While Lien Khuong International Airport - the main gateway to Da Lat - has been temporarily suspended for about 6 months to upgrade runways and taxiways, tourists still have many alternative travel options.
Air route
During the period when Lien Khuong airport has stopped operating, passengers from far away, especially from the North and Central regions, can choose to fly to airports near Da Lat such as Cam Ranh airport or Buon Ma Thuot airport. Then, continue by road.
Cam Ranh Airport (Khanh Hoa) is about 160 km from Da Lat. There are up to 15 flights from Hanoi to Cam Ranh per day operated by Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet Air, Bamboo Airways. The round-trip ticket price ranges from 3.6 - 6.5 million VND, with a flight time of about 2 hours. Choose a morning flight to get to Da Lat in time, optimizing your time for dining and sleeping.
From Cam Ranh, passengers can take a bus from Nha Trang to Da Lat, takes 3 - 4 hours, ticket price 150,000 - 250,000 VND/trip, frequency 15 - 20 trips/day, departing from the southern bus station or the inner city pick-up point.
Self-driving along Vo Nguyen Giap - Cao Ba Quat - Provincial Road 652 - Khanh Le Pass - National Highway 27C through Khanh Vinh and Lac Duong.
Buon Ma Thuot Airport (Dak Lak), about 200 km from Da Lat, is another choice for tourists from the North.
Note, the frequency of flights to Buon Ma Thuot is lower than Cam Ranh.
From the airport, visitors can rent a self-driving car along Nguyen Luong Bang - National Highway 27 through Lak, Dam Rong, Lam Ha and Phi Nom Pass to National Highway 20, then turn into the center of Da Lat.
If traveling by bus, the ticket price is 120,000 - 200,000 VND/trip, the time is about 3 - 4 hours.
Road
Da Lat is about 300 km from Ho Chi Minh City. Da Lat - Ho Chi Minh City is a familiar route for many tourists in the South, especially young tourists.
Passenger bus:
Many sleeper bus and limousine companies operate the Ho Chi Minh City - Da Lat route with ticket prices of 250,000 - 350,000 VND/trip. Travel time takes 6 - 8 hours, depending on traffic conditions. Vehicles often depart from the new Eastern Bus Station (Thu Duc City), private bus stations or inner-city pick-up and drop-off points. You should book tickets in advance via the e-wallet application or the bus company's website.
Personal vehicle or contract vehicle:
Tourists can rent self-driving cars or contract cars with 4 to 45 seats for about 1.5 - 3.5 million VND per trip. The popular route is National Highway 20, through Lien Khuong - Prenn Expressway, beautiful scenery but with steep pass sections, you need to drive carefully. The advantage is flexible time, many options for vehicles, but long distances and steep passes can cause fatigue.
Railway and road
This option is suitable for tourists who have free time and want to experience the journey by rail. The train line stopping at Nha Trang station is the closest to Da Lat (about 134 km away).
Tourists from Hanoi, Da Nang or the Central provinces can take a train to Nha Trang. Tickets range from 400,000 to 1.5 million VND, depending on the seat class and distance. Travel time from Hanoi is about 24 - 26 hours, from the Central region is about 4 - 10 hours.
After arriving in Nha Trang, passengers continue to travel by bus from Nha Trang to Da Lat.
If you want to explore freely, drive for hire or a private vehicle, along Khanh Le Pass - National Highway 27C.
This option is suitable for those who love slow travel and sightseeing. However, the travel time is long.
