World City Guide

Getting There By Air

Tan Son Nhat Airport (SGN)
Tel: (08) 845 6654 (arrivals and departures information).
Website: www.saigonairport.com

Tan Son Nhat Airport is located around 7km (4 miles) northwest of the city centre. It is the largest of the three international airports in Vietnam receiving more international flights than the capital, Hanoi. Twenty-two airlines serve 18 cities in Asia and Europe with regular flights going to Bangkok, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. The terminal has been expanded recently and improvements are continually being made to handle larger numbers of passengers. However, compared to most other South East Asian cities, facilities are very limited. A project to build a new international terminal is planned, although it will not be operational for a few years.

Major airlines: Vietnam Airlines (tel: (08) 844 6667 or 832 0320 (ticket sales); website: www.vietnamair.com) is the national airline with a monopoly on most domestic routes. Pacific Airlines (tel: (08) 932 5979 or 823 1285; website: www.pacificairlines.com.vn) operates flights to Hanoi and Danang, as well as a handful of international routes. Other major airlines include Air France, Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines, KLM, Lufthansa, Malaysian Airlines, Qantas, Singapore Airlines and Thai Airways.

Approximate flight times to Ho Chi Minh City: From London is 15 hours 15 minutes; from New York is 20 hours 20 minutes; from Los Angeles is 18 hours 40 minutes; from Toronto is 21 hours 50 minutes and from Sydney is 9 hours 5 minutes.

Airport facilities: These include bureaux de change, duty free, a snack bar and shops, as well as lockers and a visitors information centre. There are no car hire providers at the airport.

Business facilities: There is a business and first class lounge at the airport but no business facilities as such.

Transport to the city: There is no bus or train service into the city from the airport itself but metered taxis wait outside arrivals to transport passengers to the city centre (journey time –20-30 minutes). The taxi fare costs around US$5-6 to the city centre. A limousine service is also available.