Grab vs Xanh SM vs Be in Ho Chi Minh City: Fares Compared

GrabCar is cheapest for the first 2 km at VND 28,473 on the operators' own pages. Xanh SM Car is VND 30,500 and Be beCar VND 31,501. Per km after that GrabCar is also lowest at VND 9,818. Grab adds a 4% fee on foreign cards.

By Vincent Nguyen

GrabCar has the lowest first-2-km fare of the three on each operator’s own page: VND 28,473, against VND 30,500 on Xanh SM Car and VND 31,501 on Be beCar. Grab’s table was updated on 8 July 2026. Xanh SM’s page was read on 13 October 2026. Be’s page shows 1 July 2023 as the start date of its car fares and no newer table.

Quick picks

• Paying with a foreign card on Grab: expect a 4% processing fee.
• Motorbike taxi: GrabBike costs VND 12,273 for the first 2 km and Be beBike VND 13,817.
• Electric cars: Xanh SM taxis are VinFast electric cars.
• Booking ahead: Xanh SM Car schedules a pickup up to 30 days ahead, and Grab charges VND 5,000 to pre-book a GrabCar.
• At Tan Son Nhat T3: Xanh SM taxis stand on level 1, and Grab and Be pickups are further along by the parking building.

Buses, the metro and the waterbus are in Getting Around Ho Chi Minh City: Free Bus, Metro, Grab.

Fares side by side

Each operator prints its tariff in a different shape, so the first 2 km is the one figure all three give.

For a 4-seat car, here is the rate per km after the first 2 km, up to km 12:

Grab adds VND 442 per minute after the first 2 km. Xanh SM then charges VND 14,700 per km to km 25 and VND 13,300 from km 26. Be charges VND 10,779 per km after km 12.

For bigger or premium cars, GrabCar 6 seats costs VND 33,382 for the first 2 km. Be beCar 7 seats costs VND 37,239, and Xanh SM Premium VND 34,400. The Grab table also lists GrabCar English at VND 37,015. It does not say what the English tier includes.

For a motorbike taxi, GrabBike costs VND 4,222 per km after the first 2 km, plus VND 344 per minute. Be beBike costs VND 4,633 per km after the first 2 km or 7 minutes. GrabBike English costs VND 15,955 for the first 2 km.

Fees, surcharges and foreign cards

Grab fares include VAT and can be adjusted flexibly with supply and demand by area and time of day. It charges a platform fee of VND 3,000 on GrabBike, and VND 5,000 to VND 19,000 on its car services other than GrabTaxi.

Grab adds night, waiting-over-5-minutes and bad-weather surcharges. Tolls and airport entry fees are charged as they occur. Moca charges a 4% foreign-card processing fee on the final amount shown in the app, excluding tips, when the card was issued abroad.

Xanh SM fares include VAT and passenger insurance. App bookings are priced automatically, with promotions or surcharges at the time. Xanh SM Bike adds VND 5,000 on public holidays and VND 10,000 between 10 PM and 5:59 AM.

Be’s late-night surcharge applies to each trip starting or ending between 22:00 and 06:00. On beCar 4 seats it is VND 20,000, and on beBike VND 10,000. Be’s fares include a 14.78% application usage fee.

Booking ahead, cancelling and insurance

On Xanh SM Car you can schedule a pickup up to 30 days in advance and cancel before the driver arrives. Grab charges VND 5,000 per trip for pre-booking GrabCar, except GrabTaxi and GrabCar Tiet kiem.

Cancelling a pre-booked GrabCar after a driver accepts and within 60 minutes of departure costs 100% of the trip value. Be adds a VND 10,000 appointment fee and a VND 10,000 destination change fee on beCar 4 seats.

Xanh SM fares include passenger insurance. Grab sells Ride Cover and Ride Cover plus as an extra that passengers choose.

At Tan Son Nhat Airport

GrabCar has picked up at T3, as well as at T1 and T2, since 19 June 2025. A VND 9,000 airport surcharge applies to Grab trips going to T3, and none to trips from T3. Be adds a VND 15,000 pick-up fee at Tan Son Nhat on beCar 4 seats.

At T3 level 1, Xanh SM taxis stand at columns 09 to 15-16. Grab and Be pickups are some distance from the taxi stands: go down to level 1, turn right and walk to the end of the road by the parking building. At the international terminal, Xanh SM taxis wait at columns A01 to A04 on lane A.

Open Tan Son Nhat Airport in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)

The airport buses are covered in Tan Son Nhat Airport to the City: Bus, Grab, Taxi.

Before you go

• Book GrabCar first for the lowest listed rate, then open the other apps only if the quote looks high.
• Expect a 4% fee when you pay Grab with a card issued abroad.
• Add the VND 9,000 surcharge when you ride Grab to T3.
• Night rules: Be from 22:00 to 06:00, Xanh SM Bike from 10 PM to 5:59 AM.
• Schedule an early airport pickup ahead on Xanh SM Car, up to 30 days.

Photos and clips uploaded to Google Maps (Tan Son Nhat Airport on Google Maps (opens in a new tab)) by ryo k.

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Not confirmed: Foreign cards: Xanh SM and Be do not say whether they accept them, so carry cash as a backup. Grab does not print the amount of its night surcharge on its fee page.

General information checked against the sources listed above, not legal advice for your situation. Rules and office practice change; confirm with the immigration office or a licensed adviser before you act. See how guides are checked.

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