Da Lat taxis and Grab: booking, fares and airport transfers

You land at Lien Khuong with two suitcases, or you want to get up to Truc Lam Zen Monastery just after a downpour. Before you get in, check how the fare will be calculated and which extra charges may apply.

How do you book a taxi in Da Lat?

There are three ways, and the main difference is whether you see the price before you get in. Apps quote first; hotline cars and taxis flagged on the street usually run the meter or agree a price.

You can book Lado through the Lado Taxi app or by calling 1900 1111; check the contact details on Lado’s official website (linked from the company name in the table). Lado’s Lam Dong fleet is VinFast VF e34 and VF 5 electric cars (VnExpress, February 9, 2025). Because Lado is a transport partner of Xanh SM, the electric ride-hailing brand, you can also book a Lado car in the Xanh SM app (Tien Phong, August 21, 2025).

Other traditional operators named in Da Lat news coverage include Mai Linh, Taxi Quoc Te and two local cooperatives (Bao Tin Tuc, November 5, 2022). Get their numbers from the company’s own website or ask your hotel to call, not from a search ad.

If you don’t speak Vietnamese, keep your hotel’s name and address in Vietnamese on your phone, and in an app, drop the pin yourself rather than typing a name.

Is there Grab, Xanh SM or Be in Da Lat?

Grab, yes. Grab’s service table for drivers (page dated July 14, 2026) lists the car and motorbike services below for Lam Dong province, which includes Da Lat, plus a fixed airport route covered in the next section.

The table leaves out the time-based part of the fare, so don’t use it to work out a full trip price. Check the quote for your exact pickup and drop-off points in the app. The listed fares include 8% VAT (applied from July 1, 2025 through December 31, 2026, unless the rules change, according to Grab). The same page lists Lam Dong for GrabCar Saver (Tiết Kiệm), GrabCar Electric and Electric Plus without fixed rates, saying they are always cheaper than the matching standard service and move with supply and demand.

You can also book a Lado car through the Xanh SM app. Whether Xanh SM Bike or the Be app picks up in Da Lat is something to check in the app once you arrive.

How are Da Lat taxi fares calculated?

Since January 1, 2025, Decree 158/2024 has allowed taxi fares to be charged in one of three ways (Thanh Nien, January 31, 2025):

• Meter: a certified, sealed meter linked to a receipt printer, fixed where passengers can see it.
• App: the fare is based on the distance on a digital map and shown to you before the trip. This is how ride-hailing apps work.
• Agreed price: based on the price list posted in the car or set in the company’s app, agreed before you leave.

Whichever applies, the driver must send you an electronic invoice at the end of the trip showing the company, plate number, distance and amount. You need it if you want to complain.

Metered taxis charge a flag fall for the first short stretch, then a per-km rate, and many companies lower the rate in bands as the trip gets longer. Each company’s 2026 rates are on the price list inside the car or available from its dispatcher. To compare a single trip quickly, open Grab and Xanh SM side by side with the same destination.

If you agree a price, settle three things first: the total, whether luggage costs extra, and who pays tolls and parking. If you book by phone, confirm it in a text message.

How do you get from Lien Khuong airport to Da Lat?

Lien Khuong (Liên Khương) took its first commercial flight after more than five months of runway repairs on the morning of August 19, 2026 (Tien Phong, August 19, 2026). The airport is about 28 km from central Da Lat (VnExpress, June 15, 2026), roughly 35-45 minutes by car (Tuoi Tre, July 28, 2026) via the Lien Khuong - Prenn Expressway and Prenn Pass.

The Vietnam Airlines flights to Da Lat page (in Vietnamese) has no update date. Whether the bus still runs, its schedule and its drop-off points since the airport reopened all need confirming. Don’t count on a bus being there when you land just because a guide price is listed.

Airport taxis. In 2022, the Lam Dong transport department let companies register airport fares either per trip or by meter and required them to stick to whichever they registered (Nhan Dan, September 8, 2022). Before your bags go in the trunk, ask the driver whether it is a fixed trip price or the meter, and how much.

Ride-hailing cars. App cars are not allowed to pick up in some areas of the airport; security staff are there to direct passengers and drivers to the designated pickup zone (Lam Dong provincial police, via Tuoi Tre, October 15, 2025). Once you book, read the pickup point in the app, message the driver and ask staff in the arrivals hall if you cannot find it.

People offering rides in the arrivals hall and “airport taxi” numbers found online are the two situations the 2022 impersonation scam targeted (see below). Flight routes and how to compare total fares are in our guide to flights to Da Lat. Coming by bus instead? See arriving in Da Lat in our Ho Chi Minh City to Da Lat guide.

How do you spot a fake taxi?

In 2022, groups posing as Lado and Mai Linh advertised on Google, Zalo and Facebook to pick up passengers at Lien Khuong. One passenger paid VND496,000 for the 32 km trip, when Lado’s registered fare at the time was VND185,000 (VTV, citing the Vietnam News Agency, November 6, 2022). Six things to check:

1. Where the number came from: the app, the company’s own website or your hotel. Never a search ad, a Zalo group or a Facebook post.
2. Logo and hotline on the car body (company taxis): the cars used in the 2022 scam had neither the company logo nor its phone number.
3. Taxi markings required by law: “XE TAXI” on the front and rear windows, or a fixed TAXI light box on the roof.
4. The fare matches what you booked: on a metered ride, check the meter when the car starts moving; if you booked through an app or agreed a trip price, check you are charged the confirmed price.
5. Plate and driver name: with an app, match the plate before you get in; with a street taxi, take a photo of the plate.
6. An e-invoice at the end: it shows the company, plate, distance and amount. Without it, complaints are hard to pursue.

Taxi, motorbike, bus or walking: which one when?

Choose transport for each outing rather than using the same option throughout your trip:

• Around Xuan Huong Lake, Da Lat Market and Lam Vien Square: walkable, but with long climbs. Distances between sights are in getting between areas on our Da Lat map.
• Three or four people, or with young kids or older relatives: one 4-seat or 6-seat car is usually simpler than two motorbikes.
• Rain, mountain passes or after dark: take a car with a driver. Why riding yourself is a bad idea then is covered in when to take a taxi in our motorbike guide.
• Valid licence, dry weather, several countryside stops: a rented motorbike gives you more freedom; licence rules, deposits and prices are in renting a motorbike in Da Lat.
• Alone, light bag, short hop: GrabBike has Lam Dong rates in the table above.

To see how much more taxis cost than a rented motorbike over your whole stay, enter your group size and daily distance in our Da Lat trip cost calculator.

Can you hire a car by the hour for Langbiang or Cau Dat?

Yes, with GrabCar 2-way (GrabCar 2 chiều). According to Grab’s service page, 4-hour and 8-hour Premium packages started in Lam Dong on March 24, 2026, and 4-seat and 6-seat packages on August 18, 2026. The main terms:

• The package clock starts when you set off and covers the return leg and the driver’s waiting time.
• You cannot add new stops once the trip starts, so enter every stop when you book.
• Overtime costs VND40,000 per 30 minutes.
• The displayed price includes 8% VAT but not tolls, airport fees or parking.

The July 14, 2026 table puts a 4-hour GrabCar Premium 2-way trip in Lam Dong at a minimum of VND587,127 for 40 km. Prices for the 4-seat and 6-seat packages are shown in the app when you book.

If you hire a car and driver through a taxi company or your hotel, get it in writing: pickup time, stops, number of hours, the overtime rate, and who pays entry tickets and parking at each stop.

What changes during festivals and for tour groups?

The weekend of November 6-8, 2026 brings the Lam Dong Trail race and the jazz festival, and the Da Lat Flower Festival runs December 19-31, 2026. If you arrive late, arrange your airport pickup before the trip; on these dates, also save your hotel’s number and a taxi hotline.

On a tour coach with more than 29 seats, ask the operator where it will drop you nearest your hotel: since August 1, 2026, these coaches have been restricted on several central streets (CafeF, July 31, 2026), so you may need to walk or take a small car for the last stretch.

If you spot a fare, booking option or rule here that has changed, let us know and we will update it.