Pleiku to Quy Nhơn: time, coach fares, road

The road to Quy Nhơn is almost a daily route for Pleiku families: about 370 people go down to work in Quy Nhơn and come back at the weekend. If you have never done it, you need three things: how long it takes, which company to ride with, and what the road will be like.

How long to Quy Nhon, and which way to go

By road the trip from Pleiku to Quy Nhơn now takes 3.5 to 4 hours. A Tuấn Anh coach covers 164 km in 3 hours 35 minutes, and an Đức Đạt coach covers 175 km in 3 hours 45 minutes.

Coach, car or motorbike all work. If mountain roads are new to you, we recommend the coach: eight operators run the route at about 20 trips a day, and driving yourself means crossing both An Khê and Mang Yang.

Fares and where to board

Fares can change with the hour and the vehicle. Phương Trang also runs Pleiku to Quy Nhơn; its fares and times are on futabus.vn or its app. To book, Tuấn Anh’s hotline is 0984 784 898 and Đức Đạt takes bookings on xeducdat.com.

Boarding points differ by company, so confirm yours when you book. Tuấn Anh has offices at 180 Lê Duẩn street in Pleiku and 316 Tây Sơn in Quy Nhơn. Đức Đạt has an office at 275 Lê Đại Hành street in Pleiku plus another at 26 Phan Đình Phùng, and in Quy Nhơn it is at Lô 3, An Phú residential area, Tây Sơn street.

Tip: Be at the pickup point 30 minutes before departure.

Cancelling: Đức Đạt refunds 100% if you cancel more than 10 hours before departure, but not for holiday periods (Lễ, Tết) or morning trips. The Pleiku coach page covers booking and how to check a phone number before you send money.

Highway 19, An Khê Pass and the rainy season

If you drive, the road is what matters. National Highway 19 is the artery linking Quy Nhơn and Pleiku. The 143 km upgrade started in June 2021 and was essentially finished after four years, so cars can now run at 80 km/h. Even so, the road still has many winding passes, limited visibility and a high risk of accidents.

The two passes are An Khê and Mang Yang. An Khê is the long, dangerous one on Highway 19 between Pleiku and Quy Nhơn. Mang Yang means “Gate of Heaven” in Jrai; it is not long but it twists. On a motorbike, cross both in daylight on dry road.

In the rainy season, heavy rain in late October 2025 caused slides at several spots between Km62 and Km67 on An Khê Pass, and the contractor cleared the soil and rock. The province warned of more slide-prone spots, so ask the coach company or check traffic news before travelling in wet weather.

Since 2025, both ends are in one province

Since 1 July 2025 Pleiku and Quy Nhơn have been in one province, Gia Lai, with its administrative centre in Quy Nhơn. “Bình Định”, still on many booking sites, is the old province name.

Plane and train: when they make sense

Vietnam Airlines flights from Pleiku go to Hanoi (seven a day) and Ho Chi Minh City (three to five a day); from Phù Cát Airport they go to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Pleiku to Quy Nhơn is on neither list, so the coach is the practical way between the two cities; a plane makes sense only when you connect to or from Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City.

If you fly into Quy Nhơn first, add the ride from the airport: Phù Cát is about 25 to 30 km from central Quy Nhơn, a taxi takes from 30 minutes and costs 250,000 to 300,000 VND, and a bus takes from 50 minutes at about 50,000 VND (prices from October 2026). Pleiku is easier: the airport is 5 to 6 km from the centre, 10 to 15 minutes by taxi. With 90 to 120 minutes to arrive before the flight, flying between these two cities is rarely faster than the coach.

What about the train? Diêu Trì station sits next to Highway 19, the shortest road from Bình Định up to the highlands, and Quy Nhơn station is a branch off the North-South line that starts at Diêu Trì. The train gets you to one of those two stations; the leg up to Pleiku is still by road, so check both timetables before booking.

The Quy Nhơn to Pleiku expressway: when you can use it

The expressway is 125 km long and being built between 2025 and 2029. Sections 1 and 3 started on 19 December 2025, and section 2, 68 km long, on 19 August 2026.

The expressway is designed with four lanes at 100 km/h, but through An Khê and Mang Yang passes the maximum speed drops below 80 km/h.

The year to remember is 2029, when the project is due to finish. Until then everything runs on Highway 19.

The province is also drawing up a plan for a Quy Nhơn to Pleiku city bus, but it has no fare or timetable yet. If you plan to fly to Pleiku and then continue to the coast, read the Pleiku airport page; other routes are under Getting around.