Da Nang, Vietnam: Trip planning FAQs & advise

Most visitors to Vietnam fly in to Hanoi or Saigon (Ho Chi Minh city). Vietnam has several other destinations worth including in your trip- such as Phu Quoc island or Da Nang. If you're planning including Da Nang in your Vietnam trip, this post will be your perfect planner, based on my recent 1 week visit.

Q1: How many days are needed for exploring Da Nang?

About 3 full days recommended at the minimum, 5 or 6 if you can afford to

• Day 01: Arrive, check in, local attractions
  
• Day 02: Ba Na hills visit (Stay option available)
  
• Day 03:Hoi An city visit - Old town, night market, pottery museum, coconut boat rides etc
• Day 04: Marble Mountains, Lady Buddha
• Day 05: more tours- to Hue or Cam island

Q2: Where should we plan our stay during Da Nang trip?

Below are your options:

If you prefer luxury, lots of resorts are available by the beach between Da Nang and Hoi An. You should definitely try a night or 2 if budget is not a constraint.

There're hotels within 2 kms from Da Nang airport. I stayed at Sujet hotel in Da Nang, kept it as a base, rented a motor cycle and explored Hoi An, Lady Buddha etc. If you don't want to check in, check out multiple times, this is best- stay close to airport, rest of the attractions rent a scooter and explore

You can also spend a night in Ba Na hills- the resorts there are nice for a hill station experience.

Hoi An is where most of the action is- old town, museums, night markets etc-staying there will give you closer access to these

So summarizing the answer:

• Don't want too many check-in, check outs: Hoi An or Da Nang and rent a two wheeler
• Prefer luxury, ok with multiple check in-checkout- 2 night in Hoi An, 1 night in Ba Na hills, remaining time in Da Nang
• Prefer to stay close to place of action: Hoi An

Q3: What are the expenses like? How much should we budget?

Vietnam is not super cheap, but not very expensive either. Prices are reasonable. Below list gives you a snapshot of various expenses you will incur

• Nice meal for 2 people in Indian restaurants: 350000-500000 VND
• Day trip to Ba Na Hills with meals- 1350000 VND
• 1 tender coconut: 30000-60000 VND 
• Taxi ride- Hoi An to Ba Na hills & back: 1000000 VND
• Good Budget hotel for 1 night: about 1500-2000 INR
• Hostels: from 350-400 INR per might
• Grab taxi from Da Nang to Hoi An (One way): About 1200 INR

Q4: What are the seasons to avoid traveling to Da Nang Vietnam?

April to September is deemed best time to visit Vietnam

Q5: What is a fair flight ticket price from India to Da Nang Vietnam?

Mine was 17k INR return from Kochi via Kuala Lumpur with Air Asia, without checked bag and meals. Anything under 20k return is a good deal if season is fine and dates work for you. Up to around 25k is OK if dates are closer, season is good. Beyond 30k I would say wait for a better deal.

There're no direct flights from India to Da Nang- either you've to fly VietJetAir which will connect you to Da Nang via Saigon or fly Air Asia which has 2-3 flights per day between Kuala Lumpur and Da Nang. Another option is to include Da Nang as part of your larger Vietnam trip. You can take a domestic flight or train within Vietnam to reach Da Nang from HCMC or Hanoi

If you have 2-3 weeks to explore Vietnam then you can plan a week in Hanoi, fly to Da Nang, explore for 3-4 days and then proceed south to Saigon.

Q6: How to explore places within Da Nang/Hoi An- public buses are good?

• Best option is to rent a scooter, costs about 500 INR per day
• Next best option is to book a day tour with help from your hotel/hostel
• If you wish to explore on your own, you can hail grab bike taxi or car taxi on demand- price is usually reasonable- 30+ kms between Da Nang and Hoi An should be around 1200 INR, or about 40 INR per km.
• Cycle rentals are available in many places- either you will need local app and payment solution, or rent manually from a shop keeper 
• There are public buses but very few and won't suit our requirements 

Q7: What are the must visit places in Da Nang & Hoi An? 

Da Nang:

• Dragon bridge (fire show Friday, Saturday, Sunday 9 PM)
• Marble Mountain 
• Lady Buddha statue & surrounding hilly areas
  
• Beaches & bridges
  
• Night Market
• Ferry wheel 
• Vietnam's longest suspension bridge
• Lighting on Courtyard by Marriot building & nearby bridges
• Boat rides
  

Hoi An

• Coconut boat ride
• Old town
• Night Market
• Pottery museum
• Boat to Cham island
• Beaches & bridges
  
• Boat rides
• Japanese bridge
• Vegetable village
  

Q8: Is Da Nang worth visiting instead of Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City?

No

Q9: Is Da Nang worth visiting instead of other international destinations- such as Phuket, Kota Kinabalu, Srilanka, Maldives etc?

No (in my personal opinion)

Q10: Is Vegetarian food available in Da Nang?

Yes, many Indian restaurants serve veg food. A few vegan restaurants also exist. Fruits and vegetables are easily available in supermarket & tender coconut is super nice.

Q11: How bad is the language problem in Vietnam?

Not much of a problem. Most of the reception staff, tour guides and people facing tourists do speak good English. For others, translator app is there

Q12: What is the best place to book day tours in Da Nang?

Most convenient option is to talk to your hotel/hostel reception staff. They can check with operator on weather condition, if tour is operating and then take your booking.

You can of course book online but coordinating pickup point, handing refund in case of cancellation etc will be bit tricky as against speaking to a person at reception.

Q13: What else to keep in mind?

Forex: Did not find any forex shops in Da Nang town. Your most convenient option will be to exchange at airport itself, though you might get little less. Alternatively have to visit a bank branch during working hours and ask or withdraw using ATM. Most shops/restaurants also accept visa/mastercard so you can pay through them. Some tour operators charge 2% extra if paid by card.

SIM card: Airport shops sell 5 day, 10 day sim cards for 10-11 USD onwards. You can get a better deal in town for 33% less (170000 VND or 7 USD) for 10 days at Viettel shop)

Taxi & food order: Grab is your best bet

More photos and videos on my Instagram account

Also read: India to Vietnam planning guide