To able to use the Grab and GreenSM at Ho Chi Minh airport, you need Install the Grab/ GreenSM apps on your phone, have a connection to the internet at the arrival to able to book the ride, order the ride, find the pick up location and the driver, and head to your hotel.
I’ve traveled to Tan Son Nhat airport many times both through international and domestic areas. I usually use ride share services such as Grab taxi and GreenSM taxi to travel from the airport to the hotel in the city center.
I prefer using ride share services because it’s easy to order from the Apps and it shows the price after putting the destination and pick up point, so I don’t have to bargain with the driver.
I also feel safer using Grab and GreenSM because if anything happens such as forgetting the items in the taxi or feeling unsafe, I can report it to their operator.
When traveling around Vietnam, if I did not rent a scooter or if I traveled with a suitcase, I always used one of these two riding share services without the need of using other forms of transport.
Grab is a popular ride share service in many South East Asia countries such as Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, or Indonesia. GreenSM is an all-electric taxi ridesharing service owned by a Vietnamese company called Vingroup.
Grab is more popular and easier to find a ride in many areas, but it’s usually charged more than GreenSM during peak hours. While GreenSM only offers electronic taxis, Grab offers both electronic and regular taxis.
To be able to use Grab or GreenSM, I recommend installing them on your phone before boarding your flight. I had both of them installed on my phone, so you can compare the price or availability of each ride.
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Does the Tan Son Nhat airport have free wifi to book a Grab taxi?
Yes, Tan Son Nhat has free wifi, but it’s unstable and unreliable. I tried to connect to the airport free wifi at the arrival area but it was very hard to get any signal.
If you want to connect to the internet to order Grab, I recommend having ESIM activated before your flight, or buying the Vietnamese SIM card with the internet when arriving at the airport.
Make sure to order the taxi ride from the Apps to avoid people trying to scam you. There’s people who wear Grab jackets that make you think they are from Grab but are not. They will charge you an exorbitant price.
If you can’t access the internet, you can order the metered taxi at the official curbside taxi area. Popular taxi companies are Vinasun or Mai Linh.
How much do the Grab/ GreenSM ride from Tan Son Nhat airport to the city center?
The distance from the airport to the city center (district 1 and district 3) is around 7km and it usually costs around 100k to 150k VND per ride. It is around a 25 to 40 minutes ride depending on traffic.
There is also an additional surcharge, which the driver will let you know about once you’re in the car. If you pay by credit card, the surcharge will be added to the amount shown in the app before the ride.
When using the Grab taxi from the domestic terminal to my hotel, I had to pay an additional 30k VND. When using the GreenSM taxi from my hotel to the International terminal, I had to pay an additional 9k surcharge fee.
According to Grab’s official website, the airport fee at international airports to drop off passengers is 9k VND, and to pick up the passengers is 14k VND. The airport fee at domestic airport Terminal one is 9k VND for drop off passengers, and 30k for pick up.
Once you get the Apps installed on your phone and get access to the internet, you need to navigate to the Grab taxi point area. Here are the locations of Grab pick up points at the Tan Son Nhat international Terminal (T2) and domestic Terminal (T1).
Grab taxi pickup point at Tan Son Nhat international arrivals
After exit the immigration, take the checked luggages, withdraw some money at the ATM/ exchange the money, or buy the SIM card, you will go down to the Ground Floor, and head to the front of the arrival area.
I recommend only booking the Grab taxi when you already find the pick up area because the Grab taxi can only stop there for a few minutes.
The pick up area of Grab in the Tan Son Nhat international terminal is not right outside the exit area. You’ll need to walk out toward the car parking lot with some national flagpoles in front of it.
Look ahead for the area with lots of parked cars. Don’t wait in the arrival hall, because ride-hailing cars can’t pick you up there. There are many signs saying “ Xe Cong Nghe – Ride Hailing” to get to the pick up point area.
Here are steps by steps to find the Grab pick up point at international arrival:
- After taking your checked luggage, walk out to the arrival gate, find Pillar 6 (near the Lucky Cafe & Fast food) or Pillar 10.
- You’ll walk on zebra crossings on two lane roads to get to the pick up area in front of the car park and the national flags.
There are many taxi scammers trying to get you into their car, some even wear Grab uniforms, just ignore them and use the App to order the ride.
In the pick up point on Grab App, type Tan Son Nhat, and choose International Terminal – Terminal 2 (Arrival Terminal – Parking lot area). Put your destination in the destination area, then the Apps will show you car options and prices. Then click the Book Button.
You will get the driver’s car number, remember this number to get in the right car. The driver may call you to confirm the location. It’s better to send him/ her a picture of your location via a chat function on the app, so they can find you.
GreenSM taxi pickup area at Tan Son Nhat international arrivals
Besides Grab, I also often use GreenSM. I felt less car sick than using an electric car than the regular one. It’s also cheaper than a Grab taxi at the peak hours.
GreenSM has more pick up areas than Grab. In addition to the pick up area next to the parking lot, it has a pick up area right at the front of the arrival hall. You can wait for GreenSM’s taxi driver at the pickup point next to the parking lot, Lane A (pillars 1 to 4), or Lane B (pillars 10 to 12).
Open GreenSM App, enter Tan Son Nhat in the pick up point, look for the International Terminal (T2), then choose either parking lot area, Lane B (pillars 10-12) for VIP vehicles, or Lane A (pillars 1-4). I also recommend taking a picture of you and the location you’re waiting to send to the driver via the chat inside the GreenSM app to let the driver know your location.
Grab taxi pick up point at Tan Son Nhat domestic arrival
While the Grab pick up area of the international terminal is the outdoor area next to the parking lot, the Grab pick up area of the domestic terminal is in the indoor area inside the parking building next to the arrival hall.
There are signs in the domestic terminal instructing you to get to the Grab ride hailing point.
Here are steps by steps to find the Grab pick up point at domestic arrival:
- After exit the domestic arrival gate, turn right and go towards Pillar 13 and 14 where Starbucks and Mc Donalds are located.
- You need to cross the zebra crossing through two lane roads to head to the pick up area. Lane D1, from pillar A5 to l5 is the Grab’s designated pickup point. There is a Grab representative there to help you to find the right taxi.
After finding the pick up points, you can order the ride from the Grab. on the pick up point, type Tan Son Nhat, choose domestic terminal T1 (Arrival terminal Lane D1 and pillars that you’re waiting).
You can take the photo of you and your location to send to the driver via a message function on Grab App or ask the Grab representative at the site to help you.
GreenSM taxi pick up point at Tan Son Nhat domestic arrival
GreenSM pick up points on domestic arrival have two areas: in Lane C from C3 to C5 and in Lane D2 from Pillars F6 to B6.
After exiting the domestic arrival gate, you can easily walk to Lane C, order the ride from the GreenSM app and wait for the driver there.
Additionally, you can find the pick up points (lane D2) inside the parking building next to the Grab pick up point area (Lane D1).
To get to lane D2, you need to walk toward Starbucks after exiting the arrival gate. Walk into the parking building where the Starbucks is located.
Should you use Grab or GreenSM at Ho Chi Minh airport?
I’ve used them both, and recommend them all. Both are safe and convenient rides from the Saigon airport to the city center. Grab seems to be more popular with international visitors since it’s more popular in Southeast Asia countries, but GreenSM is also an excellent service to use.
In my experience, GreenSM is usually cheaper than Grab in the peak hour. Additionally it has more pick up points than Grab in both domestics and international arrivals. You can easily spot GreenSM pickup points at Lane A (pillars 1 to 4) in the international terminal and at Lane C from C3 to C5 in the Domestic area. While the Grab pick up area takes a bit of time to navigate which can be hard for the first timers.
Both ride shares can be paid by cash and card and offer upfront prices. They are usually cheaper, safer, and more reliable than regular taxis.
See more:
So there you have it, my guide on finding the ride share services pick up points in Tan Son Nhat airport in Ho Chi Minh city. By now I hope you have an easy time navigating the pick-up area of Grab and GreenSM when arriving at both domestic and international parts of the Saigon airport.