For the shorter trips in Vietnam, take the bus. You can choose from seated or reclined (good for overnight trips). You will be able to arrive early in the morning at your destination. The cost is reasonable. Here is what I know about bus travel in Vietnam.
Bus Travel in Vietnam is an efficient way to travel between cities not reachable by trains. The buses are clean, comfortable and the overnight buses save you a night in a hotel room. There are bus stations in many cities and the cost is very reasonable.
If you are traveling to smaller towns, I recommend that you buy a return ticket when you buy the original. While it may be possible to order and pay for a ticket from a small town in Vietnamese, I wouldn’t try it in English.
If you are on a budget, it’s a good deal to travel by bus in Vietnam. The trip may take a while, but you will get a good view of the country and the cost is very low. For example a trip from Danang to Ho Chi Minh can be as low as 300,000 VND (about $12).
I don’t speak Vietnamese. Finding someone who knows English is a big help when traveling. English is common in the cities but less so, the farther you are from an urban area. You may also have problems with cell phone coverage and money exchange.
The smaller towns don’t have actual bus stations. They have a method of waiting for the bus at an unmarked public intersection or cafe. I haven’t seen this in the U.S. for decades but it works here. The bus company texts the driver, who will look for you.
The bus station in Danang has a website, which is https://www.danangbus.com/. They offer clean modern buses.
How to Pay for Bus Travel in Vietnam
Their system is different because they don’t actually convert any currency. Instead, they have banks in many countries. When you want to send money, the bank deducts this amount from your account in one bank, and adds it to your balance in the other branch, which is simple bookkeeping. Then, transfers the money in the local currency. Brilliant!
With Wise, I can choose the exact amount I want to pay, or the amount I want the other person to receive, even with the exchange rate. The way this is done, is the bank figures out what it will cost for the recipient to receive an exact amount. Then they figure out what to deduct from your account to make that happen.
See this page for more information on how to set up your Wise Bank account.