Grab in Vietnam: Prices, Airport Pickups, and When to Use Xanh SM or Be

Grab is the app most visitors open first in Vietnam, and for good reason: it’s in English, it shows the price before you book, and a motorbike or car turns up within minutes in any big city. It’s no longer the biggest player, though. Xanh SM, Vingroup’s all-electric taxi company, overtook Grab in 2025, and in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City its green cars are everywhere. Here’s what Grab costs, how the airport pickups work, and when we’d use Xanh SM, Be or a metered taxi instead.

Grab, Xanh SM and Be: who runs Vietnam’s rides

Three apps have shared the market since Gojek pulled out of Vietnam in September 2024. In the first quarter of 2026, Xanh SM held about 55% of ride-hailing, Grab about 41% and Be under 5%, according to Mordor Intelligence figures reported by VnEconomy. Grab is still the easiest of the three for a visitor to use. You’ll just see a lot more green cars than green Grab jackets in the big cities.

How Grab works in Vietnam

Download Grab and sign up before you leave home, while your usual SIM can still receive the text-message code. Foreign numbers generally work; what matters is getting the code. After that the app runs on any data connection, including a data-only Vietnam eSIM.

You can pay the driver in cash or link a foreign Visa, Mastercard, Amex or JCB card. Grab adds 4% to the fare on foreign cards, so on short rides cash is cheaper. GrabPay by Moca, the in-app wallet, needs a Vietnamese number. Carry small notes, because drivers rarely have change for a 500,000-dong note. Our Vietnam currency guide explains the notes.

GrabBike is the cheapest option and the fastest through traffic. The driver hands you a helmet: put it on and fasten the strap. Since January 2025 riding without a fastened helmet costs 400,000 to 600,000 dong, and the driver is fined too for carrying you without one. GrabCar comes in 4-seat and 6-seat versions, plus electric and premium tiers.

Grab prices in Vietnam

Grab publishes its rates. These were the base fares in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City in July 2026:

On top come a platform fee (3,000 dong on a bike, 5,000 to 19,000 on a car), 8% VAT, and any tolls or airport parking fees. A 6-seat car costs about a fifth more. The app shows the total before you book, and that total moves: prices jump at rush hour, in heavy rain and around Tet. When Ho Chi Minh City flooded in August 2025, a 5 km car ride that normally costs 50,000 to 80,000 dong went past 200,000.

Grab from the airports

Hanoi’s Noi Bai airport is about 27 km from the Old Quarter, and Grab estimates 250,000 to 350,000 dong by car. Since 3 August 2026, pickups have been in the covered P1 car park at Terminal 2, the international terminal, and in Lane 3 in front of Hall E at Terminal 1. A 9,000-dong airport parking fee is added to the fare.

In Ho Chi Minh City, Tan Son Nhat is only 7 km from District 1, and Grab estimates 120,000 to 200,000 dong. International flights use Terminal 2. Most domestic flights moved to the new Terminal 3 in 2025, where GrabCar picks up on Level 1 of the car park and there’s no motorbike pickup at all. In Da Nang the airport is close to the centre and the beaches, and Grab puts the ride at 70,000 to 120,000 dong.

Follow the pickup directions in the app, not the people calling “Grab, Grab” in the arrivals hall. A real booking shows you the driver’s plate number before the car arrives, so check it before you get in.

Xanh SM: the electric alternative

Xanh SM belongs to Vingroup and runs only VinFast electric cars and motorbikes, across the country. Its app has an English version with car, bike, delivery and food services, and you can also flag its green taxis in the street or find them at airport ranks. In the car you can pay cash or by card at the terminal. We couldn’t confirm that the app accepts foreign cards or foreign phone numbers, so plan on cash or the card terminal.

The cars are new, clean and silent. Xanh SM’s published car fares in 2025 started at about 30,500 dong for the first 2 km, then 15,500 to 17,000 dong a kilometre depending on the city, which is more than GrabCar’s base rate. At rush hour, when Grab’s prices climb, the gap can close or reverse, so compare both apps before you book.

Be and the smaller apps

Be is the home-grown app, with bikes, 4- and 7-seat cars, taxis and food delivery in 28 provinces and cities, and an English interface. It raised its prices in May 2026, and a bike ride now starts at around 14,000 dong. It’s a useful back-up when Grab and Xanh SM show long waits. We couldn’t confirm how reliably it takes foreign numbers and cards, so set it up at home and keep cash on you.

Metered taxis in Vietnam

The two taxi brands we’d trust are Vinasun, with white cars, mostly in the south, and Mai Linh, with green cars nationwide and a booking line on 1055. Expect roughly 12,000 to 15,000 dong a kilometre. Since January 2025 every taxi must have a sealed meter that prints a receipt and “XE TAXI” markings, while app cars carry a “XE HỢP ĐỒNG” (contract vehicle) sticker instead.

Street taxis and motorbike drivers are where visitors get overcharged. In June 2025 a Hanoi taxi driver charged a tourist 1.5 million dong for about 2 km, and in February 2026 a motorbike driver charged another 1 million for 7 km. Both later admitted it and paid the money back, but you’d rather not be the next story. Agree nothing on the street, use an app, and if you do take a taxi, pick one of the two big brands and check the meter is running.

Grab, Xanh SM or a taxi: which one?

Tipping Grab drivers

Tipping drivers isn’t expected in Vietnam. Rounding up a cash fare is appreciated, and after a cashless ride Grab lets you add a tip in the app within 72 hours. Our guide to tipping in Vietnam covers restaurants, hotels and tours.

Before you fly, apply for your Vietnam e-visa if you need one, and check the best time to visit Vietnam. Every Vietnam guide we’ve published, from the e-visa to the eSIM, is sorted by topic in our Vietnam travel guide.

For longer trips between cities, our Vietnam train guide covers the sleepers from Hanoi to Hue, Da Nang, Saigon and Lao Cai.

Going to Ha Long Bay? Our Hanoi to Ha Long Bay guide compares cruise shuttles, buses and private cars.

Leaving Hanoi for Sapa? A Grab gets you to the bus company’s office; our Hanoi to Sapa guide covers the vans, buses and night train from there.

Tempted to rent a scooter instead? Our guide to Vietnam laws for tourists explains the license, helmet and zero-alcohol rules that catch visitors out.

Going from Da Nang to Hoi An? Our Da Nang to Hoi An guide sets Grab and Xanh SM against the LK02 bus, shared vans and private cars, with the airport pickup and the return trip.

Taking a day trip to the delta? Our Ho Chi Minh City to the Mekong Delta guide explains why the buses leave from Mien Tay station, a long Grab ride from District 1, and compares them with tours.

Data checked: 2026-10-06