22:00
sleeper bus leaves Da Lat
04:00
private car pickup
08:30
arrive Moc Bai border
19:00-21:00
back in Da Lat
The two options
Two schedules, one border
Every Da Lat visa run ends at the same place: Moc Bai, the border crossing into Cambodia about 300 km from Da Lat. The schedule is where the two options split. The sleeper bus combo leaves the night before, around 22:00, and finishes your stamp run by early afternoon. The private car leaves before dawn, 04:00, and has you home by evening. Same border, same stamps, different rhythm.
Which one suits you comes down to two questions. Do you mind spending the night on a bus? And are you traveling alone or in a group? The bus combo is the budget pick for solo travelers and pairs. The private car is a flat rate for up to four people, so groups of three or four usually end up paying less per person while sleeping in their own beds.
Below are both schedules in detail, the pickup points, and what each ticket actually includes in 2026. If you want the full cost picture first, the Da Lat visa run cost guide breaks every line item down in VND and USD.
The budget option
Overnight sleeper bus, hour by hour
The combo splits the trip in two. An overnight sleeper bus carries you from Da Lat down to HCMC while you sleep, and a private car takes over from the HCMC bus station for the last stretch to Moc Bai. You board in Da Lat around 22:00 and the bus rolls in the same night, so the whole border morning is ahead of you.
Board the sleeper bus in Da Lat
The bus picks you up at the agreed stop in the city center. Blanket and reclined seat included. You sleep through the mountain road.
Arrive at the HCMC bus station
Your driver is waiting at the gate with a name board. Coffee stop before the border leg if you want one.
Arrive at Moc Bai
The car reaches the border before the morning queue builds. Your fixer meets you at the parking area.
Stamps done, back in the car
Vietnam exit, Cambodia entry, Cambodia exit, Vietnam re-entry. Under an hour total with the fixer walking you through each window.
Lunch stop and return to HCMC
A proper meal in Tay Ninh, then the car drops you back at a bus stop in HCMC for the afternoon sleeper to Da Lat. You are home by evening.
Worth knowing
Two nights of travel is the trade-off. You sleep on the bus going down and again coming back, so book it knowing your sleep happens on wheels. What you gain is the lowest price on the network, from 2,500,000 VND solo in 2026.
The direct option
Private car: one driver, one day
The private car run is the same trip without the bus. A driver picks you up at your hotel or apartment in Da Lat before dawn, drives the full 300 km down to Moc Bai, waits through the crossing, and brings you home. Door to door it runs about 16 hours, and you sleep in your own bed on both ends.
Pickup at your door in Da Lat
Sedan or SUV, blankets, water, snacks. The car heads down QL20 while the city is still dark.
Bao Loc or Di Linh meet point
If you are joining from the south of the province, the driver pulls off QL20 at the agreed spot. Quick coffee if anyone needs it.
At the Moc Bai border
The fixer meets the car in the parking area. Exit stamp, Cambodia visa, re-entry stamp. Most crossings are done by 10:00.
Lunch in Tay Ninh
A hot meal and a bathroom break before the long climb back. The drivers know the good noodle spots.
Back in Da Lat
Drop-off at your door. Traffic around HCMC on the return leg is the only variable that moves the arrival time.
Why the early start?
The border queues build as the morning goes on, and the return drive is long. Leaving at 04:00 puts you at Moc Bai ahead of the crowd and leaves slack in the day, so a slow crossing or rain on QL20 does not turn into a midnight arrival. Full route detail is on the private car page.
Where you board
Pickup points: Da Lat, Bao Loc, and the HCMC handoff
Where you meet your ride depends on which option you booked and where you are staying. None of the pickup points are hard to find, and the driver confirms the exact spot by message the day before.
- •Da Lat city center: the most common pickup zone covers the hotels and homestays around Xuan Huong Lake, the market area, and the backpacker streets near Bui Thi Xuan. If your place is outside the center, send the address and the driver comes to you for the private car, or tells you the nearest bus stop for the combo.
- •Bao Loc and Di Linh: passengers joining south of Da Lat meet the car at an agreed spot on QL20 around 05:00. The drivers know the coffee shops by the highway, and it costs nothing extra to pick up there.
- •HCMC bus station: for the combo, the sleeper bus drops you at the station in the early hours and a car with a name board meets you at the gate. That handoff is built into the ticket, so you are not left hunting for a taxi at 03:30.
Plan for the 04:00 pickup
For the private car, have your passport, USD for the Cambodia visa, and your Vietnam E-Visa approval letter ready the night before. The driver knocks at 04:00 sharp, and the border does not wait for anyone's forgotten bag.
2026 prices
What each ticket costs in 2026
Prices are quoted in VND, with USD at the reference rate of 25,500 per dollar that the booking form uses. Transport is the base; the Cambodia visa and the Vietnam E-Visa are add-ons you can bundle in.
Sleeper bus + car combo
- •Bus leg: 900,000 VND per person
- •Car transfer: 1,600,000 VND per car
- •Solo traveler: from 2,500,000 VND
Private car (direct)
- •Flat 6,000,000 VND per car
- •Up to 4 passengers in the price
- •4 people: 1,500,000 VND each
The border add-ons are the same for both options. The Cambodia visa at Bavet costs 1,100,000 VND when our fixer handles it, paid in USD on the spot. The 90-day Vietnam E-Visa add-on is 2,400,000 VND single entry or 3,100,000 VND multiple entry, submitted the moment you exit Vietnam and usually approved before you come back through.
Crossover point
At three people the private car costs about the same as three solo combos, and you keep your nights. At four it is outright cheaper per person. That is why groups from Da Lat almost always take the car. The full line-item breakdown lives on the 2026 cost guide.
Picking yours
Which schedule fits your trip
Book the sleeper bus combo when you are traveling alone or in a pair, when the budget matters more than the night, or when you do not mind napping on the road. Book the private car when you are three or four people, when you want door-to-door service, or when a full night in your own bed is worth a bit more.
Both schedules run most days of the week, and both put you through the same border windows at Moc Bai with the same fixer support. What changes is the clock, not the paperwork. The step-by-step version of the border process is on the complete guide, and the FAQ page answers the edge cases like holidays and overstays.
Booking takes a few minutes. Send your name, your pickup point in Da Lat or Bao Loc, and the number of passengers, and the driver confirms the exact time by message the day before. Pay on return, in VND or USD cash or by bank transfer, with Wise or Revolut accepted for the visa add-ons.
Living somewhere else on the coast? The same Moc Bai corridor runs out of HCMC and Nha Trang, each with its own schedule and pickup map.
Quick answers
Schedule questions, short answers
What time does the Da Lat visa run bus leave?
The overnight sleeper bus departs Da Lat around 22:00 and reaches the HCMC bus station around 03:00-04:00, where the car to Moc Bai takes over.
Can I be picked up outside Da Lat city center?
Yes. The private car collects you from any address in Da Lat. Passengers in Bao Loc or Di Linh meet the car on QL20 around 05:00 at no extra cost.
How long does the whole run take?
The private car is about 16 hours door to door, pickup at 04:00 and back between 19:00 and 21:00. The bus combo spreads the travel across two nights.
Which option is cheaper in 2026?
The sleeper bus combo, from 2,500,000 VND solo. The private car is 6,000,000 VND flat, so groups of three or four often pay less per person than the combo.
Lock in your departure time
Bus at 22:00 or car at 04:00. Tell us your pickup point and we confirm the rest by message the day before.