💰 Click here to see Vietnam Budget Breakdown
💰 Prices updated: August, 2026. Budget figures are estimates — always verify before travel.
Exchange Rate: $1 USD = ₫26,296.00
Daily Budget (per person)
Shoestring: ₫394,440 – ₫1,314,800 ($15.00 – $50.00)
Mid-range: ₫1,051,840 – ₫3,944,400 ($40.00 – $150.00)
Comfortable: ₫2,629,600 – ₫13,148,000 ($100.00 – $500.00)
Accommodation (per night)
Hostel/guesthouse: ₫78,888 – ₫394,440 ($3.00 – $15.00)
Mid-range hotel: ₫315,552 – ₫2,366,640 ($12.00 – $90.00)
Food (per meal)
Budget meal: ₫40,000.00 ($1.52)
Mid-range meal: ₫200,000.00 ($7.61)
Upscale meal: ₫750,000.00 ($28.52)
Transport
Single metro/bus trip: ₫7,000.00 ($0.27)
Monthly transport pass: ₫258,333.00 ($9.82)
Getting from Da Nang to Hoi An sounds simple — and it is — but plenty of visitors in 2026 still waste an hour standing on the wrong road waiting for a ride that isn’t coming, or arrive at the Ancient Town at noon on a Saturday and wonder why it feels like a theme park. This guide cuts through the noise so your day trip runs smoothly from the first motorbike ride to the last lantern you see floating down the Thu Bon River.
How to Get from Da Nang to Hoi An
Hoi An sits about 30 kilometres south of Da Nang. The journey takes 40 to 60 minutes depending on your transport and traffic. You have four realistic options in 2026:
Grab (Ride-Hailing App)
Grab remains the easiest and most transparent option. A GrabCar from the Da Nang city centre to Hoi An Ancient Town costs roughly 180,000–230,000 VND (around $7–9 USD) one way. Book return trips separately or arrange a driver to wait — the latter usually runs about 400,000–500,000 VND ($16–20 USD) for a half-day waiting fee. GrabBike is available but the 30-kilometre coastal road gets hot and exposed, so most people skip it for this particular route.
Private Car or Motorbike Rental
Many Da Nang guesthouses and hotels can arrange a private car transfer for 250,000–350,000 VND ($10–14 USD) one way, often with a fixed return pickup time. Renting a semi-automatic motorbike yourself costs around 150,000–200,000 VND per day ($6–8 USD) and gives you the freedom to stop at Marble Mountains or Non Nuoc Beach on the way. The coastal road via Nguyen Tat Thanh and then Highway 1 is well-signed and in good condition.
Local Bus (Route 1)
The yellow Da Nang–Hoi An bus runs roughly every 20–30 minutes and costs 25,000 VND (about $1 USD). It picks up passengers on Hai Phong Street in Da Nang and drops you about a 10-minute walk from the Ancient Town entrance. Budget at least 75 minutes each way including waiting time. This is the cheapest option and perfectly reliable — just not the fastest. In 2026, contactless QR payment is accepted on most buses on this route.
Organized Day Tour
Tours booked through Da Nang hotels or booking platforms like Klook range from 350,000–700,000 VND ($14–28 USD) per person and typically include transport, a guide, and Ancient Town entry tickets. Worth considering if you want someone to handle all logistics, though your schedule becomes theirs.
Best Time to Go
Timing your Hoi An day trip is genuinely important — more so than most destinations in Vietnam.
Time of Day
Arrive by 8:00 AM if possible. The Ancient Town before 9:30 AM has a completely different energy — local vendors setting up, the smell of fresh banh mi being grilled on charcoal at the corner of Tran Phu Street, a quiet that disappears completely by midday. The most photographed streets, like Nguyen Thai Hoc and Bach Dang riverside, are nearly empty in early morning and resemble a crowded bazaar by 11:00 AM. Plan to eat lunch and take shelter from 12:00–2:00 PM when temperatures regularly hit 35–38°C in summer, then explore again in the late afternoon when the light is golden and lanterns start glowing around 5:30 PM.
Best Months
February to April is the sweet spot — dry, warm (around 24–28°C), and outside peak international tourism season. October and November bring serious flood risk; the Thu Bon River can rise high enough to flood the Ancient Town’s ground-floor streets, which makes some sites inaccessible. That said, the flooded Hoi An images you see online genuinely do attract a certain traveller. If you’re going between June and August, go early and plan to be somewhere air-conditioned by noon.
What to See in the Ancient Town
The Ancient Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and entry is managed through a ticket system. One Ancient Town ticket (120,000 VND / ~$5 USD in 2026) gives you access to five heritage sites from a list of around 20. Choose your five based on what genuinely interests you rather than trying to tick every box.
Don’t Skip
- Japanese Covered Bridge (Lai Vien Kieu): The most iconic structure in Hoi An. Go early. By 10:00 AM there are queues for photos and the narrow bridge gets congested.
- Tan Ky Old House: A privately owned merchant’s home that has been in the same family for seven generations. The architecture layers Japanese, Chinese, and Vietnamese influences in a genuinely striking way. A guide from the family often walks you through — tip them 20,000–30,000 VND.
- Phuc Kien (Fujian) Assembly Hall: The most elaborate of the assembly halls, built by Chinese traders. The courtyard is quiet even when the streets outside are packed.
Outside the Ticket Zones
Walking the riverside on Bach Dang Street costs nothing. The Morning Glory market stretch behind Tran Phu Street is where you find local vendors and smaller family kitchens away from the tourist-facing restaurants. Cross the footbridge to An Hoi Peninsula for a less crowded lantern market experience in the evening.
Where to Eat on a Day Trip
Hoi An has its own dishes that are specific to the town — you don’t find them done the same way anywhere else in Vietnam, including Da Nang.
- Phuong Banh Mi (22 Phan Chau Trinh): The original banh mi shop that earned international attention. The queue moves fast. Get there before 10:00 AM or after 2:00 PM. A banh mi costs 40,000–55,000 VND ($1.50–2 USD).
- White Rose Dumplings (Ba Buoi, 533 Hai Ba Trung): The shrimp-filled rice paper dumplings called banh bao vac — translucent, delicate, steamed. This family owns the recipe and supplies most restaurants in town. Eating them at the source makes a difference. A plate is around 60,000–80,000 VND ($2.50–3 USD).
- Cao Lau: The thick, smoky noodle dish unique to Hoi An, made with water from specific local wells — at least in theory. Any local restaurant on the back streets off Nguyen Thai Hoc will serve a decent version for 60,000–90,000 VND ($2.50–3.50 USD). Avoid the cao lau served at riverside restaurants doubling as souvenir shops.
- Morning Glory Restaurant (106 Nguyen Thai Hoc): If you want a sit-down lunch with air conditioning and reliable quality, this place has been consistent for years. Prices are higher — around 120,000–200,000 VND per dish ($5–8 USD) — but the food is genuinely good.
The Lantern Markets and Shopping Streets
Hoi An’s silk lanterns are everywhere, but the quality and prices vary enormously depending on where you shop.
The highest concentration of lantern shops is on Le Loi Street and the small lanes between Tran Phu and Nguyen Thai Hoc. A single medium-sized lantern costs 50,000–150,000 VND ($2–6 USD) depending on complexity — prices drop sharply if you buy three or more. Don’t accept the first price on anything decorative.
For tailored clothing, the streets around Tran Hung Dao and Le Quy Don are lined with tailors. If you want custom garments, you need at least two fittings, which means staying overnight or arranging same-day express service (add 30–50% to the price). Day-trippers who want something made should book a fitting for 8:00 AM and collect by 4:00 PM.
The An Hoi Night Market on the peninsula across the footbridge runs every evening from around 5:00 PM and sells souvenirs, handmade goods, and street food at lower pressure and slightly lower prices than the main tourist strip. The riverbank here fills with colourful lanterns after dark — the reflection of those lights on the water is one of the better free moments you can have in Hoi An.
2026 Budget Reality
Here is what a realistic day trip from Da Nang to Hoi An costs in 2026:
Budget Traveller
- Transport (local bus return): 50,000 VND ($2 USD)
- Ancient Town entry ticket: 120,000 VND ($5 USD)
- Meals (banh mi, cao lau, fresh juice): 150,000–200,000 VND ($6–8 USD)
- Shopping (1–2 lanterns, snacks): 100,000–200,000 VND ($4–8 USD)
- Total: approximately 420,000–570,000 VND ($17–23 USD)
Mid-Range Traveller
- Transport (Grab return): 400,000 VND ($16 USD)
- Ancient Town entry: 120,000 VND ($5 USD)
- Meals (mix of street food and one sit-down): 300,000–400,000 VND ($12–16 USD)
- Shopping and extras: 300,000–500,000 VND ($12–20 USD)
- Total: approximately 1,120,000–1,420,000 VND ($45–57 USD)
Comfortable Traveller
- Private car (return, with waiting): 700,000–900,000 VND ($28–36 USD)
- Guided tour or private heritage walk: 400,000–600,000 VND ($16–24 USD)
- Meals including restaurant lunch: 500,000–700,000 VND ($20–28 USD)
- Shopping: 500,000–1,000,000+ VND ($20–40+ USD)
- Total: approximately 2,100,000–3,200,000 VND ($84–128 USD)
Practical Tips for the Day
- Dress code: Some heritage sites require covered shoulders and knees. Carry a light scarf or loose layer — it doubles as sun protection on the walk between sites.
- Tickets: Buy your Ancient Town ticket from the official Hoi An World Heritage Management Center booths (identifiable by the green signage). Avoid buying from touts near the Japanese Covered Bridge.
- Bicycles: Rental shops around the Ancient Town perimeter offer bicycles for 50,000–80,000 VND per day ($2–3 USD). This is one of the best ways to explore at your own pace, especially to reach the beach at Cua Dai (4 kilometres east) or An Bang Beach.
- Heat management: Carry at least 1.5 litres of water. The Ancient Town has very little shade between sites. Electrolyte sachets from any pharmacy cost around 5,000 VND each and are useful in summer.
- Cash: Most small food stalls and market vendors still prefer cash in 2026. Bring at least 500,000 VND in small bills. ATMs are available on Le Loi Street.
- Return timing: If you want to see the lanterns lit at dusk (around 5:30–6:30 PM), plan your Grab or pickup for 7:00–7:30 PM to avoid rush hour and to get the full evening atmosphere without rushing.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to get from Da Nang to Hoi An?
By car or Grab, the journey takes 40 to 55 minutes from Da Nang city centre under normal traffic conditions. The local bus takes closer to 60–75 minutes including waiting time. Weekend mornings and late afternoons can add 15–20 minutes due to traffic near the Cua Dai Bridge area.
Do I need to book Ancient Town tickets in advance?
No advance booking is required in 2026. Tickets are sold at multiple booths around the Ancient Town perimeter and are available throughout the day. That said, arriving early means you spend less time queuing and more time exploring before the crowds build up after 10:00 AM.
Is Hoi An worth visiting as a day trip from Da Nang?
Absolutely. Thirty kilometres apart, the two cities pair naturally. A day trip gives you enough time to see the main heritage sites, eat well, and browse the markets. Staying overnight adds the quieter evening atmosphere and a morning before the tour groups arrive — worthwhile if your schedule allows it.
Can I visit Hoi An during the rainy season?
Yes, but with realistic expectations. October and November are the wettest months and flooding in the Ancient Town is a real possibility. Some streets may have ankle-deep water. If you visit during this period, pack waterproof sandals and check local weather updates the morning of your trip. The atmosphere during mild flooding is unique, though accessibility to some sites is limited.
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