Walk past the "Taxi? Grab?" crowd to your name on a sign, and be at your Old Quarter hotel about 45 minutes later. The price is fixed before you fly, and you pay the driver when you get there.
Noi Bai International Airport (HAN) is about 27 km north of the Old Quarter. Most international flights land at Terminal 2. The drive takes 35 to 50 minutes, and longer in the morning and evening rush hour or in heavy rain. You cross the Red River on the big cable-stayed Nhat Tan Bridge, and then the city closes in around you.
For more than ten years I met travellers at Noi Bai almost every week. The arrivals hall is the one place in Hanoi where people get caught out: no SIM, no dong, and a small crowd asking "Taxi? Grab?". Some of them paid three times the real fare. I wrote up exactly how the Noi Bai taxi scam works if you want the details.
The Old Quarter is the easiest place to stay for a first visit: Hoan Kiem Lake, the street food, the night market and most of the sights within walking distance. Our Hanoi Old Quarter guide covers what to do once you're there.
Staying elsewhere in Hanoi, like West Lake or Ba Dinh? Same price, see airport pickup.
All three work. What matters is that you choose before you land, not in the arrivals hall.
| Private transfer | Grab or Green SM | Airport taxi queue | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $35 per car, toll included | About 280,000 to 400,000 dong, plus toll | About 300,000 to 450,000 dong, plus toll |
| Pickup | Your name on a sign at arrivals | Pickup point in the car park | Official queue outside arrivals |
| Needs | Nothing on arrival | Data or Wi-Fi, and the app | Cash in dong |
| Flight delayed | Driver adjusts, no extra cost | Book again when you land | Not affected |
| Risk of touts | None, you walk straight to your driver | Fake "Grab" drivers in the terminal | Low, if you stay in the official queue |
Whatever you choose, never accept a ride from someone who walks up to you inside the terminal. A real driver never comes looking for you. Happy to use an app? Our Green SM guide shows you how.
Per vehicle unless it says otherwise, from Noi Bai to any hotel in the Old Quarter. The toll is included.
A driver you can trust and nothing to work out on arrival.
Everything in Safe Landing, and you're online and know what to do next.
Everything in Landing Kit, plus a local who walks you through your first Hanoi evening.
Need a ride back to Noi Bai at the end of your stay? Same price, just tick the box on the form.
Fill in the form below with your flight and your Old Quarter hotel. It opens WhatsApp or email with the message already written. We confirm within a few hours. We're on GMT+7.
Your driver's name, photo and number plate arrive on WhatsApp. If your hotel is down a narrow lane, we tell you where the car will stop.
Through immigration, bags collected, out into arrivals. Walk past anyone offering a taxi and look for your name. If your flight is late, we already know.
About 45 minutes later you're at your hotel. Pay your driver in cash, in dong or dollars, and check in. We send a few tips for your first evening.
Tick any of these on the form and we'll add them to your booking.
Someone meets you off the plane and walks you through immigration without the long queue. Worth it after a long-haul flight or with kids. Your visa needs to be in order first, and our e-visa guide covers that.
The morning after you land, our guide takes you to a drop-in session with Hanoi players, then out for breakfast and an egg coffee. Loaner paddles if you need one. Book at least five days ahead. Our Hanoi pickleball guide lists the courts.
Your airport pickup, the Old Quarter, Ninh Binh's rivers and a night on Ha Long Bay, with three pickleball sessions and a guide. See the itinerary.
Fill this in and send it straight to WhatsApp or email. It writes the message for you. Nothing is charged online.
Rather just talk? Message us on WhatsApp, +84 898 590 099.
About 27 km. The drive usually takes 35 to 50 minutes, and longer in the morning and evening rush hour or in heavy rain.
$35 for a car with 1 to 3 guests, or $50 for a van with 4 to 8 guests. The Landing Kit, which adds a SIM or eSIM and our First 24 Hours card, is $55 or $80. First Evening is $95 per person, with the pickup for your whole party included. The toll is included and the price is fixed before you fly.
A Grab or Green SM car usually costs about 280,000 to 400,000 dong (roughly US$11 to US$16), and an official metered taxi about 300,000 to 450,000 dong, plus a toll of around 17,000 dong. Never accept a ride from someone who approaches you inside the terminal. Our taxi scam guide explains why.
In cash, to your driver, when you reach your hotel. Vietnamese dong or US dollars are both fine. Nothing is charged online. If you'd rather pay ahead, ask us for a PayPal link.
Most Old Quarter hotels can be reached by car, but some lanes are too narrow, and the streets around Hoan Kiem Lake close to traffic on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings. Tell us your hotel when you book and we'll tell you where the car will stop. Your driver will help you with your bags.
Yes. Our fast track service costs US$28 per person: someone meets you off the plane and walks you through immigration without the long queue. Your visa needs to be in order first.
Yes, for the same price. Tick the return box on the form or add your departure flight in the notes.
The transfer is the first hour. Our northern tours include it, along with the hotels, the guide, a night on Ha Long Bay and pickleball worked in wherever it fits.