Eleven cities. Five borders. One page that compares them all.
Every visa run in Vietnam ends at one of two borders: Cambodia in the south or Laos in the center and north. Your city decides which one you drive to, how long the day lasts, and what the trip costs.
Ho Chi Minh City is two hours from the Cambodia gate at Moc Bai. Hanoi is an eight hour haul to the Laos border. Everything in between, Da Nang, Hue, Hoi An, Nha Trang, Da Lat, sits somewhere on that spectrum, and the math changes accordingly.
The border matters because the two crossings are not interchangeable. Cambodia runs from the south use Moc Bai, sometimes Xa Mat. Laos runs from the central and northern cities use Lao Bao, with Na Meo and Huu Nghi as alternatives for Hanoi. You do not choose the border directly. You choose the city you live in, and the border comes with it.
Cost follows distance. A shared van from HCMC to Moc Bai runs about 1.5 million VND per person. A private car from Hanoi to Lao Bao runs 5 to 7 million. The 90 day e-visa you file at the border costs the same everywhere, around 2.4 million VND, because that part is fixed. The transport is the variable.
Schedule follows distance too. HCMC runs are done by early afternoon. Hanoi runs eat the whole day and some of the night. If you are on a work schedule, the short-haul cities are the easy ones.
The point of this page is simple: here are all eleven cities, their borders, their drive times, and their prices, with a link to each city's own site so you can book the desk that matches where you are.
| City | Border | Drive time | Transport | Price range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ho Chi Minh City | Moc Bai (Cambodia) | ~2 hours | Shared van or private car | 1.5M - 6M VND |
| Da Nang | Lao Bao (Laos) | ~4 hours | Shared van or private car | 1.5M - 6M VND |
| Hue | Lao Bao (Laos) | ~3 hours | Private car | 4M - 6M VND |
| Hoi An | Lao Bao (Laos) | ~4.5 hours | Shared van or private car | 1.5M - 6M VND |
| Nha Trang | Moc Bai (Cambodia) | ~8 hours (bus + car) | Sleeper bus or private car | 1.5M - 6M VND |
| Da Lat | Moc Bai (Cambodia) | ~6 hours (bus + car) | Sleeper bus or private car | 1.5M - 6M VND |
| Hanoi Haiphong Mui Ne Quy Nhon Phu Quoc | Lao Bao (Laos) | ~8 hours | Private car | 5M - 7M VND |
| Phu Quoc | Xa Xia (Cambodia) | ~2h ferry + 45 min car | Ferry + private car | 2M - 6M VND |
| Quy Nhon | Le Thanh (Cambodia) | ~4 hours each way | Private car | 1.5M - 7M VND |
| Mui Ne | Moc Bai (Cambodia) | ~3.5 hours | Shared van or private car | 1.5M - 6M VND |
| Haiphong | Huu Nghi (China) | ~2.5 hours each way | Private car | 3M - 6M VND |
Transport prices are per person for shared vans and per vehicle for private cars. Border fees sit on top: roughly 1.1 million VND for the Cambodia visa on arrival at Moc Bai, or about USD 35 for the Laos visa at Lao Bao. The 90 day Vietnam e-visa add-on runs about 2.4 million VND at any border, which is usually the reason people do the run at all.
If you just need the short version: the south runs to Cambodia, the center and north run to Laos, and the closer you start, the cheaper and shorter the day is.
HCMC is the default answer for most people, and for good reason. Moc Bai sits about 80 km away, a two hour drive, the closest border crossing of any city in the network. Shared vans start around 1.5 million VND per person, and the whole run is done by early afternoon. This is also the cheapest city for a Cambodia run because the drive is shortest. If you live in the south and want the least hassle, start here. HCMC visa run site
Da Nang is the closest city to the Laos border at Lao Bao, about four hours west on good roads. It has the most frequent Lao Bao services of any city, so you are rarely stuck waiting for a van to fill. Shared vans run about 1.5 million VND, private cars 5 to 6 million. The day is longer than HCMC but very doable, and the same-day return works. Da Nang visa run site
Hue is about three hours from Lao Bao on QL9 through the mountains, actually closer than Da Nang. Private car is the norm here, 4 to 6 million VND per vehicle, because the mountain road does not suit shared van schedules. The scenery is the best of any run in the network, if you are the type to enjoy the drive. Hue visa run site
Hoi An sits about 30 minutes south of Da Nang, so the route is the same: west to Lao Bao. Most services pick you up in Hoi An directly, which saves you the hassle of getting to Da Nang first. Timing and pricing match Da Nang: shared vans around 1.5 million VND, private cars 5 to 6 million, about 4.5 hours each way. Hoi An visa run site
Nha Trang is the long one on the Cambodia side: about 400 km to Moc Bai, six to seven hours each way. Most runs leave very early and come back late the same night. The sleeper bus keeps the price down at about 1.5 million VND, while a private car runs about 6 million. If you are already in Nha Trang and do not want to arrange separate transport to HCMC, the direct run is worth it. Nha Trang visa run site
Da Lat sits about 250 km from Moc Bai, four to five hours through the mountains. Same-day runs work but the road is winding and the return is late. Sleeper bus around 1.5 million VND, private car 5 to 6 million. The mountain scenery makes it one of the more pleasant rides in the network, if a long one. Da Lat visa run site
Hanoi is the outlier. Lao Bao is about eight hours each way, so the run is a full day and then some, and a private car at 5 to 7 million VND is the only comfortable option. The upside: the fixer can file the 90 day e-visa while you wait, same as everywhere else, and Hanoi also has Na Meo and Huu Nghi as alternative Laos gates. Plan for a full day, not a half day. Hanoi visa run site
The honest answer is that most people pick by location, because driving four hours past a closer border to save a few hundred thousand dong rarely makes sense. But a few rules cover almost every case.
If you are in the south, run to Cambodia. HCMC is two hours from Moc Bai, the shortest and cheapest run in the network. Da Lat and Nha Trang also use Moc Bai, just with longer drives. There is no reason for anyone south of Da Nang to drive to Laos.
If you are in the center, run to Laos. Da Nang, Hue, and Hoi An all use Lao Bao. Da Nang has the most frequent services, Hue has the shortest drive, and Hoi An gets picked up at the door. All three are same-day trips.
If you are in the north, run to Laos. Hanoi is the only northern city with a regular service. It is a long day and a private car is the practical choice, but it beats flying to HCMC and back.
If you are choosing between cities to live in, the cost difference is real but small. The run itself, transport plus border fees plus the e-visa, lands between about 4 million VND from HCMC and 8 to 9 million from Hanoi. Over a year of quarterly runs, the HCMC route saves you maybe 15 to 20 million VND. That is not nothing, but it is not a reason to move cities either.
The 90 day e-visa changes the frequency math. At 2.4 million VND and 90 days of validity, you run four times a year instead of monthly. That is the single biggest cost cut available, and it works from every city on this list because the filing happens at the border, not at your local office.
When you know your city, open its site below, check the pickup times, and book. Each city desk handles its own schedule, its own drivers, and its own border relationships, so the details differ even when the process does not.
Ho Chi Minh City, by a clear margin. Moc Bai is about two hours away, so transport is the cheapest in the network, around 1.5 million VND for a shared van. Border fees and the e-visa cost the same everywhere. Everything else being equal, the shortest drive wins on price.
Ho Chi Minh City, Nha Trang, and Da Lat run to Cambodia through Moc Bai. Da Nang, Hue, Hoi An, and Hanoi run to Laos through Lao Bao. Hanoi also has Na Meo and Huu Nghi as alternative Laos gates. South of Da Nang it is Cambodia; from Da Nang north it is Laos.
HCMC is the shortest day at about 6 to 7 hours door to door. Hue and Da Nang are medium days, 10 to 12 hours. Hoi An is similar to Da Nang. Nha Trang and Da Lat are long days, 14 hours or more, and Hanoi is the longest, usually a full day plus a late-night return.
Yes. The 90 day e-visa, around 2.4 million VND, is filed while you wait at the border, and the process is the same at Moc Bai and Lao Bao. It is why most people run at all: one run buys three months instead of one. Confirm with your city desk that your passport qualifies before you book.
The eleven cities above are where the network has desks and drivers. If you live elsewhere, the practical options are to travel to the nearest listed city for pickup or book a private car that comes to you. The city sites list their coverage areas, so check yours before assuming.