Hanoi Airport to City: Every Way Into the Old Quarter

Bus 86 costs $1.94 (VND 50,000) per trip and runs from 7:00 to 22:15. That is the fare and the hours on the airport operator's own public-transport page. You may see two other figures online. Transerco's route notice quotes VND 30,000 ($1.17), but that is the fare the express route opened with on 30 April 2016, not today's. Several travel sites print VND 40,000 or 45,000, which the airport page does not support. The airport's figure is the one to hold in your pocket.

The 86 is an express route run by Transerco without a city subsidy, which is why it costs more than the local buses. It does not accept monthly passes, priority tickets or the free bus card, so everyone pays the full fare on board. Carry cash in dong, because you pay on the bus.

The route goes from the airport to Hanoi Railway Station (Ga Ha Noi) by way of the Nhat Tan bridge, Long Bien, Bo Ho (the stop at Hoan Kiem Lake), Hang Bai and Le Duan. For an Old Quarter hotel that means getting off at the lake stop and walking the last few streets, or taking a short taxi from the station if you have bags.

Where to Catch It

Look for the public bus bays outside the arrivals hall at the terminal you land in. Transerco describes the route as running to T1 and then T2. If you cannot find the stop at T2, take the free shuttle bus between the terminals to T1 and board there.

Ask the driver for Bo Ho or Hoan Kiem Lake when you board, because the stop names are in Vietnamese and the list at the stop is easy to miss on a first visit.

Is Bus 86 Worth It?

Yes for one or two people with a backpack and an Old Quarter or station hotel, because it saves the difference between $1.94 and the cost of a car. No for a family with big suitcases, a room more than a short walk from the lake or a landing after 22:15. In those cases the booked car at $12 is the better value, and the transfer cards below show the options.

A taxi from Noi Bai is metered, and no single fare to the Old Quarter is published. The airport's own table lists the per-kilometre rate that applies from the second kilometre, in force since 1 March 2025. For a 5-seat car it runs from VND 15,000 ($0.58) with HP-Noi Bai to VND 16,700 ($0.65) with Taxi Group, and for an 8-seat car from VND 17,000 ($0.66) with G7 to VND 18,800 ($0.73) with Taxi Group. Each kilometre adds that rate on top of an opening charge that the table does not show.

That is why the booked car is a useful yardstick. At $12 per car for a 50 to 60 minute transfer, it is the price your meter has to stay near, and if the meter is running well above it for a 4-seat car, ask the driver why.

Where the Authorised Taxis Wait

The airport lists six authorised companies: G7, Taxi Group, HP-Noi Bai, GSM or Xanh SM Airport Taxi, Mai Linh and Airport Taxi. Pickup is at halls A, B and E at T1, and at columns 5 and 16 at T2. Taxis run from the first flight to the last, every day including weekends, holidays and Tet.

The airport states that taxi companies may not wait in car parks to pick up arriving passengers. A driver who approaches you in the hall or the car park and offers a flat price is not working the authorised line. Walk to the marked pickup point, ask for the meter and show your hotel name and address on your phone.

Xanh SM 7-Seat Limousine

Xanh SM, the electric taxi service, publishes a tariff for its 7-seat limousine on the airport page. The opening charge is VND 39,500 ($1.54), then VND 18,400 ($0.72) per km up to 12 km, VND 17,100 ($0.66) per km up to 25 km and VND 14,800 ($0.58) per km from the 25th kilometre. It is the only tariff on the page that shows how the meter starts, so it is the one you can use to estimate.

Grab and Xanh SM show a price in the app before you confirm, which is the real advantage over a street taxi. The airport page publishes no ride-hailing fare, so no price is printed here. The way to use that is simple: while you wait at the baggage belt, open the app, enter your hotel and read the quote, then hold it against the $12 booked car and the meter rates above.

Two things matter at the airport. First, ride-hailing pickup points differ from the taxi line, so follow the app's pin rather than the taxi signs. Second, the app needs data, so sort your connection first with the eSIM below or the airport Wi-Fi. If the app quote is higher than the booked car, take the booked car. If it is lower and you are a pair with two bags, take the app.

Terminal 1 (T1) is the domestic terminal and Terminal 2 (T2) is the international terminal. Most overseas flights land at T2. Transerco's route listing runs bus 86 to T1 and then T2, but some travel sites report that it stops at T1 only, so a visitor from abroad who steps out at T2 may not find a stop where they expect one.

A free shuttle bus runs between T1 and T2. If you cannot find the bus, use the shuttle to T1. A minibus service meets every flight, including weekends and holidays, with pickup on the first floor of each terminal: halls A to E at T1 and East End to West End at T2. The airport page gives no minibus fare, so ask the price before you board. For taxis the pickup points are separate at each terminal: halls A, B and E at T1, and columns 5 and 16 at T2. A booked car meets you at arrivals at either terminal and the driver tracks the flight.

If you land after 22:15, bus 86 has gone, and the last public bus on the airport's table is the 90 to Kim Ma at 22:30. After that the options are a taxi, a ride-hailing car or a booked transfer. Taxi service runs from the first flight to the last flight of the day, every day of the year including Tet.

Two practical points apply to a midnight arrival. A booked car is the least stressful, because the driver is already waiting and the price is fixed before you board. And if your hotel has a locked door at night, tell them the flight number in advance so someone is awake. A booked car at $12 from the airport transfer cards removes most of the search.

• Sort your phone. A Viettel counter under the escalator in the arrival hall sells a SIM and is open 24 hours, and an eSIM at $10.88 for 15 days of data can be bought before you fly. It carries data only, with no voice or SMS.
• Pull some cash. The airport lists a bank and ATM service in the terminal. You need dong for bus 86 and for the first coffee.
• Check your entry paperwork. If you need an e-visa, apply through the government portal evisa.gov.vn before you fly, and keep the approval on your phone. The essentials page covers plugs and adapters.
• Know your base. Take the ride that matches your area, using the table above or the area guide in our hotel area comparison.
• Plan the first evening. Drop the bags and walk to the Hoan Kiem waterfront and the Old Quarter. An Old Quarter food walk from $15 is a good use of the first night.

Pick the row that matches the area you chose in the hotel area guide. The bus helps only where the route runs, so the rest of the city is by car.

Book the return car the day before, because the transfer works in both directions. The private car listing covers a hotel-to-airport ride at $12 per car for a 50 to 60 minute run, with the driver helping with luggage at the airport and a 16-seat van available for a group. The same bus 86 and taxi options apply in reverse, and the taxi pickup is simply any metered cab on the street or one your hotel calls.

Allow the 50 to 60 minutes the transfer listing quotes, then the usual margin for check-in and security. If you leave in the morning rush, leave earlier. Pay attention to the terminal on your ticket, since T1 handles domestic flights and T2 international ones.