The first hour after landing decides how a first trip to Vietnam feels for parents, and most of that hour can be arranged from home. Da Nang airport sits 3 km from the city centre, international flights land at Terminal T2, and the ride to a hotel in town takes 10-20 minutes. I live in Da Nang and have run tours around Vietnam since 2023, so below is the plan I walk through with people whose parents are flying to Asia for the first time.
What happens in the first hour at Da Nang airport?
Parents from an international flight walk through passport control, collect bags and come out into the arrivals hall on the ground floor of Terminal T2. The domestic Terminal T1 is about 300 m away, so a driver waiting at the wrong building is a common mix-up. SIM counters of Viettel, Mobifone and Vinaphone stand in the baggage claim area, next to a tourist information desk and a Da Nang Visitor Support Center.
Official taxis wait outside arrivals around the clock. The airport is 3 km from the centre, so a hotel in Da Nang is 10-20 minutes away. Hoi An is 28-30 km from the airport, a 40-60 minute drive that costs $10-16 (250,000-400,000 dong) by taxi or Grab.
What should be on the parents’ phones before they leave?
A phone with working data matters more than any paper: with it parents can call a Grab (the local ride-hailing app), open the hotel address and message you. A physical SIM is registered against a passport in about five minutes, and a 30-day tourist SIM with 15 GB costs around $8 (200,000 dong).
An eSIM can be installed at home through a QR code without passport registration, but it usually gives data only, with no number or SMS. My guide to SIM cards in Vietnam and the eSIM comparison cover both.
WhatsApp, Viber and the local Zalo work in Vietnam without restrictions. Telegram was blocked from 25 May to 10 July 2025, and the tourism portal vietnamtourism.com says it now works normally, though I have not seen a fresh measurement for October 2026. Install two channels on the parents’ phones and test both with a call before the flight.
Russian citizens enter Vietnam visa-free for 45 days under Government Resolution 44/NQ-CP, valid until 14 March 2028. For a longer stay they need an e‑visa of up to 90 days from evisa.gov.vn . Since April 2026 Vietnam has also rolled out a free pre-arrival form at prearrival.immigration.gov.vn , filed no earlier than 72 hours before entry, with the QR saved on the phone. Other nationalities should check their own rules on the e‑visa portal. A return ticket is listed in checklists as a recommendation: an airline or a border officer may ask for proof, so carry a printout. Check passport validity with the airline before buying tickets, and use government portals only, because fake sites exist.
Who should be waiting at the exit: a guide, a driver or nobody?
A guide with a name board, a pre-booked driver and a taxi rank are the three real options, and they differ in what you know before the flight. A guide gives you a name, a photo and a phone number. A driver gives you a booking number. A taxi gives you only a company logo.
| Option | Who is at the exit | What you know in advance | Risk level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guide from a tour operator | Person with a name board and a guest list | Name, photo, phone | Low |
| Pre-booked transfer | Driver with a name board | Driver name, booking number | Medium |
| Taxi rank | Nobody | Company name only | Higher: address and fare are on the parents |
Third-party platforms sell a name-board meeting with fast-track passport control, from about $29 per person, or about $49 with a private transfer (2026 benchmark). I did not find a meet-and-greet service run by the airport itself, so someone always has to be hired. The 7-day route from my team includes an airport meeting and a private transfer.
The usual worry is silence: parents step out, mobile data is not on yet, and you cannot tell whether the person at the exit found them. In my tours a coordinator stays with the group on the route and a manager answers messages around the clock. You can also do this yourself with a SIM and a shared chat. If you prefer to hand it over, send me the flight number and I will confirm who stands at T2 with the name board and send you their name and photo.
Who do parents call if something goes wrong?
Three numbers are free in Vietnam: police 113, fire and rescue 114, ambulance 115. Put them and the hotel address in one screenshot and set it as the lock screen of the parents’ phone, since numbers are hard to recall under stress.
The Da Nang Tourist Support Center phone is +84 236 3550 111, and its hours should be confirmed before the trip. If you cannot fly with them, the home page lists ready routes with a coordinator on the road. Pace and heat on a longer trip are covered in the guide for elderly parents .
Checklist: how to vet the person meeting your parents
Vetting takes one evening and four messages: the name, a photo, a messenger number and a test call. Do it a day before departure so there is still time to replace the person. A contact who cannot send a photo or a name is better swapped out early.
- Ask for the full name, a photo and a phone number on a messenger both you and your parents use.
- Match the name on the board to your booking and send your parents a screenshot with name, photo, number, Terminal T2 and the landing time.
- Open a group chat with you, the parents and your contact: parents write “departed” and, once the airport SIM has data, “landed”, your contact answers “I am here”.
- Call your contact and your parents a day before: check the sound, the connection and that the parents know where to stand.
- Prepare a fallback: a Mai Linh or Xanh SM taxi and the hotel address written in Vietnamese.
What to choose: short version
For parents flying for the first time I choose a contact with a verified name, photo and phone, a physical SIM from the airport and two messengers. A taxi with a logo stays as the backup, and a screenshot with 113, 114, 115 and the hotel address sits on the lock screen. Vet your contact a day before the flight while a replacement is still possible.
You can do all of it yourself: buy the SIM, open the shared chat and flag a Mai Linh at the exit, and the parents only need a smartphone and an address. But if you do not want to guess whether they were found, and you want someone local on the line, message me on Telegram, tell me who is flying and what worries you most, and I will suggest the next step.
Frequently asked questions
How long is the flight and what is the time difference with Moscow?
A direct charter from Moscow takes about 9 hours, and a connection via Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City takes 12-15 hours. Vietnam is 4 hours ahead of Moscow all year, with no daylight saving.
Are there direct flights to Da Nang in winter?
Anex and VietJet charters from Russia run from 21 May to 29 October 2026, three times a week from Moscow, and are sold only inside tour packages. From November to March a connection is usually needed.
Do airport taxis take cards?
Not all of them, so keep cash. Vehicles with a Mai Linh, Vinasun or Xanh SM logo are the safe pick, and an airport fee of up to $1.2 (30,000 dong) can be added to the meter fare.
Where is the Russian consulate if a passport is lost?
The Russian Consulate General in Da Nang is at 22 Tran Phu, phone +84 236 382 2380, open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 9:00-11:30. The duty number for emergencies is listed on the Russian MFA site .
