tho bus schedule

There are a lot of timings for buses from Sai Gon to Can Tho. The earliest can be from 4 AM and the latest one can be up to 11 PM. 

For the Vu Linh bus, the frequency is every hour.

You can check the Sai Gon-Can Tho bus schedule on a specific day in the box below:

5. Taking the bus from Can Tho to Sai Gon 

To travel from Can Tho to Sai Gon, you can purchase your tickets online via the same link (Click here) or go to the Can Tho Bus Station (link to Google Maps). There are also multiple buses running from Can Tho Bus Station to Sai Gon daily.

For me, I booked with Vu Linh Limousine again. In Can Tho, they even provided free hotel pickup in the city center. Totally love it!

6. Other options to travel from Sai Gon to Can Tho

From Sai Gon to Can Tho by motorbike

If you are familiar with Vietnam’s traffic, you can drive from Ho Chi Minh City to Can Tho. However, bear in mind that the journey from Ho Chi Minh City to Can Tho passes through many bad-conditioned roads and is dusty. Thus, be careful when driving.

Besides, make sure you have a helmet, and driving license and follow the traffic law to avoid being stopped by the police.

Regarding motorbike rental in HCMC, I rented twice in Saigon Minsk Motorbike (Google Maps) and highly recommend this shop.

From Sai Gon to Can Tho by private car

Renting a private car is always more convenient and (of course) more expensive. Here is the price for a private car rental with a driver from HCMC to Can Tho:

• Economy 3 pax: from 51 USD/way
• SUV 5 pax: from 56 USD/way
• Minibus 13 pax: from 98 USD/way

 💡 Book a private car from HCMC to Can Tho at a cheap price: Click here

7. Getting around in Can Tho

You can get around Can Tho City on foot, by motorbike, by bicycle, or by taxi.

• On foot: if you stay near Ninh Kieu Port, you can walk to many attractions nearby such as Can Tho Love Bridge, Canton Assembly Hall, Can Tho Market, Military Zone 9 Museum, etc.
• By motorbike: you can rent a motorbike or use a Grab bike. For motorbike rental, you can consider this place (click to see the location on Google Maps), their service received a lot of good reviews. If you just wanna visit a few places a day, Grab bike will be cheaper. Sometimes the app offers discounts also (click on “offers” before you click ”book” to see if any offers for you). Can you believe that I booked a ride for ONLY 1K VND? :D. Link to download Grab app: click here.

• By bicycle: Riding a bicycle around the city is also a good idea. The places of interest in Can Tho are pretty close to each other, so it’s totally possible to get around by bicycle. You can rent a bike at your hotel, many hotels in Can Tho provide this service. Otherwise, you can go to Kim Lan Hotel (click here) to rent one.
• By taxi: here are some reliable taxis in Can Tho that you can consider: Mai Linh Taxi, Vinasun Taxi, and Taxi Mekong Can Tho. Otherwise, you can use Grab car as a safe option as you will know in advance exactly how much you need to pay.

Above is my guide on how to go from Sai Gon to Can Tho by bus. Hope you find it helpful and if you have any questions, feel free to comment below. Thanks for reading!