Nha Trang to Da Lat: buses, limousine vans, fares and how long it takes
It is 135km from central Nha Trang to central Da Lat. That looks short on a map, but the road climbs a long mountain pass, so operators allow 3.5 to 4 hours. There is no flight and no train between the two cities, so almost everyone goes by road. Here is what runs, what it costs, where you board, and why the road closes at night.
| Distance and time | 135km. Routing data says a little over two hours, but the mountain section means 3.5 to 4 hours in practice. |
|---|---|
| What runs | Nine-seat limousine vans dominate. Seated coaches and sleeper buses also run. |
| Fare | Daytime limousine vans sit around ₫200,000. Overnight sleepers cost much more. |
| Where you board | Vans collect you from your hotel. Coaches leave from the bus station. |
| At night | The mountain road closes from early evening until dawn. Night services take a much longer detour. |
| Flights | There is no flight between the two cities, and no train to Da Lat. |
1. What to know before you book
2. There are four roads, and nearly everyone uses one
3. The mountain road is open in daylight only
4. Nine-seat limousine vans are the default here
5. Seated coaches and sleeper buses
6. Night services do not cross the pass
7. Where you board in Nha Trang
8. Where you arrive in Da Lat
9. What it costs
10. Private cars and taxis
11. Going as a day tour
12. Riding it yourself
13. There is no flight and no train
14. Straight from Cam Ranh airport to Da Lat
15. Coming back down to Nha Trang
16. It gets much colder when you arrive
17. Luggage, children and motion sickness
18. Booking, deposits and cancellation
19. Which option suits you
1. What to know before you book
Central Nha Trang to central Da Lat is 135km. Routing data puts that at a little over two hours. Every operator on the route sells it as 3.5 to 4 hours.
The reason is the terrain. Nha Trang is at sea level and Da Lat sits high on a plateau. The road that links them climbs a long pass, and nothing moves quickly on it.
Your options are narrow
There is no flight between the two cities. There is no train to Da Lat either. Everything goes by road, and the real choice is between a nine-seat van and a full-size coach.
Most people travel Nha Trang first and Da Lat second. Plenty do it the other way. The vehicles and the fares are the same in both directions.
Fix your departure time first
Decide what time you are leaving before you decide what to ride. The mountain road shuts in the evening, so your departure time decides which services are available to you at all.
2. There are four roads, and nearly everyone uses one
Several roads connect the two cities. In practice only one gets used: Highway 27C, which crosses the Khanh Le passMap in the middle.
The other three are long detours. They come into play when 27C is blocked, or when a service runs overnight.
| Road | Via | Distance | Driving time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highway 27C | Khanh Le pass | 135km | 3.5 to 4 hours |
| Highway 1A then 27 | Phan Rang, Ngoan Muc pass | about 210km | 5 to 6 hours |
| Highway 26 then 27 | Buon Ma Thuot | about 410km | 8 to 9 hours |
| Highway 1A then 20 | Ninh Thuan, Binh Thuan, Dau Giay | about 450km | 8 to 9 hours |
Operators quote the distance anywhere between 135km and 140km. The gap is just where each of them puts the city centre, so any of those figures describes the same drive.
What 27C is like
It leaves Nha Trang heading inland. The first stretch is flat and passes through villages, then the climb starts. It is roughly 77km from the city to the pass, a little over an hour of driving.
From the top it is another 58km down to central Da LatMap. That second half runs across the plateau and moves faster than the climb.
Why it takes longer than the map says
Mapping apps do not account for what actually slows the drive: speed on the switchbacks, a scheduled rest stop, and waiting at roadworks on the pass.
3. The mountain road is open in daylight only
The Khanh Le pass is open to cars from 5am to 6pm. From 6pm until 5am the following morning, vehicles are not allowed through.
Why the curfew exists
Heavy rain brought down rock and earth across this pass. There were close to a hundred slide points and several people were killed or injured. When the road reopened, the authorities limited traffic to daylight hours.
Loose rock still remains above the carriageway. At night, frequent rain and thick fog also leave drivers unable to see the road ahead.
Roadworks are still running
Crews are rebuilding slopes and drainage at nine separate points along the pass. Traffic is held briefly at the work sites, with each hold capped at an hour.
Once the work is signed off, the hours may change. Check the booking page or the operator notice close to your departure.
What this means for your day
Every operator timetable clusters in daylight. You leave Nha Trang in the morning, or in the afternoon at the latest. Anything departing in the evening is not using this pass at all.
4. Nine-seat limousine vans are the default here
The common vehicle on this route is the nine-seat limousine van. In Vietnam a limousine is a minibus refitted with nine wide seats. It is not a stretch car and it is not a coach.
The seats are large with real space between them, and the van handles the switchbacks with less roll than a full-size bus. Part of the reason vans dominate here is that vehicle size on the pass was restricted for a long stretch of time.
They collect you from your hotel
This is the main reason to pick one. Most operators run a shuttle to any hotel or address within 5km of the city centre, and drop you inside the same radius at the other end.
Pickup starts 30 to 45 minutes before the scheduled departure. The driver calls ahead, so keep your phone on and answer it.
Departure times
One operator runs twelve departures a day, hourly from 6.30am to 5.30pm. Others look much the same. Services bunch up in the morning and thin out through the afternoon.
One rest stop on the way
There is a rest stop partway up the pass. Drivers allow 15 to 30 minutes there for toilets and a stretch, and that time is already inside the advertised journey length.
5. Seated coaches and sleeper buses
Vans are not the only option. What changes with the other vehicle types is where you board and what you pay.
Seated coaches
Established companies such as Phuong Trang run this route with standard seating. Fares tend to sit below the vans, but you board at a bus station and you are set down at a bus station.
The Sinh Tourist, long used by foreign travellers, also runs the route with two departures a day, one in the morning and one in the early afternoon, both quoted at four hours.
Sleeper buses
On most Vietnamese routes a sleeper lets you travel overnight and skip a hotel night. That logic does not work here, because the direct road is closed after dark and sleepers have to take the long way round.
Most sleepers on this corridor start in a city well beyond Nha Trang and pass through, rather than starting here. They also cost more than a daytime van.
Choosing between them
| What you are comparing | Nine-seat van | Seated coach |
|---|---|---|
| Boarding | Your hotel | Bus station |
| Drop-off | Your hotel | Bus station |
| Seat | Wide | Standard |
| Frequency | High | Moderate |
| Luggage | In the back of the van | Separate hold |
Travelling light and staying centrally, take the van. Travelling as a group or with large cases, the coach hold may suit you better.
6. Night services do not cross the pass
Search any booking site and you will find departures at 10pm or after midnight. Given that the pass closes in the evening, that looks like a contradiction.
Those services do not use the pass. They run south to Phan RangMap and climb inland over the Ngoan Muc passMap on Highway 27 instead.
The detour is substantial
That road runs over 210km, more than 70km further than the direct route. Even with empty roads at night, it takes longer.
Vehicles over 16 seats or over five tonnes use the same detour. That is why full-size buses are scarce on the direct road.
Read the duration with care
Night departures often display a duration in the three-hour range. That figure is a route default, not a measurement. If the service is detouring, allow considerably longer.
7. Where you board in Nha Trang
Boarding depends entirely on what you booked. Vans come to you. Coaches leave from the station.
The bus station has moved
Services toward Da Lat use the Nha Trang southern bus station, and that station is no longer where older guides put it. The original site on 23/10 street closed, and the replacementMap is out beyond the edge of the city.
The new site sits about 8km from the beach, around 12 minutes by car from the centre. A lot of operator pages still print the old address, so it is worth confirming when you book.
Getting out to the new station
| Option | Detail |
|---|---|
| City bus | Route 6. Every 20 minutes, ₫4,000, running from 5.20am to 7pm. |
| Taxi or ride-hailing | Grab or Be. The easier choice if you have luggage. |
| Motorbike taxi | Only workable with a small bag. |
Do not confuse it with the northern station
Nha Trang also has a northern bus stationMap, which handles Da Nang, Hue and Hanoi. Turning up there for a Da Lat service means missing it.
Some long-distance sleepers that pass through Nha Trang do call at the northern station, so read the boarding point on your ticket rather than assuming.
For where to base yourself in the city, see where to stay in Nha Trang.
8. Where you arrive in Da Lat
Da Lat is simpler. Coaches all use the inter-provincial bus stationMap. Vans start and finish there too, but most of them run you on to your hotel.
From the station into town
The station is close in. Xuan Huong LakeMap is a few minutes away by car. Walking it is possible but uphill, so a taxi or a ride-hailing car is easier with bags.
If you booked a van, none of this applies. Anywhere within 5km of the centre, you are dropped at the door.
Somewhere to go on arrival
Da Lat MarketMap sits right in the middle of town and stays busy into the evening, which makes it a reasonable first stop even if you arrive late.
Neighbourhoods here split into the part you can walk and the part that needs a car. That is covered in where to stay in Da Lat.
9. What it costs
The spread is wide. The cheapest and the dearest services on this route differ by more than three times, and what separates them is the vehicle and the departure time.
| Type | Per person | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Seated limousine van, daytime | ₫180,000 to ₫240,000 | Most departures, hotel pickup included |
| Premium seated van | around ₫400,000 | Wider seats, fewer departures |
| Cabin and sleeper, pre-dawn | ₫300,000 to ₫350,000 | Partitioned berths |
| Overnight sleeper, detour route | ₫430,000 to ₫600,000 | Avoids the pass, so it takes longer |
Booking platforms often show more than these figures. The ones foreign travellers use add a service fee and bundle in cancellation terms. Buying at the counter is cheaper, but you have to find out first whether seats are left.
Hiring the whole vehicle
A private nine-seat van runs about ₫2,250,000. With four or five people that lands close to what you would each pay for a seat, and it is easier with luggage or children.
A car with a driver, or a taxi, works out between ₫1,200,000 and ₫2,500,000 for the vehicle, depending on size.
Driving or riding yourself
Fuel and tolls come to ₫300,000 to ₫500,000 in a car, or ₫150,000 to ₫200,000 on a motorbike.
10. Private cars and taxis
With a group, or with a lot of luggage, taking the whole vehicle is the straightforward choice. You leave when you want and you can stop where you want.
Why people pick it
You depart from your own door with no shuttle loop collecting other passengers first. If someone in the car struggles with the switchbacks, the driver can pull over.
It is also the cleanest way to go straight from Cam Ranh airport to Da Lat without doubling back through the city.
The curfew still applies
A private car is bound by the same curfew as everything else. Leave late in the day and it has to detour, which costs both time and money.
Agree the departure time first, then confirm that it clears the pass inside the open hours.
How the fare is set
Pricing is per vehicle, so a four-seater and a seven-seater differ. Starting at the airport costs a little more than starting in the city.
For how this leg compares with other domestic hops, see the guide to getting around Vietnam.
11. Going as a day tour
You can also see Da Lat without staying there. Day tours run from Nha Trang with a vehicle and driver, lunch, entrance fees and hotel pickup included.
What they cover
Most itineraries string together Datanla FallsMap, the Crazy HouseMap, Truc Lam MonasteryMap and the market. Some add Bao Dai’s summer palace or Tuyen Lam Lake.
Datanla is where the alpine coaster runs. Fares and last-ticket times differ by activity, which is covered in the Datanla Falls guide.
Whether a day trip is realistic
Four hours each way means eight hours in a vehicle. You leave early and you get back late.
If you only want to see the town once, it works. If you want the cold mornings and the evening market, stay a night.
Motorbike tours
There are also one-way pillion tours, usually sold as easy rider trips. You see far more of the landscape than you would from inside a van, but it takes 4 to 5 hours and you are exposed to the weather.
12. Riding it yourself
Plenty of people ride this route. It takes 4 to 5 hours, and fuel plus tolls comes to ₫150,000 to ₫200,000.
Think it through first
This is one of the better-known rides in the country. It is also a long pass with continuous bends, and it is not the place to learn.
Wet tarmac is slick and fog closes visibility down. Leave early so you cross the top in full daylight.
What to sort out
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Licence | You need one that is valid in Vietnam. Without it, insurance will not cover a crash. |
| Clothing | It gets cold as you climb. A windproof layer is not optional. |
| Fuel | Stations are sparse on the pass. Fill up before the climb. |
| Timing | The pass closes in the evening. Give yourself a wide margin. |
Most riders send their luggage ahead with a bus operator and ride with a day bag. Guesthouses will usually arrange it.
13. There is no flight and no train
Both cities have an airport, which makes flying look possible. No airline connects them.
The airports exist, the route does not
Domestic flights from Cam Ranh airportMap serve Da Nang, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Phu Quoc and a handful of others. Da Lat is not among them.
The two airports are simply too close for a service to make sense. Aviation listings treat Lien KhuongMap as an alternative airport for Nha Trang rather than a destination from it.
No railway either
Da Lat has no rail connection to any other city. A 7km stretch to Trai Mat survives as a heritage ride, which is a sightseeing trip rather than transport.
Nha Trang is on the main north to south line, but that track follows the coast and never turns inland toward the plateau.
14. Straight from Cam Ranh airport to Da Lat
Flying into Nha Trang and heading directly for the highlands is possible, but your arrival time decides whether it works.
Distance and time
Cam Ranh airport to central Da Lat is 146km, about 10km more than from the city, and it takes about as long.
The airport to central Nha Trang is 42km and roughly 50 minutes, so detouring through the city adds that twice over.
A late arrival will not make it
The pass shuts at 6pm and it takes close to two hours to reach it from the airport. Landing after about 3pm makes the same-day crossing very tight.
On an evening arrival, sleep in Nha Trang and leave in the morning. Options from the terminal, including overnight arrivals, are in getting from Cam Ranh airport into Nha Trang.
Arranging it
A pre-booked private transfer from the terminal is the simplest version. Some van operators will collect at the airport, but unlike hotel pickup it usually carries a surcharge.
15. Coming back down to Nha Trang
The return leg works the same way. Same curfew, same distance, near enough the same fares.
Departure times
Vans leave Da Lat hourly from 6.30am to 5.30pm. Coaches run from the inter-provincial stationMap through the morning and afternoon.
Anything leaving late in the day is on the detour and will take considerably longer.
If you have a flight to catch
Allow generous margins. Central Da Lat to Cam Ranh airport is around four hours of driving before you add check-in.
Da Lat has its own airport, and depending on where you are heading next, flying from Lien KhuongMap is far quicker. It is 35km from the centre, a little over half an hour by road.
Back at sea level
Coming off the plateau, the temperature climbs by roughly eight degrees. Change what you are wearing before you arrive. For what to do once you are back, see things to do in Nha Trang.
16. It gets much colder when you arrive
The two cities are close together and their weather is not alike at all. Nha Trang is hot year round at sea level. Da Lat is cool because of its altitude.
How big the gap is
Central Da Lat sits at 1,500m. Provincial figures put the annual average at 17.9C, with monthly means running from 15.7C in January to 19.1C in May. Not one day in the year averages above 25C. Nha Trang, down at sea level, averages in the 26C range.
In daylight the difference is easy to miss, because the sun is strong on the plateau too. The gap opens up in the early morning and after dark.
What to pack
| When | In Da Lat |
|---|---|
| Daytime | Short sleeves with a layer over them. The sun is fierce. |
| Morning and night | Long sleeves and a light jacket. |
| On a motorbike | Something windproof. |
| Rainy days | Colder again. A waterproof layer beats an umbrella. |
It is cold inside the vehicle too
Vans and coaches run the air conditioning hard, and the outside temperature drops as you climb. Keep a layer with you rather than in the luggage hold.
17. Luggage, children and motion sickness
A few things work differently on a mountain route. These are worth settling before you book.
Luggage limits
Operators vary, but around 25kg per passenger is typical, with a size cap in the region of 60cm. Most will not carry pets.
Tell the operator in advance if you are over. A nine-seat van does not have much space behind the last row.
Children
Rules combine age and height. One operator carries under-threes shorter than 1m free when they share a seat with a parent, up to one child per two adults. Above 1m, a child pays the adult fare.
Motion sickness
This is the most common complaint about the route. The bends are continuous, and people who are normally fine can struggle.
| Measure | Detail |
|---|---|
| Seat | Forward seats move least. Many operators let you pick at booking. |
| Food | Do not eat heavily before departure. |
| Medication | Take it around 30 minutes before boarding. |
| Rest stop | There is one. Get out and take the air. |
If you are prone to it, the nine-seat van beats the coach. You sit further forward and the windows are larger.
18. Booking, deposits and cancellation
Seats are usually available at short notice. Holidays, weekends and the early morning departures are the exceptions.
How far ahead
A day is normally enough, and operators recommend booking 24 hours out. Around public holidays, book much earlier than that.
Inside two hours of departure, most operators want the full fare up front.
Deposits and refunds
| When | You pay | If you cancel |
|---|---|---|
| Weekdays | Half up front | Full refund if you cancel 24 hours ahead |
| Weekends and holidays | The full fare | Holidays need seven days for a full refund |
| Same day | Already paid | Nothing is returned |
When the operator cancels
For weather or a natural hazard, operators undertake to give at least six hours notice. If the road forces a detour they give three hours notice, and a diversion that adds more than 50km carries a surcharge.
This corridor does get closed during the wettest part of the year. When that falls is set out in the Nha Trang rainy season guide.
19. Which option suits you
Putting the whole thing together by situation.
| If this is you | Take this |
|---|---|
| One or two people staying centrally | Nine-seat van, door to door |
| A group of four or more | Private vehicle, close to the same cost per head |
| Travelling with children | Private vehicle, so you can stop when you need to |
| Large luggage | Seated coach, which has a proper hold |
| Landing late at the airport | Night in Nha Trang, leave in the morning |
| Only want to see Da Lat once | Day tour, accepting the hours in the vehicle |
| Here for the road itself | Motorbike, if you already ride confidently |
Worth remembering
Allow four hours rather than the figure on the booking page.
Travel in daylight. Evening departures take the long way round.
Keep a jacket where you can reach it. It is colder at the other end.
What to do once you are up there is in the Da Lat travel guide, and how this leg fits a wider southern itinerary is in the southern Vietnam guide.
🎡Things to Do20
🍜Food2
🏨Where to Stay5
🚇Getting Around2
🧭Travel Tips6
🧭Vietnam-wide essentials113
Nha Trang to Da Lat: frequently asked questions
Between 3.5 and 4 hours. The distance is 135km and routing data suggests a little over two hours, but the road climbs a long pass where nothing moves quickly, and there is a rest stop partway. Plan on four hours when you are building a day around it.
Daytime seated limousine vans run ₫180,000 to ₫240,000. Pre-dawn cabin services are ₫300,000 to ₫350,000, and overnight sleepers that detour around the pass reach ₫430,000 to ₫600,000. Hiring a whole nine-seat van is about ₫2,250,000.
You can, but it is slower. The direct mountain road closes from 6pm to 5am, so night departures run south through Phan Rang and climb over a different pass, covering more than 210km. If your aim is to save a day, a morning departure gets you there sooner.
No. Both cities have airports but no airline links them, because they are too close together. Cam Ranh serves Da Nang, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Phu Quoc among others. There is also no train line into Da Lat.
Nine-seat vans collect you from any address within 5km of the city centre. Seated coaches leave from the Nha Trang southern bus station, which has relocated out of town and now sits about 8km from the beach. City bus route 6 or a ride-hailing car will get you there.
Yes. It is 146km and roughly four hours. The curfew decides whether it works: the pass closes at 6pm and it takes nearly two hours to reach it from the terminal, so landing after about 3pm makes the same-day crossing very tight. On a late arrival, stay in Nha Trang overnight.
It is doable. Day tours from Nha Trang include the vehicle, lunch and entrance fees. That is eight hours of driving for a few hours in town. If you want the cold mornings and the night market rather than a checklist of stops, stay a night.
The annual average is 17.9C, with monthly means from 15.7C in January to 19.1C in May, roughly eight degrees below Nha Trang. Daytime sun makes it feel warm, but early mornings and evenings need long sleeves and a light jacket. The vehicle air conditioning is cold as well, so keep a layer handy.