Skip to content How far is Long Thanh airport from Vung Tau?
Long Thanh International Airport (LTH) is about 70 km from Vung Tau, and a private car takes 1¼ to 1¾ hours. The route stays on expressways from the airport to the peninsula. From Tan Son Nhat, Vung Tau is about 100 km and 1¼ to 2 hours, so Long Thanh is the closer airport by a good margin. Commercial flights are expected from about 1 December 2026.
For people who go to Vung Tau from abroad, this is the airport that makes the most difference. At Tan Son Nhat the first part of the trip is a slog across Saigon to reach the expressways. From Long Thanh you start next to the expressway.
The road from Long Thanh to Vung Tau
The car joins the Ho Chi Minh City–Long Thanh–Dau Giay expressway from the airport’s access road, then turns south at the Long Thanh interchange onto the Bien Hoa–Vung Tau expressway. That 54 km road opened in full on 18 May 2026. The interchange linking it to the Long Thanh expressway opened in full at 6 pm on 6 June 2026; until then, cars from the Saigon side had to leave for Highway 51 and double back, a detour of about 17 km.
Two limits come with the new road. It’s open only to vehicles with fewer than 9 seats, at 60–80 km/h, so our sedans and 7-seaters use it, and limousine vans and 16-seaters go by Highway 51. And it’s free for now, with tolls expected to start later; our prices already include tolls.
Most of the trip is motorway. What slows it down is the weekend rush, when Saigon families drive down for the beach.
Long Thanh or Tan Son Nhat for Vung Tau?
Long Thanh, if your flight lands there. Tan Son Nhat works, but it’s about 30 km further and a 20–30 minute longer drive, and the first leg crosses the city. Which airport your flight uses depends on the airline: in the first phase, from 1 December 2026, Long Thanh takes new international routes by Vietnamese airlines, and Tan Son Nhat keeps its existing international flights. Most long-haul flights are planned to move from 28 March 2027. The plan was reported in July 2026, and plans like this slip, so go by the code on your ticket. Our Tan Son Nhat page covers the other airport.
Bus, taxi or private car from Long Thanh to Vung Tau?
For a direct trip from the airport, the private car is the only direct option for now. The comparison table above sets it against the alternatives.
A bus or limousine van takes you into Saigon first, since no direct Long Thanh to Vung Tau service has been announced. A metered taxi or app car is a lottery on the car and the driver, and many won’t take a 70 km job. The hydrofoil from Bach Dang pier in District 1 is nice if you’re staying in central Saigon, but it doesn’t help someone landing at Long Thanh.
A booked private car is the straightforward answer. The price is agreed in advance, the driver tracks your flight and waits up to 90 minutes after landing, and the car goes door to door to your hotel. We hold our drivers to a standard: non-smoking cars, working seatbelts, no overpowering air freshener, a cabin filter that’s changed, and calm driving with little horn. For a long-haul arrival, that’s what you want for the last 70 km.
Which car for the drive to Vung Tau
Pick by luggage as well as people. A sedan or electric VinFast suits two or three people with normal cases. A family of four or five, especially a tall one, should take a 7-seater such as an Innova or Xpander, which also swallows golf bags and a pram. Child seats are available on request when you book.
Groups of more than six can book a limousine van or 16-seater, but those can’t use the expressway, so expect 30–45 minutes more.
Meeting your driver at Long Thanh
The meeting point inside the terminal hasn’t been published in detail, and we’ll send it once it is. Drivers wait in the arrivals hall with a sign carrying your name.
- Book in the box above and put your flight number in the notes.
- You get the driver’s name, photo and number plate the evening before.
- Walk out of arrivals and find the sign. You have 90 minutes of free waiting after landing.
- Pay the driver at your hotel, in dong or by VietQR. Tolls and parking are included.
A stop on the way is fine, for a toilet, a coffee or a meal. Say so when you book, or tell the driver on the day.
Honest limits
The opening date is the main one: it has moved before, and if it does we’ll move or cancel your booking free of charge. The second is weekends. Vung Tau fills up on Saturdays and the road back to Saigon is slow on Sunday afternoons. The third is Tet, the Lunar New Year (early February in 2027), when roads are full and prices rise.
The wet season, roughly May to October, brings heavy afternoon storms, which slow the traffic.
Going back to the airport
For an international flight from Long Thanh, leave Vung Tau about 3½ hours before departure. The drive is 1¼ to 1¾ hours, and a new airport deserves a margin. On Sunday afternoons and the last day of a holiday, allow longer. You can book the return as a separate trip when you book the first.
Onward from Vung Tau
If Vung Tau is the first stop, the coast road carries on east. Long Hai is a quieter beach on the way, and Ho Tram is the resort and golf stretch about 35 km beyond Vung Tau. Mui Ne is the next big stop along the coast, a longer drive of about 3½ to 4½ hours from Vung Tau. For the airport itself, see the Long Thanh airport overview.
Stops worth asking for
- Service stops on the expressway: Fuel and toilet breaks are possible on the way. Tell the driver when you book if you want a coffee or a bánh mì stop.