Vietnam doesn't border Thailand, so getting from Bangkok to Vietnam means a short flight or a long overland detour through Laos. In a straight line, Ho Chi Minh City is 716 km from Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi airport and Hanoi is 992 km, with typical flight times of 1 hour 35 minutes from Don Mueang to Ho Chi Minh City and 1 hour 50 minutes to Hanoi.
The bus route most older guides describe, through Cambodia, is out for now: as of mid-October 2026, land crossings between Thailand and Cambodia remain suspended. And since Vietnam's only land neighbors are China, Laos and Cambodia, the road option left runs through Laos. For other starting points, see our guide to getting to Vietnam from around the world.
Distance From Bangkok: 525 to 992 Kilometers, Depending on the City
Measured airport to airport in a straight line, Suvarnabhumi (BKK) is 525 km from Phu Quoc, 716 km from Ho Chi Minh City, 843 km from Da Nang and 992 km from Hanoi. From Bangkok's other airport, Don Mueang (DMK), Ho Chi Minh City is 741 km. Flight times come from an airline's route pages and the Tourism Authority of Thailand; treat them as typical.
| Destination (Airport) | Straight-Line Distance From BKK | Typical Flight Time |
|---|---|---|
| Phu Quoc (PQC) | 525 km | 1 hour 20 minutes, nonstop |
| Ho Chi Minh City (SGN) | 716 km (741 km from DMK) | 1 hour 35 minutes from DMK |
| Da Nang (DAD) | 843 km | Check your airline's schedule |
| Hanoi (HAN) | 992 km | 1 hour 50 minutes |
Phu Quoc is the figure people miss. At 525 km, the island is the nearest of the four to Bangkok, and it's the one stop where visitors of any nationality can stay 30 days without a visa, as long as they fly in the right way.
Flights From Bangkok: Two Airports, Four Vietnamese Cities
Vietnam Airlines sells flights from Suvarnabhumi to Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi and Da Nang on its own site. For the island, Sun PhuQuoc Airways started a daily nonstop from Suvarnabhumi to Phu Quoc on August 8, 2026, with a flight time of 1 hour 20 minutes.
Bangkok has two airports, Suvarnabhumi (BKK) and Don Mueang (DMK). The Vietnam Airlines routes above leave from Suvarnabhumi, while the 1 hour 35 minute Ho Chi Minh City time is measured from Don Mueang. Check which one is on your ticket before you book the taxi. Fares and timetables change often, so we don't quote them; our guide to flights into Vietnam covers airlines and arrival airports.
Overland via Cambodia: Off the Table for Now
The classic loop, Bangkok to Siem Reap and Phnom Penh by bus and on to Ho Chi Minh City, starts at a border that's shut. The UK's Thailand travel advice, updated October 12, 2026, says land borders and crossings between Thailand and Cambodia remain suspended, and Canada's Thailand advice says the same.
The 2025 fighting along that border ended in a ceasefire signed on December 27, 2025, but the UK still advises against all but essential travel within 20 km of Cambodia's border with Thailand. That zone is the Thai border, not the Vietnamese one. If Cambodia is on your list, fly from Bangkok into Cambodia, then cross into Vietnam at a land gate on the eVisa list, such as Moc Bai or Tinh Bien, or fly on.
⚠️ Don't plan a Bangkok trip around the Poipet crossing. Plenty of itineraries still send you by train or bus to the Thai-Cambodian border at Poipet. With the land crossings still suspended as of mid-October 2026, that trip ends at a closed gate, so read the UK's latest Thailand advice before you book anything overland.
Overland via Laos: The Night Train and the Long Way Round
This is the overland route that still works. The Bangkok to Vientiane sleeper launched on July 19, 2024, leaving Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal at 9:25 p.m. and reaching Vientiane at 9:05 a.m. Those are the launch times, so check the current timetable. The Vientiane terminus is 7 to 9 km from downtown.
You'll need a Lao visa unless your passport is exempt. For UK citizens, the UK says a tourist visa gives 30 days, the online visa is single entry and accepted at major entry points, and visas on arrival are available at many entry points; Canada lists visa on arrival at Wattay, Luang Prabang and Pakse airports and some international land crossings. Neither confirms the rail border issues visas, so check before you board. Laos's digital arrival form (LDIF) is due within 3 days before arrival and again before departure at those three airports and the Lao-Thai Friendship Bridge I.
From Vientiane, you have two ways into Vietnam. By road, 10 Vietnamese land gates facing Laos accept the eVisa, by our count of the 2023 list and its 2025 additions, from Tay Trang in the north to Bo Y in the south. By air, Vietnam Airlines sells Vientiane to Hanoi. If you go by road, build in slack: Laos's rainy season normally runs May to October, mountain roads get landslides, and cross-country journeys often take far longer than posted schedules.
Vietnam Entry Rules: What Your Passport Decides
If you live in Bangkok on a Thai passport, a short trip needs no visa: Thai citizens can visit Vietnam visa-free for up to 30 days under a bilateral arrangement. Longer stays need a visa; see Vietnam visa rules for Thai citizens. A few other groups skip the visa for short stays too:
- 45 days, any purpose: citizens of Germany, France, Italy and Spain, the UK and Russia, Japan and South Korea, plus Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland, under Resolution 44/NQ-CP of March 7, 2025, which runs until March 14, 2028.
- 45 days, tourism only: Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Switzerland, under Resolution 229/NQ-CP, which runs until August 14, 2028.
- 14 to 90 days: 15 countries with bilateral agreements, from 14 days (Brunei) to 90 days (Chile and Panama), covering every other ASEAN member except Timor-Leste.
Everyone else needs a visa, and for most travelers that's the eVisa. Citizens of every country and territory can apply for one, as they have since August 15, 2023. It's valid for up to 90 days, single or multiple entry. It's issued only to people outside Vietnam, so apply for the eVisa before you fly. Americans are in this group: the US State Department says a visa is required. By law, Vietnam Immigration has 3 working days to decide an eVisa once it has the complete application and the fee.
Check the passport as well as the visa. For visa-free entry, Vietnamese law says your passport needs at least 6 months of validity left when you arrive. With an eVisa, the legal rule is that your visa must end at least 30 days before your passport expires; the UK advises at least 6 months' validity, and airlines often apply that rule.
⚠️ Name the airport you'll actually land at. An eVisa only works at border gates on the government's list, which now covers 83 crossings: 17 airports, 27 land gates and 39 seaports. Vietnamese law asks only for a gate on that list, the UK says an eVisa restricts you to the entry and exit points you select, and no Vietnamese authority has said in writing that you can switch. Pick the gate you plan to use: Tan Son Nhat for Ho Chi Minh City, Noi Bai for Hanoi, Phu Quoc for the island.
Phu Quoc From Bangkok: Visa-Free if You Fly Straight In
Phu Quoc runs on its own rule. You can visit Phu Quoc island visa-free for up to 30 days, whatever your passport, and even the US State Department makes the exception for stays of 30 days or less on Phu Quoc only. The Bangkok nonstop is the clean way to use it: you land on the island and clear immigration there.
You can also fly in with a connection, as long as you stay in the transit area of the other Vietnamese international airport. The exemption also stops at the shoreline: going on to the mainland without a visa breaks the rules and can bring a fine of VND 3 to 5 million. If Phu Quoc is only your first stop, apply for the eVisa before you leave Bangkok and enter on it.
⚠️ A cheap fare via Ho Chi Minh City can cost you the exemption. If you transfer from an international flight to a domestic one in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City, you go through immigration and enter Vietnam, so that stop needs a visa or an exemption of its own. Read the routing before you pay, and see when a connection counts as entering Vietnam.
Arrival Forms and the Trip Back to Thailand
Vietnam's online arrival form is called Pre-arrival Information (PAI), and the Ministry of Public Security says it's optional. It has been piloted at Tan Son Nhat since April 15, 2026, and at Phu Quoc, where border police encourage it rather than require it. You can submit it up to three days before you arrive and show the QR code on landing. Use only prearrival.immigration.gov.vn, because fake versions exist, and remember it isn't a visa.
Thailand works the other way round. Since May 1, 2025, every foreign national entering Thailand by air, land or sea must complete a digital arrival card online, within 3 days before arrival, so file the Thailand Digital Arrival Card before your flight back to Bangkok.
Check how long Thailand will give you on return, too. From September 15, 2026, the UK says visa-exempt visitors can stay up to 30 days, for tourism only, and Canada lists the same 30-day exemption for Canadians; other passports may differ, so check Thailand's rules for yours. If you loop back overland through Laos, note that visa-exempt entries through Thai land checkpoints are normally limited to 2 per calendar year.
A Few Parting Notes on Timing and Price
Apply before you book anything non-refundable. Three working days is the statutory standard, and 3 to 5 working days is what usually happens; Tet and public holidays push it further. With us, the clock starts when your application reaches Vietnam Immigration, normally within 2 business hours of payment, not at checkout. Give yourself one to two weeks and the speed tiers stop mattering. If your flight is days away, our Urgent tier targets 2 business days for $45 more and Super Urgent 1 business day for $85 more, but processing times are set by Vietnam Immigration, and we can't move an approval up the line. If you're flying within 24 hours, phone +84 832 320 320 before paying so we can tell you whether it's doable.
Prices start at $54 per applicant for a 1-month single-entry eVisa, with the Vietnam Immigration stamp fee included. Multiple entry costs $30 more on a one-month visa ($84), worth it if your route leaves Vietnam and comes back; three months costs $94 single or $104 multiple. Apply yourself at evisa.gov.vn, the government's own eVisa site, and you pay only the $25 single or $50 multiple stamp fee. Vietnam Visa by BDA is a private company. We aren't affiliated with the Vietnamese government: Vietnam Immigration issues the visa, we prepare, check and file the application, and an airline or border officer can still refuse boarding or entry.
Timing a trip that covers both countries? Our guide to the best time to visit Thailand and Vietnam together lines up the two climates month by month.