Car hire and driving in Sơn La
Driving distances to the cities around, the rules that change at the border, and where to compare rental prices.
In Vietnam traffic drives on the right. Picking up at DIN means 95 km (59 mi) into the centre before the trip starts. The emergency number is http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q25648804 / http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q25648805 / http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q2945964.
Drives from Sơn La
| Route | Country | Distance | Estimated time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sơn La to Thị Trấn Thuận Châu | Vietnam | 27 km (17 mi) | about 25 min |
| Sơn La to Yên Bái | Vietnam | 112 km (69 mi) | about 1 h 42 min |
| Sơn La to Lào Cai | Vietnam | 129 km (80 mi) | about 1 h 58 min |
| Sơn La to Tuyên Quang | Vietnam | 145 km (90 mi) | about 2 h 13 min |
| Sơn La to Việt Trì | Vietnam | 154 km (95 mi) | about 2 h 21 min |
| Sơn La to Ba Vì | Vietnam | 154 km (96 mi) | about 2 h 21 min |
| Sơn La to Hòa Bình | Vietnam | 158 km (98 mi) | about 2 h 24 min |
| Sơn La to Bắc Quang | Vietnam | 162 km (100 mi) | about 2 h 28 min |
| Sơn La to Sơn Tây | Vietnam | 166 km (103 mi) | about 2 h 32 min |
| Sơn La to Vĩnh Yên | Vietnam | 175 km (109 mi) | about 2 h 40 min |
| Sơn La to Thị Trấn Đại Từ | Vietnam | 181 km (113 mi) | about 2 h 46 min |
| Sơn La to Phúc Yên | Vietnam | 185 km (115 mi) | about 2 h 50 min |
| Sơn La to Ho Chi Minh City | Vietnam | 1,203 km (748 mi) | about 18 h 21 min |
| Sơn La to Hanoi | Vietnam | 202 km (126 mi) | about 3 h 5 min |
| Sơn La to Bangkok | Thailand | 916 km (569 mi) | about 13 h 59 min |
| Sơn La to Haiphong | Vietnam | 291 km (181 mi) | about 4 h 27 min |
| Sơn La to Phnom Penh | Cambodia | 1,091 km (678 mi) | about 16 h 38 min |
| Sơn La to Cần Thơ | Vietnam | 1,271 km (790 mi) | about 19 h 23 min |
| Sơn La to Huế | Vietnam | 665 km (413 mi) | about 10 h 8 min |
| Sơn La to Da Nang | Vietnam | 740 km (460 mi) | about 11 h 17 min |
Distances are straight-line; road and rail routes run about 15–25% longer. Times are estimates from distance and typical speeds, not timetables.
Where to compare car hire
We take no bookings for these providers and hold no reservation with them. The provider you choose handles payment, confirmation, changes and refunds. How that works.
Common questions
Which side of the road do they drive on in Sơn La?
The right, as everywhere in Vietnam.
How are the journey times on this page worked out?
From straight-line distance and typical speeds for each mode, so they are estimates for planning, not timetables. Road and rail routes run 15–25% longer than the straight line.
Where these facts come from
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, elevation, time zone, postal codes
- Wikidata (CC0): area, sister cities, visitor numbers, heritage listings, stations and ports
- OurAirports (public domain): airports, runways
- Natural Earth (public domain): map outlines
Data compiled 13 September 2026. Hotel figures are from our booking partner’s catalogue on that date. Journey times on this page are estimates from distance, not timetables; check the operator before you rely on one.