Weekends from Ho Chi Minh City: Vũng Tàu, Mekong delta, Cần Giờ, Đà Lạt, Mũi Né and Phú Quốc
A plant runs six days a week in the ramp-up months, so most escapes below are built for a Saturday-afternoon departure and a Sunday-evening return. Since the July 2025 merger, Vũng Tàu and Côn Đảo are inside Ho Chi Minh City’s own boundaries, and the new expressways have shortened everything east and north-east of the city. Times are door-to-door from District 1 in normal traffic.
The short list
| Where | How | Time | Cost (one way) | Why go |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vũng Tàu (beach, now HCMC’s Vũng Tàu ward) | Greenlines fast ferry from the new District 1 terminal near Bạch Đằng; or car/bus on the HCMC–Long Thành expressway and the Biên Hòa–Vũng Tàu expressway (open in stages 2025–2026) | Ferry ~2 h; car 1 h 45 – 2 h 15, falling towards 70–90 min as the expressway completes | Ferry 320,000–400,000 VND; bus 125,000–175,000 VND; car with driver 1.5–2.5 million VND return | Sea air, seafood on Bãi Sau, Christ statue climb, day trip possible; the Phú Mỹ port and industrial zone are on the way — useful for a site visit |
| Mekong delta (Mỹ Tho, Bến Tre, Cần Thơ) | Car or tour van; Trung Lương–Mỹ Thuận expressway to Cần Thơ | Mỹ Tho 1 h 30; Cần Thơ 3 h | Day tour 800,000–1,500,000 VND per person; car with driver 1.8–3 million VND | Boat through coconut canals, floating market at Cái Răng (Cần Thơ, go at 06:00), fruit orchards; overnight in Cần Thơ for the market |
| Cần Giờ (mangrove biosphere reserve, inside HCMC) | Car via Bình Khánh ferry (10 minutes), or organised motorbike tour | 1 h 30 – 2 h | Ferry 15,000 VND per car; monkey island and mangrove boat 150,000–300,000 VND | The city’s lungs: mangroves, monkey island, Vàm Sát, seafood at Cần Thạnh; back by dinner |
| Đà Lạt (highlands, 1,500 m, 18–24 °C) | Flight 50 min from Tân Sơn Nhất (Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet); sleeper bus 7–8 h (Phương Trang / FUTA, cabin buses); car 6–7 h via the Dầu Giây–Phan Thiết and Liên Khương expressways | Flight + transfers 3 h; bus overnight | Flight 900,000–2,000,000 VND; VIP sleeper bus 300,000–900,000 VND | Cool air, coffee farms, French villas, golf; the Friday-night sleeper and Sunday-night return is the classic engineer’s weekend |
| Mũi Né / Phan Thiết | Car on the HCMC–Long Thành–Dầu Giây and Dầu Giây–Phan Thiết expressways; train to Phan Thiết (4 h) | Car 2 h 45 – 3 h 15 | Car with driver 2–3 million VND return; train 250,000–400,000 VND | Kite-surfing, dunes, resorts from USD 60 a night; kite season November–April |
| Phú Quốc (island) | Flight 1 h from Tân Sơn Nhất; ~13 flights a day (Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet, Vietravel, Bamboo) | Door to beach 3 h | Flights from 500,000 VND one way off-peak, 1.5–3 million VND at holidays | Best beaches in the south, resorts for all budgets, diving; book two nights minimum |
| Côn Đảo (now HCMC’s special zone) | Flight 55 min from Tân Sơn Nhất T1 (VASCO / Vietnam Airlines); fast ferry from Vũng Tàu | Flight + transfers 2 h 30 | Flights 1.5–3 million VND; ferry from Vũng Tàu 600,000–900,000 VND | Turtle nesting (June–September), diving, history; quiet — no nightlife |
Inside the city on a Sunday
- Metro Line 1 to Suối Tiên and the water park, or to Thủ Đức for the weekend market at Vinhomes Grand Park’s Bason area.
- Bình Quới / Thanh Đa in Bình Thạnh: riverside restaurants and a village-style buffet 20 minutes from the centre.
- Chợ Lớn temples (Thiên Hậu, Quan Âm), Bình Tây market and dim sum — see the District 5 page.
- Golf: Vietnam Golf & Country Club (Long Thạnh Mỹ, 30 minutes), Sông Bé and Twin Doves (Bình Dương, popular with Japanese and Korean managers), Long Thành Golf beside the new airport.
- Củ Chi tunnels — 1 h 30 north-west; take HQ visitors once.
Practical
- Long weekends (Tết in late January or February 2027, 30 April – 1 May, 2 September) sell out flights and resorts a month ahead; the plant closes 5–9 days at Tết — plan the home trip then.
- Rain season May–November: afternoon storms, not all-day rain; the Mekong and Cần Giờ are fine, Đà Lạt is misty, Phú Quốc is roughest June–September.
- Take your passport: hotels must register foreign guests and check-in without it is refused.
- Driving yourself needs a Vietnamese licence or a 1968-Convention IDP — see transport; most managers hire a car with driver for 1.5–3 million VND a day.
FAQ — weekends
What is the fastest way from Ho Chi Minh City to Vũng Tàu?
By car on the expressways, 1 h 45 – 2 h 15 in 2026 and dropping as the Biên Hòa–Vũng Tàu expressway completes; the Greenlines ferry from the District 1 terminal takes about two hours and avoids traffic.
How long is the flight to Phú Quốc?
About one hour from Tân Sơn Nhất, with roughly 13 flights a day on Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet, Vietravel and Bamboo. Book two nights.
Is Đà Lạt doable in a weekend?
Yes. Friday-night sleeper bus (7–8 hours) or a 50-minute flight, Sunday-evening return. Temperatures are 18–24 °C — bring a jacket.
Can I do the Mekong delta as a day trip?
Mỹ Tho and Bến Tre yes (1 h 30 each way). For the Cái Răng floating market stay overnight in Cần Thơ and go at 06:00.
Are Vũng Tàu and Côn Đảo still a different province?
No — since 1 July 2025 both are part of Ho Chi Minh City (Vũng Tàu wards and Côn Đảo special zone). Nothing changes for travel except the address on your hotel registration.
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