This 4-day, 3-night route uses Hoi An as a base and covers the best of the Da Nang–Hoi An corridor: the Coconut Forest waterways, My Son Sanctuary, the Marble Mountains, Son Tra Peninsula, Ba Na Hills, and the Ancient Town itself. All the main sites are within 45 minutes of each other, so the daily distances are short and the pace comfortable.
Day 1 — Arrival & Hoi An Ancient Town
Morning/Noon: Arrive at Da Nang Airport (DAD), 30 km north of Hoi An. Private transfers take around 45 minutes on the coastal highway; Grab taxis run the same route for less if you travel light. Check in to your Hoi An hotel — the Ancient Town area itself or the An Bang Beach road are the two main bases.
Afternoon: Head to Cam Thanh Coconut Forest, 4 km east of town. The basket boat ride through the nipa palm channels takes about an hour — local guides pole the coracles through narrow waterways and usually attempt crab fishing with baited traps. The boats are deliberately spun; expect to get wet. Most operators include transport from Hoi An and a short village walk. Book the morning slot on Day 2 if you prefer to settle in first — the activity runs all day.
Evening: Walk the Hoi An Ancient Town. The UNESCO-listed quarter is compact — the core area around Nguyen Thai Hoc and Tran Phu Streets takes about an hour to walk at a slow pace. The Japanese Covered Bridge, the Chinese Assembly Halls, and the old merchant houses are the main stops. After dark the lanterns come out and the Thu Bon River fills with floating candles; buy a paper lantern from a street vendor (around 20,000 VND) and release it from the riverbank.
Eat: White Rose dumplings (banh bao vac) and Cao Lau noodles are the two dishes specific to Hoi An — neither travels well and both taste best in the town itself. Try Quan Hoai (Nguyen Thai Hoc St) for Cao Lau or any of the market stalls on Nguyen Hoang Street for White Rose.
Tailor tip: If you want custom-made clothes — Hoi An’s most famous service — visit a tailor on Day 1. Most good tailors need 24–48 hours for fittings and adjustments. Ordering on arrival means your order is ready before you leave.
Day 2 — My Son, Marble Mountains & Son Tra
Morning: Leave Hoi An by 7:30am for My Son Sanctuary, 60 km southwest. The site opens at 6:30am; arriving early beats the tour groups and the worst of the heat. My Son is a complex of red-brick Cham Hindu temples built from the 4th to the 14th century in a jungle valley ringed by mountains. Groups B and C are the best-preserved; Group A was largely destroyed by US bombing in 1969. Allow 1.5–2 hours on site. The drive back toward Da Nang takes about an hour.
Afternoon: Stop at the Marble Mountains on the coastal road between Hoi An and Da Nang (8 km south of the city). Climb Thuy Son (Water Mountain) via the stone stairways — the caves inside hold Buddhist shrines lit by natural skylights, and the viewpoints at the top look out over My Khe Beach and the Cham Islands. Allow 1.5 hours. The stone-carving workshops at the base are worth a quick look.
Late afternoon: Continue north to Son Tra Peninsula for Linh Ung Pagoda. The 67-metre white Guanyin statue faces the sea and the whole Da Nang bay is visible from the upper pagoda terrace. If time allows, drive a few kilometres further into the peninsula — the forested road toward the summit is where red-shanked douc langurs come down to the roadside trees in the late afternoon. The drive back to Hoi An via the coastal road takes 45–50 minutes.
Day 3 — Ba Na Hills
Ba Na Hills is a full-day commitment — leave Hoi An by 7:30am to reach the cable car base station by 8:15am, before the queues build. The cable car from the bottom station to the French Village summit takes about 20 minutes and crosses over jungle canopy to the 1,487 m ridge. The Golden Bridge — the walkway held aloft by two oversized stone hands — is the main photo stop. The French Village at the summit is a reconstructed medieval French town with wine cellars, gardens, and a small amusement park. The views depend on cloud — the ridge is frequently in mist, but the ride through cloud is an experience in itself.
Tickets (around 750,000–900,000 VND) include the cable car and most attractions. Book online to skip the ticket queue. There’s a large food court and several restaurants at the summit; quality is passable. Plan to descend by 3:30–4pm to be back in Hoi An for dinner. The drive from Ba Na Hills to Hoi An is about 50 minutes.
Day 4 — Slow Morning & Departure
Check out and use the morning for anything left undone — the Ancient Town is at its quietest before 9am, the morning market on Tran Phu Street runs until around 11am, and this is the time to collect tailored clothes if you ordered on Day 1. Vietnamese egg coffee (ca phe trung) is worth seeking out before the airport run: a thick yolk-and-condensed-milk foam over espresso, served hot or iced.
The drive from Hoi An to Da Nang Airport is 30–35 minutes on a clear road. Allow at least 90 minutes before your flight for the transfer and check-in.
Practical Notes
- Base: Staying in Hoi An works better than Da Nang for this route — the Ancient Town is the evening draw and most of the day-trip sites are equidistant from both cities
- Transport: A private car or driver for the full 4 days is the most practical option — the route involves 3 different day trips each starting early. Grab works for individual legs but adds friction on early departures
- My Son timing: Go on Day 2 morning, not Day 3 — Ba Na Hills is a full day and the two shouldn’t be combined
- Ba Na Hills tickets: Book online the evening before; the on-site ticket queue can add 30–45 minutes on weekends
- Clothes ordering: Visit the tailor on Day 1 afternoon after check-in, before the basket boat ride or Ancient Town walk