Most people in Vietnam get around on motorbikes or motorcycles and similar things. Foreigners are well advised to stick to taxis, and at the airport go with the authorities there who will put you into a cab rather than taking a freelancer. Elsewhere, call the cab, don't hail it.
If one is traveling by road between cities, a car or van is recommended. The dangers of going by motorbike are obvious enough. Vietnamese roads are not up to U.S. standards, as one would expect, and seem to be continually under construction and in many places are jammed with trucks (the economy is growing much faster than the road system). One also has to keep a close watch for insane bus drivers.
Going by sleeper-bus if one is going a good distance is an experience only for the young (I'm 71 and manage to survive, but I think maybe I'm a little different and I have help). Bring blinders and either earplugs or a way to block the noise with earphones. Be prepared to take off your shoes and to relieve your bladder alongside the road. A couple small pillows will also help. Be sure you are on an "express."
I mentioned insane bus drivers. Once on a two lane mountain pass alongside the ocean (a several hundred meter drop to the beach) I am passed to my left by a truck and to my right by a honking bus (on the shoulder). Well a car comes around the curve so the truck has to get over and the shoulder ends so the bus has to get over, and I'm stuck between them. Somehow it happened but I sat there for awhile putting my thoughts together.
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