The ARL is great when it's an option, though it can get crowded at times because so many locals use it as a commuter rail to/from one of the intermediate stops.

With DMK I've gone the cheap charlie route and done the B30 bus to Mo Chit skytrain, but that's a daytime option best done with light bags. With DMK taxis I've seen some bad supply/demand situations, but YMMV and much depends on ULCC schedules.

IMO the important thing is staying near a Skytrain or subway station and being on-the-grid that way. I go back to pre-Skytrain days when everyone was hostage to the traffic jams and even short trips could be a big deal, and the transit has been a real game-changer.