Da Nang - Hoi An: An Unforgettable Adventure! 🏝
Our trip, excluding souvenirs, came to around VND 4,000,000 per person.
Here's a breakdown of our expenses:
- Flights: We booked round-trip tickets with Vietnam Airlines on Traveloka for VND 1,650,000 per person + VND 385,000 for checked baggage.
- Accommodation: We stayed at Le House Hotel, which cost VND 350,000 per double room/2 people. It was just for sleeping, so we opted for an budget-friendly option. Clean rooms, good prices, and friendly staff were the highlights.
We explored the Love Bridge, Ba Na Hills, Hoi An Ancient Town, Bay Mau Coconut Forest, Son Tra Peninsula, and My Khe Beach. We rented a motorbike for transportation and contacted Ms. Thao, who helped plan our trip. Contacting her was a great decision!
- Motorbike Rental: We rented a Lead scooter for VND 120,000/day. We rented it for 3.5 days, so the total cost was VND 420,000 + VND 100,000 for gasoline.
- Ba Na Hills Ticket: VND 1,180,000/person, including a lunch buffet.
- Bay Mau Coconut Forest: VND 130,000/2 people. We booked through Ms. Thao's company (0764.890.852), and it was so much fun! Consider going between 3 PM and 4 PM if you enjoy a lively atmosphere, or between 9 AM and 10 AM for beautiful scenery.
- Love Bridge: Parking fee: VND 10,000.
- Hoi An: Parking fee: VND 5,000, bicycle rental: VND 40,000, releasing lanterns on a boat: VND 150,000/boat.
- My Khe Beach: Chair rental + luggage storage + parking fee: VND 40,000.
- Son Tra Peninsula: We only had time to visit Obama Rock Beach. There was an entrance fee of VND 10,000/person to access the beach, and parking was free.
- Transportation: To Noi Bai Airport: VND 200,000/2 people, from Noi Bai Airport: VND 250,000/2 people (including pick-up and drop-off fees). We picked up our motorbike at Da Nang airport, so there was no transfer fee from the airport to the hotel. Because we had a lot of luggage, we returned the motorbike at the hotel and took a taxi to the airport for VND 130,000/2 people (including tolls).
- Food: Approximately VND 1,100,000/person.
- Souvenirs: Around VND 1,900,000.
Our Detailed Itinerary:
Day 1: Hanoi - Da Nang, Dragon Bridge, Love Bridge + Nightlife
We arrived in Da Nang at 3:30 PM, so we chose to explore the city center because we didn't have time to visit the sites further away. We explored the surrounding areas and saved the longer excursions for the subsequent days to avoid exhaustion in the evenings, leaving us with ample time to roam.
The Love Bridge is best visited in the afternoon for beautiful photos.
An evening cruise on the Han River offers stunning views of the city at night. If you visit on weekends, you can even see the Dragon Bridge fire show! 😊
We ate at Banh Xeo Ba Duong. Personally, I loved the dipping sauce and the nem lui, but the banh xeo was just average.
Day 2: Ba Na Hills
Initially, we planned to visit Ba Na Hills and then spend the afternoon at My Khe Beach. However, we woke up late, took a long time to get ready, and got lost on the way, so we didn't arrive at Ba Na Hills until noon.
The roads were beautiful. Bring water and an umbrella because there are often unexpected showers.
We had Mi Quang Ga (chicken noodle soup) at Con Market in the morning, a buffet lunch at Ba Na Hills, and Banh Trang Cuon Thit Heo (rice paper with pork) at Ba Mau in the evening. Honestly, I found the Mi Quang Ga and Banh Trang Cuon quite average. 😑
Day 3: My Khe Beach + Coconut Forest + Hoi An
We spent the morning at My Khe Beach. Consider visiting in the late morning or afternoon because it's less crowded and the lighting is better for photos.
We arrived at the coconut forest at noon, which meant we had the entire forest to ourselves! Wearing yellow or bright colors will make your photos pop.
Around 1 PM, we headed to Hoi An Ancient Town. We parked our motorbike and rented bicycles to explore the area. Tran Phu Street is the most popular street for photos.
Unfortunately, we missed visiting the Ba Mu Pagoda because we didn't plan our itinerary carefully enough. 😭
We managed to check out the Covered Bridge, a small alley, Mot drink, the third-floor view at Fairo Coffee, and the bougainvillea.
I found the drinks at Mot cheaper and tastier than at Fairo.
We had Cao Lau (Hoi An noodle dish) for dinner but didn't get to try Banh Mi Phuong (famous Vietnamese sandwich) 😞. Afterward, we released lanterns and returned to our hotel in Da Nang.
Day 4: Son Tra Peninsula
According to our plan, we wanted to visit Obama Rock Beach, Ban Co Peak (Chess Board Peak), and Bai But Beach. Unfortunately, we woke up late again and didn't arrive at Son Tra Peninsula until the afternoon. 😭 We checked out of the hotel at noon, left our luggage at reception, and had seafood at Nam Danh restaurant. The restaurant was delicious and crowded.
We only had time to visit Obama Rock Beach. The picturesque bridges were already dismantled.
In the afternoon, we tried Kem Bo Co Van (avocado ice cream). It was so cheap, only VND 15,000/cup! Then, we went to Con Market to buy souvenirs. Bargaining is still recommended.
Finally, we returned to the hotel, packed our belongings, and headed back to Hanoi.
Final Thoughts
Overall, I found the people here friendly and helpful. When asking for directions, it's best to ask locals or use Google Maps. We had a few instances where people provided incorrect directions.
I enjoyed the weather in the late afternoon because it was very cool. The sun seemed to set around 4 PM every day. I recommend waking up early to avoid missing out on attractions like we did.
Credit: Thank you Nguyen Khanh Huyen for the detailed sharing!
Photos: Collected
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