22:00
bus boards in Da Lat
04:00
private car pickup
07:30-08:30
at the Moc Bai border
19:00-21:00
back in Da Lat
The short answers
The whole run on one clock
Every Da Lat visa run ends at Moc Bai, the crossing into Cambodia about 300 km from Da Lat. The two transport options just get you there on different clocks. Here is the side-by-side, and the full hour-by-hour detail follows below.
| When | Sleeper bus combo | Private car |
|---|---|---|
| Leave Da Lat | 22:00, city center stops | 04:00, your door |
| Bao Loc / Di Linh | n/a (bus goes straight) | around 05:00 on QL20 |
| Arrive Moc Bai | about 07:30 | about 08:30 |
| Stamps done | by around 08:30 | by around 10:00 |
| Lunch | Tay Ninh, 10:00-13:00 | Tay Ninh, 11:00-12:00 |
| Back in Da Lat | next evening by bus | 19:00-21:00 same day |
The full schedule with pickup points and 2026 prices lives on the schedule page. This page is for the time questions: what time you leave, what time you eat, what time you are home, and what time things go wrong if they go wrong.
Option one
The sleeper bus combo, minute by minute
The combo splits the trip in two: an overnight sleeper bus from Da Lat to HCMC, then a private car from the HCMC station to Moc Bai. You sleep through the mountain road and wake up near the border. The trade-off is two nights on wheels, one going down and one coming back.
Board in Da Lat
The bus picks you up at the agreed stop in the city center. Reclined seat and blanket included. The engine starts around 22:00, so be at the stop by 21:45.
Arrive at the HCMC bus station
The car driver is waiting at the gate with a name board. This handoff is built into the ticket, so you are not hunting for a taxi at 03:30. Grab a coffee at the station if you want one.
Arrive at Moc Bai
The car reaches the border before the morning queue builds. Your fixer meets you in the parking area and walks you through what happens next.
Stamps done
Vietnam exit, Cambodia entry, Cambodia exit, Vietnam re-entry. Under an hour total with the fixer at each window. You are back in the car before the border gets busy.
Lunch stop, then the ride back to HCMC
A proper meal in Tay Ninh, then the car drops you at a bus stop in HCMC for the afternoon sleeper to Da Lat. You are home by evening.
What the clock costs
Two nights of travel is the price of the cheapest option on the network, from 2,500,000 VND solo in 2026. If the budget matters more than the night, this is your run. The line items are all on the cost guide.
Option two
The private car, minute by minute
One driver, one day, your own bed on both ends. The car is a flat 6,000,000 VND for up to four people, so groups usually split it three or four ways. Door to door it runs about 16 hours.
Pickup at your door
Sedan or SUV, blankets, water, snacks. The driver knocks at 04:00 sharp and the car heads down QL20 while the city is still dark.
Bao Loc or Di Linh meet point
Passengers joining from south of Da Lat meet the car at an agreed spot on QL20. The drivers know the coffee shops by the highway, and there is no extra charge to pick up there.
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 noodle spots that serve quickly, because everyone wants to be on the road again.
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 04:00 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. Route detail is on the private car page.
Getting home
What time you get back to Da Lat
The private car gets you home between 19:00 and 21:00 the same day. The bus combo gets you home the next evening: the car drops you at a bus stop in HCMC mid-afternoon, you take the afternoon sleeper up, and you are back in Da Lat in the evening.
The 19:00 to 21:00 window on the car run is not random. The return drive passes through the HCMC ring road, and that traffic is the one thing nobody schedules around. A clear day with a fast border crossing lands you closer to 19:00. A slow crossing, a long lunch, or an accident on the ring road pushes you toward 21:00.
Rain on QL20 is the other mover. The mountain road between Bao Loc and Da Lat gets slow in heavy weather, and the drivers do not rush it. If you have plans the same evening, treat 21:00 as the honest answer and be pleasantly surprised when the car shows up at 19:30.
Book the night off
Whatever option you take, do not book a flight or a dinner reservation for the arrival evening. Both runs finish late enough that the margin is thin. Give yourself the night and plan the next day fresh.
At the border
What time the border works best
Moc Bai is busiest mid-morning, when the tour buses from HCMC roll in. Both Da Lat runs are timed to miss that: the combo arrives about 07:30 and the car about 08:30, before the crowd builds. Your fixer meets you at the parking area and the whole crossing, all four stamps, is usually under an hour.
That timing matters more than any other number on this page. A visa run is not just about getting to the border, it is about getting through it, and the queue at 09:30 can be three times what it is at 07:45. The early departures from Da Lat exist for this reason, not for the romance of driving in the dark.
The Cambodia visa is handled on the spot at Bavet by the fixer, 1,100,000 VND paid in USD. The 90-day Vietnam E-Visa add-on is submitted the moment you exit Vietnam, and it is usually approved before you come back through. Neither add-on changes the clock much; they are paperwork, not waiting.
Holiday weeks are the exception. Around Tet and National Day the border runs slower and the roads fill up, so the same schedule stretches. If you are booking around a holiday, ask for the earliest slot and expect the return end of the window. The FAQ page covers holiday timing in more detail.
Being on time
Pickup confirmations and being ready on time
The exact pickup time is confirmed the day before, by message. You get the spot and the window, and the driver confirms again when they are on the way. For the private car that window opens early: be ready 15 minutes before your slot, because the driver knocks at 04:00 sharp and the border does not wait for a forgotten bag.
What to have ready the night before: your passport, USD for the Cambodia visa, and your Vietnam E-Visa approval letter if you are adding the 90-day visa. Pack them in one place so the 03:45 alarm does not involve a hunt through the room. The bus combo is gentler, boarding around 22:00, but the same rule applies, be at the stop by 21:45.
Payment happens on return, in VND or USD cash or by bank transfer, with Wise and Revolut accepted for the visa add-ons. So the only thing you need on time in the morning is yourself and the documents. The full what-to-bring list is in the step-by-step guide.
One day, done
Can you do a Da Lat visa run in one day?
Yes, and it is the normal way to do it. The private car is a same-day run: pickup at 04:00, at the border by 08:30, crossing done by around 10:00, lunch in Tay Ninh, back in Da Lat between 19:00 and 21:00. About 16 hours door to door, one driver, no nights on a bus.
The bus combo cannot be done in one day from Da Lat. It is built around two overnight legs, down and back, because the road to the border is 300 km each way and the sleeper is how the budget price works. If the question is really "what is the fastest way to reset my visa," the answer is the car. If it is "what is the cheapest," the answer is the bus, and it costs you two nights.
One honest caveat about the same-day plan: the return window is 19:00 to 21:00, and HCMC ring-road traffic decides which end of it you get. Do not book anything important for that evening. Otherwise, yes, breakfast in Da Lat, lunch in Tay Ninh, dinner back in Da Lat, stamps in between.
Quick answers
Time questions, short answers
What time does the Da Lat visa run leave?
The sleeper bus combo boards in Da Lat around 22:00. The private car picks you up at 04:00.
What time do I need to be ready for the pickup?
Be ready 15 minutes before your slot. For the 04:00 car, have your passport, USD for the Cambodia visa, and your Vietnam E-Visa approval letter packed the night before.
What time do you get back from a Da Lat visa run?
Private car: between 19:00 and 21:00 the same day. Sleeper bus combo: the following evening, after the afternoon bus up from HCMC.
Can I do a visa run from Da Lat in one day?
Yes, with the private car. Pickup at 04:00, border done by around 10:00, back in Da Lat between 19:00 and 21:00. The bus combo needs two nights.
What time should we arrive at the Moc Bai border?
The runs are timed to reach Moc Bai between 07:30 and 08:30, before the morning queue builds. Most crossings are done by 10:00.
What time does the driver confirm the pickup?
The day before, by message. You get the exact spot and the window, then the driver confirms again when they are on the way.
What time is the border crossing done?
Usually under an hour. Vietnam exit, Cambodia entry, Cambodia exit, Vietnam re-entry, all four stamps done by around 10:00 with the fixer walking you through each window.
Pick your clock and book it
Bus at 22:00 or car at 04:00. Send your pickup point in Da Lat or Bao Loc and the driver confirms the exact time by message the day before.