Ho Chi Minh City Airport (SGN) Flights & Information

Ho Chi Minh City’s Tan Son Nhat Airport is a bustling place. It feels a lot like the city itself – so much going on, with an excitement in the air at all times. That’s no surprise as this is the busiest hub in the country, where most long-haul flights arrive and with a wide array of service regionally too. 11 million passengers flew the Ho Chi Minh-Hanoi domestic route in 2023 alone.

Of course most of us prefer our airports calm and contained. But there’s something to be said for a buzz in the air. And by taking certain steps it’s possible to get through SGN (the code refers to the city’s former name Saigon) without undue stress.

Terminal layout & finding your way around

Ho Chi Minh has two terminals with a third on the way soon. Terminal 1 is the oldest and is used for domestic flights. It’s been expanded progressively over the years and it’s still bursting at the seams. Suffice to say it does not offer a peak travel experience but it has a certain old-school charm and if you’re in a premium cabin there is a separate queue for security which tends to be quiet.

Terminal 2 is the newer international terminal and it represents a definite upgrade over T1. It is a more modern and spacious place that is functional if a bit basic. The forthcoming Terminal 3 is due to be dedicated to domestic flights and will relieve pressure from Terminal 1 as air travel in Vietnam continues to grow.

In both terminals the path from check-in through security and passport control is relatively simple to figure out, and the two terminals are located close to each other.

Transferring between terminals

How you transfer between the two terminals will depend on what kind of connection you’re doing, but it’s often not the most seamless experience. Many times you will have to exit the secure are and get yourself over to the other terminal before re-checking bags.

That’s especially true if arriving from an international flight and switching to a domestic one – in that case you’ll go through all the entry formalities before taking the short walk over to the domestic terminal. The same goes for domestic to international transfers – I’ve always had to self-transfer between terminals.

The one exception is if you’re coming in from abroad and continuing to another international destination, most likely on Vietnam Airlines. In that case you’ll need to re-clear security but you won’t need to enter the country and re-check baggage in most cases. However if your onward connection is on a low-cost airline chances are you may need to do the whole customs routine and check in anew in the departures hall.

The best advice in my opinion is: try to avoid direct transfers here and spend a couple of days in fascinating Ho Chi Minh City between your flights!

Airlines & destinations

Between Vietnam Airlines, VietJet Air and the now diminished but still operating Bamboo Airways – the local airlines offer a huge amount of service around Vietnam and the region. VietJet in particular is a force to be reckoned with and is expanding fast. They serve everywhere from Da Nang to Delhi to Sydney.

Vietnam Airlines will take you further afield. They currently have just one flight to North America – the 13-hour run to SFO. Their Europe network is stronger with flights to the likes of London, Paris, Frankfurt and Munich.

You’ll also find a lot of international carriers here though not all of them serve Ho Chi Minh daily. Air France shows up from Paris 3 days a week for example. The major Asian airlines all fly here. Emirates and Qatar Airways as well.

Tip: Qatar Airways serves Phnom Penh via Ho Chi Minh, meaning you can book a seat on just the quick hop over to Cambodia with them – a cool way to fly within Asia for sure. Or you can fly them direct to Doha.

Security & immigration

Security and immigration are both standard experiences compared to the rest of the world, but how long the lines can get is highly variable.

For security this is one airport where it usually makes a very big difference if you’re in business class and can use the VIP channel. The last time I flew out in business I had no queue for security and it took only seconds, whereas the economy line looked like it might take 20-30 minutes.

Inbound immigration could also be anything from mere minutes to hours if several large aircraft just came in before yours, so it’s a good policy to expect the worst and be surprised if it’s better. And don’t plan anything too close to arrival.

Fast Track Service

Ho Chi Minh has a few nice fast track offerings that you can pay for, which can be especially useful for arrivals. They’ll assist you through immigration, sidestepping the lines, and you can even add a car service to your hotel for not much more. If you’re connecting they can even escort you to your next flight. There is a similar service offered for departures and expedited security. Well worth it, in many cases.

Lounges

At Ho Chi Minh you’ll find Vietnam Airlines Lotus lounges in both domestic and international terminals. Beyond that there are a handful of pay-per-use contract lounges. That includes a Le Saigonnais in both terminals as well, plus a handful of others.

Each terminal has at least one lounge accessible with Priority Pass. Among those the Jasmine Halal lounge in the international terminal. As the name suggests it’s all Halal-certified food, and no alcohol. Whether the halal part is relevant to you or not, I reckon this lounge has the best food of all lounges here, especially if you like curries. It also has great views of aircraft on the ramp outside.

Getting to and from SGN

The airport is actually very close to central Ho Chi Minh City, not more than 4 or 5 miles (7 km or so) to most of it. And most people will get into town by car. But keep in mind that traffic is often awful, and journeys can be longer than expected given the short distance.

Taxi & ride-hailing

Taxis are available at arrivals and are very cheap by international standards. Especially if you use Grab, the ubiquitous ride-hailing (and many other services) app throughout Southeast Asia. Note that Uber is not operating in Vietnam. Grab is my go-to choice in general as you know exactly what you’re paying, there’s no confusion over the destination due to language barrier, and it’s all handled in the app.

Private transfer

The more expensive “private transfer” generally gets you a nicer car for about double the price of a taxi. Otherwise it functions the same expect with a higher standard of service and it can be nice to have something like this booked in advance if you don’t want to have to deal with an app or the taxi rank upon arrival.

Bus

There are a variety of buses that will take you into Ho Chi Minh City or even further afield. And these range from standard public buses to more express options and even to “limo” buses with some pretty luxurious interiors. Check with operator Vie Limo if you’re interested in one of these. But given the low price of taxis the bus has limited value if you ask me.

What to do during a layover

As mentioned, the airport is very close to the city, so it may be tempting to head into town on a longer layover. I wouldn’t necessarily dissuade you from this, but it’s important to make sure you do have plenty of time to get back. Especially considering potential traffic plus long lines at the airport. Make sure to leave plenty of time to return to the airport.

If I were headed into town with several hours of layover during the day and I was a first-timer in HCMC, I might head for the Ben Thanh Market to stroll around and soak up the vibes.

Either that or I’d join up with a street food tour. The latter is, in my opinion, the best way to really feel like you’re getting to the heart of a place quickly. Plus you get to eat lots of delicious food at the same time, and Vietnamese food is amazing in case you haven’t heard. Many outlets online sell tours like this – look for those with good reviews.

Airport hotels

There are plenty of hotels around Saigon Airport, most of which require a quick shuttle ride – including a number of very affordable options. The big name chains are in short supply here unless you head into the center of town. However there is an ibis, a PARKROYAL, and a Holiday Inn & Suites. The ibis is closest but among those I’d recommend the Holiday Inn because I like its pool.