Los Angeles to Ho Chi Minh City
16h 44mgate to gate
The flight from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to Tan Son Nhat International Airport (SGN) covers 13,130 km (8,159 miles) and takes approximately 16h 44m gate to gate for a typical jet.
The route heads north-west on an initial great-circle bearing of 308°, passing near 46.5° N, 162.6° E at its midpoint.
Bearing 308° north-west Midpoint 46.5° N, 162.6° E Model 805 km/h + 25 min
SOURCE·OurAirports + great-circle computation·REVIEWED JUL 2026
How this is worked out
- Take both airports' published coordinates from OurAirports — nothing here is scraped from another flight site.
- Great-circle distance by haversine on a mean earth radius of 6,371.0088 km: 13,130 km.
- Airborne time = that distance ÷ 805 km/h, a representative jet cruise speed: 16h 19m.
- Add a flat 25 minutes for pushback, taxi, climb, descent and taxi-in — the reason a 400 km hop is never half an hour: 16h 44m gate to gate.
- Winds, aircraft type and airline schedule padding are not modelled. The cruise-speed table shows how much that assumption is worth.
13,130 km / 805 km/h = 16h 19m airborne
+ 25 min ground = 16h 44m gate to gate
SOURCE·OurAirports + great-circle computation·REVIEWED JUL 2026
The same route, plotted on a world grid
The strip above gives the route its length and its shape. This gives it a position: latitude and longitude only, no coastlines, because a hand-drawn coastline would be decoration pretending to be data. On a flat grid the shortest path looks bent; on a globe it is straight.
Flight time at different cruise speeds
Aircraft type, winds and routing all move the real number. This is the same distance flown at different speeds, plus the 25-minute ground and climb allowance.
| Typical of | Cruise speed | Airborne | Gate to gate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turboprop / regional | 550 km/h | 23h 52m | 24h 18m |
| Narrowbody jet (A320, 737) | 780 km/h | 16h 50m | 17h 15m |
| Widebody jet (777, 787, A350) | 900 km/h | 14h 35m | 15h 01m |
| Private jet (Gulfstream) | 850 km/h | 15h 27m | 15h 52m |
Headwinds on an eastbound long-haul routinely add 30–60 minutes; the same route westbound can be quicker. Airlines publish schedules with padding built in.
SOURCE·OurAirports + great-circle computation·REVIEWED JUL 2026
Both airports
| LAX | SGN | |
|---|---|---|
| Airport | Los Angeles International Airport | Tan Son Nhat International Airport |
| City | Los Angeles | Ho Chi Minh City |
| Country | United States | Vietnam |
| ICAO | KLAX | VVTS |
| Coordinates | 33.9425, -118.408 | 10.8188, 106.652 |
| Elevation | 125 ft | 33 ft |
Every figure on this plate is geometry. The shape of the earth is knowable; the airline's schedule is not.
Questions this plate answers
How long is the flight from Los Angeles to Ho Chi Minh City?
A non-stop flight from Los Angeles (LAX) to Ho Chi Minh City (SGN) takes about 16h 44m. The great-circle distance is 13,130 km (8,159 miles, 7,090 nautical miles), flying north-west on an initial bearing of 308°.
How far is Los Angeles from Ho Chi Minh City?
13,130 kilometres in a straight line over the earth's surface — 8,159 miles or 7,090 nautical miles. Actual flown distance is usually 2–5% longer because aircraft follow airways, avoid weather and route around restricted airspace.
Is there a non-stop flight between LAX and SGN?
This page calculates the direct-line time and distance; it does not track airline schedules. At 13,130 km the route is within reach of long-range widebodies, though not every city pair is served non-stop. Check an airline or booking site for what is actually scheduled.
What should I expect on a 16h 44m flight?
Anything past six hours is a long-haul flight: expect at least one meal service, a significant time-zone shift, and enough sitting that circulation and hydration start to matter. Cabin altitude, dry air and disrupted sleep do more damage to a training routine than the flight itself.
Airport coordinates from OurAirports (public domain). Distance is a great-circle calculation; flight time uses the model described on the method page. Flight times are great-circle estimates for planning only — always check the airline's published schedule.
