In general cross city taxi travel in Ho Chi Minh City between major tourist sights can be achieved for $1-2, occasionally up to $5 or $6 if you need to travel a particularly long way - for instance from downtown Dong Khoi area up to Chinatown. The vast majority of taxi drivers are very courteous, helpful and safe drivers, if a little too fond of their horns at times, so you should feel free to relax and enjoy the scenery as you drive.

That being said, taxis are not closely regulated and if you do not travel with a trusted brand you may find the meter has been fiddled and you are paying over the odds. The government have recently been holding a crackdown on dodgy taxis at the airport in o Chi Minh City which appears to have been quite successful, but it seems little is being done to put a stop to overcharging in private taxis in town.

To help visitors and expats new to the city we've put together a guide to the taxis to trust and those to avoid. Its quite easy to stick with the trusted brands if you follow our guide below - and if you feel you are being taken for a ride, just ask the driver to pull over and choose another cab. You will have to pay whatever is on the meter if you want to avoid a very lengthy argument, so it is better to stop and do so sooner rather than later!

Since most drivers only speak Vietnamese do bear in mind that at times a detour they are taking may be to avoid heavy traffic and roadworks to get you to your train, bus or plane on time, rather than to inflate the meter. There may be a few crooks operating tourist taxis but the majority of taxi drivers are legitimate, so try to avoid taking a cynical view on your travels - you will enjoy your time in Vietnam a great deal more!

The taxis to avoid

It's a dead giveaway really. You will see many of these taxis hovering in the tourist areas, outside backpacker ghettos, museums and late night bars but rarely picking up local passengers .. What do they know that you don't?

It's quite simple actually - painted on the side or on the roof are the words "Taxi Du Lich" - which translates as 'Tourist Taxi'. While I generally like to advocate supporting independent traders chances are you are more likely to pay much more for your fares in one of these than in a taxi run by a major company.

Taxis we know and love

The following are also great value:

Although you may not see so many of them, all of the following cab companies will give you a decent rate and a comfortable journey.

Savico

Saigon Tourist

Hoang Long

(i forgot to take a picture of this one but it'll be up soon!)
PetroVietnam

The pretenders

Outside Saigon - what to look for in a good taxi

Many towns have their own local taxi companies so it is difficult to list them all. Mai Linh and Vinasun above can be found in just about every town in Vietnam and are consistently reliable, but many of the smaller local operators can be cheap and effective so don't be afraid of giving them a go.

In general we would recommend looking for the following before you get in a cab:

• A clean, reasonably new car - legitimate companies care about their image so their taxis will look in a much better condition than the fly-by-nights
• A brand name and logo - preferably one that doesn't look like a copy of someone else's!
• Perhaps most importantly - a 'So Dep' or 'pretty (phone) number' such as 8111 111 or 27 27 27 27 - these are expensive and first come first served and so usually imply the taxi company is in business for the long term.