Hanoi Airport to the Old Quarter: Bus 86, Grab or Taxi (Prices and Times for 2026)

Nội Bài Airport is about 30 km north of the centre, across the Red River. Without traffic the drive to the Old Quarter takes around 45 minutes. At 5:30 pm on a weekday, when the Nhật Tân bridge backs up, it can take well over an hour. What you pick comes down to two things: how big your bag is and what time your plane lands.

The orange bus 86

Bus 86 is the orange express bus made for travellers. It leaves from outside the arrivals halls of both terminals and runs to the city centre, stopping near the Old Quarter and Hoàn Kiếm Lake before ending at Hanoi Railway Station.

• Price: guides and riders report 45,000–50,000 VND per person. You pay the conductor on board in cash, so keep small notes handy; a 500,000 note at 7 am will not make you friends.
• Time: about 60 minutes to the Old Quarter, longer at rush hour.
• Hours: published timetables disagree, but from the airport it runs roughly from 7 am to about 10 pm, every 30–45 minutes. Land at 11:30 pm and it won't be there.
• Luggage: there is room for suitcases, and the conductor usually helps load them.

Show the conductor your hotel's street on your phone and they will shout when it's your stop. How far you walk after that depends on the hotel; some are around the corner, others a 15–20 minute drag of a suitcase over uneven pavement.

Grab, Be or Xanh SM

This is what most Hanoi people do when a relative flies in. Set up Grab (or Be, or Xanh SM) before you fly, and book a car from the arrivals area. The app shows the price before you confirm, which takes the haggling out of it.

• Typical price: a car to the Old Quarter usually costs somewhere around 250,000–350,000 VND, depending on the car size, the time of day and demand.
• Pickup: follow the app's pickup point instructions. Drivers often call or message in Vietnamese; a short "OK, I'm at gate number…" in the chat works fine.
• If the price looks oddly high, it's usually because several flights landed at once or it's raining. Buy a coffee, wait 15 minutes, check again.

A Grab motorbike from the airport is possible but not a good idea with a suitcase, and the ride on the highway is long.

The taxi queue

Licensed taxis line up outside arrivals. The large local companies with their name painted on the door and a working meter are the ones to use. Some offer a fixed price to the city centre; otherwise they run on the meter. Expect a similar or slightly higher price than Grab.

Three habits save most of the trouble:

• Use the official taxi queue, not someone who approaches you inside the terminal.
• Agree the fixed price, or check the meter is on, before the car moves.
• The fare may include the highway toll; ask if you are unsure.

City buses 7 and 17

Ordinary city buses also stop at the airport and cost a fraction of the price, usually somewhere around 9,000–15,000 VND depending on the route and the current fare table. They are slower, stop often and don't go straight to the Old Quarter, so you will probably need a short Grab ride at the end. They make sense if you are travelling light, on a tight budget and not in a hurry.

So which one?

• Daytime arrival, one backpack: bus 86. You also get your first look at the river and the long road into the city.
• Landing late, tired, or with family: Grab or a taxi straight to the door.
• Very tight budget, lots of time: city bus plus a short ride.

Before you walk out of arrivals

• Get a local SIM or eSIM before you leave the airport so ride-hailing apps work straight away.
• Change only a small amount of money at the airport; rates in the city are usually better.
• Old Quarter streets are narrow and many are one-way, so a car may drop you at the end of your street rather than the hotel door. That is normal.

Prices and hours are typical ranges reported in October 2026 by local guides and riders, not official quotes. Bus fares and timetables change, so check with the conductor or at the airport information desk on the day.