Da Nang is the best value beach destination in Southeast Asia — 5 hours direct from Seoul or Hong Kong, visa-free for most passports, and a complete 5-day trip lands under $400 per person. This guide is a real Tripop-built Da Nang itinerary covering Hoi An, Ba Na Hills, and My Khe Beach, with verified 2026 prices and hours.
Step off the red-eye, call a Grab, and you're at a beachfront hotel in 15 minutes. That's how frictionless this city is — and why Da Nang keeps topping Southeast Asia value-travel lists.
Why 5 days in Da Nang
3 nights / 5 days (with a late-night arrival) is the sweet spot for first-time Da Nang visitors:
- Day 1 (arrival): Red-eye flight → early hotel check-in → My Khe Beach + downtown
- Day 2: Hoi An day trip (day + lantern night)
- Day 3: Ba Na Hills (Golden Bridge, cable car, French Village)
- Day 4: Marble Mountains + shopping + evening departure
That covers Da Nang's three signature experiences — beach, UNESCO old town, and the mountain theme park — without rushing.
Longer than a week? Add Hue's imperial city and the My Son ruins. Shorter than 3 nights? Skip Ba Na Hills (the half-day commitment isn't worth it for less than 4 days).
Before you go — Visa, eSIM, cash, Grab
- Visa: Korean passports get 15 days visa-free; US, EU, UK, Australian passports now get 45 days visa-free. e-Arrival registration (xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn) is required — fill it out within 24 hours before arrival to skip the immigration line.
- eSIM: $8–10 for 5GB/5 days via Airalo. Stable 4G across Da Nang and Hoi An. Ba Na Hills has patchy signal.
- Cash: Bring USD and exchange to VND at certified counters in Da Nang. Rates are 1.5–2× better than your home country. Avoid Da Nang airport exchanges — worst rates in the city.
- Grab: Southeast Asia's Uber. Cash or card, fixed prices in-app, no language barrier. Da Nang Airport → My Khe Beach hotel (~6km) is 250,000–300,000 VND ($10–12), about 15 minutes.
Airport to city — no train, only Grab or taxi
Da Nang has no airport rail link. From the terminal:
- Exit arrivals → walk to the Grab pickup zone (marked)
- App shows a fixed fare — accept and your driver tracks you on GPS
- Cab: metered taxis (Mai Linh green, Vinasun white) are reliable but quote 300,000–400,000 VND to the beach — Grab is cheaper at 250,000–300,000 VND
Tip: Open Grab before landing (works on eSIM from the gate). Avoid any driver who approaches you unprompted inside the terminal — street touts inflate prices 2–3×.
The 5 days at a glance
Tripop's day timeline organizes each event into hour-by-hour cards, color-coded by category. Drop in your flight and hotel PDFs as photos and the app auto-links them to the right days.
Day 1 (Arrival) — Da Nang late night + My Khe Beach
| Time | Event | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 01:30 | Arrive Da Nang (DAD) — red-eye flight | |
| 02:30 | e-Arrival QR + bag claim | ~30 minutes |
| 03:30 | Grab to hotel (~250,000–300,000 VND / $10–12) | Beachfront hotel recommended |
| 04:00 | Early check-in or day-use | 4-star $50–80/night |
| 09:00 | Hotel breakfast + rest | |
| 12:00 | Lunch — Bún Chả Cá 109 (Da Nang's signature fish noodle) | 25,000–30,000 VND per bowl |
| 14:00 | My Khe Beach walk + café | "Sunset Beach" nickname |
| 16:00 | 90-min Vietnamese massage | 500,000–800,000 VND ($20–32) |
| 18:00 | Da Nang Dragon Bridge — fire show Fri/Sat/Sun 9PM (free) | |
| 19:30 | Dinner — Madame Lan (Michelin Selected, Han riverbank) | ~300,000 VND per person, book ahead |
Tip. With a red-eye arrival, prioritize sleep on Day 1. A beachfront 4-star (Vinpearl, A La Carte, Brilliant Hotel) at $50–80/night gives you walking access to My Khe Beach. Dragon Bridge fire show is free — Fri/Sat/Sun only at 9PM, lasts ~15 minutes.
Day 2 — Hoi An day trip (day + lantern night)
| Time | Event | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 08:00 | Hotel breakfast | |
| 09:30 | Da Nang → Hoi An via Grab (30 min, 250,000 VND) | |
| 10:00 | Arrive Hoi An Old Town | UNESCO World Heritage |
| 10:30 | Japanese Bridge + Phung Hung House + Tan Ky House | Combo ticket 120,000 VND ($5), 5 sites |
| 12:00 | Lunch — Bánh Mì Madam Khánh (Banh Mi Queen) | 40,000 VND ($2) |
| 13:30 | Grab to An Bang Beach (10 min) | |
| 14:00 | Soul Kitchen beach café (live music Thu–Sun from 5:30PM) | |
| 17:00 | Back to Hoi An town | |
| 18:00 | Lantern night — Thu Bon River boat ride | 150,000 VND per boat (4 people) |
| 19:30 | Dinner — Morning Glory (41 Nguyễn Phúc Chu, 5:30–11PM) | ~250,000 VND per person, book ahead |
| 21:00 | Return to Da Nang hotel |
Tip. Hoi An ticket (2026): 120,000 VND per adult, access to 5 of 22 heritage sites. Lanterns peak 30 minutes after sunset. Full-moon nights (lunar 14/15/16) are the most spectacular — car-free streets, every shop lit. Regular weekdays are still Instagram-worthy. Negotiate boat prices before boarding — 150,000 VND for 4 is fair. Skip Bánh Mì Phượng (food-poisoning incident history) — Madam Khánh is the safer and equally celebrated pick.
30 min from Da Nang by Grab. Combo ticket 120,000 VND ($5) covers 5 heritage sites including the Japanese Bridge. Best lanterns: 30 min after sunset (7PM+). Lunar full moon (14–16th): car-free streets, all stores lit. Thu Bon River boat 150,000 VND per 4-person boat.
Read more
Day 3 — Ba Na Hills (Golden Bridge + cable car)
| Time | Event | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 07:30 | Hotel breakfast | |
| 08:30 | Shuttle or Grab to Ba Na Hills (1 hour) | Shuttle round-trip 300,000 VND |
| 09:30 | Cable car up | All-inclusive ticket 1,000,000 VND ($40, 2026) |
| 10:00 | Golden Bridge | Massive stone hands — iconic |
| 11:30 | French Village + Fantasy Park | Disney-style theme park |
| 13:00 | Lunch — buffet inside Ba Na | ~300,000 VND |
| 14:30 | Wine cellar + flower gardens | |
| 16:00 | Cable car down | |
| 17:30 | Back to Da Nang | |
| 19:00 | Seafood dinner |
Tip. 2026 Ba Na Hills ticket: 1,000,000 VND ($40) per adult, cable car included. Ticket is now valid 1–3 days (previously 1 day only). Ba Na Hills is at 1,487m — fog rolls in fast. Check the weather app before leaving; clear mornings are essential for Golden Bridge photos. World's longest non-stop cable car: 5,801m, ~20 minutes. Best Golden Bridge photo: around 11AM.
1,487m elevation. All-inclusive ticket (cable car + entry) 1,000,000 VND ($40, 2026). Valid 1–3 days. World's longest cable car (5,801m, 20 min). Best Golden Bridge photo: 11AM. Check weather before going — fog is frequent.
Read moreDay 4 (Departure) — Marble Mountains + city + evening flight
| Time | Event | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 08:00 | Hotel breakfast + bag storage | |
| 09:30 | Grab to Marble Mountains | ~150,000 VND |
| 10:00 | Elevator or stairs to summit | Entry 40,000 + elevator 15,000 VND one-way |
| 12:00 | Han Market shopping | Coffee, rice noodle bowls, rattan bags |
| 13:30 | Lunch — Mỳ Quảng Bà Vị (regional noodle) | ~50,000 VND ($2) |
| 15:00 | Beach café rest | |
| 17:00 | Pick up bags + Grab to airport | ~250,000 VND |
| 18:00 | Duty-free shopping | |
| 20:30 | Departure flight |
Tip. Marble Mountains open 7AM–5:30PM. Highlights route: 1 hour (elevator up + biggest cave + summit pagoda). Full exploration: 2–3 hours. Take elevator up, walk stairs down for better views.
Entry 40,000 VND + elevator 15,000 VND (one-way). Open 7AM–5:30PM daily. Quick route: 1 hour. Full caves: 2–3 hours. Take elevator up, stairs down for the best views. 10km south of Da Nang airport.
Read moreBudget — VND auto-converted to home currency
Vietnamese đồng has a lot of zeros. "300,000 VND" — is that $1.20 or $120? Tripop's expense tracker auto-converts every VND receipt to your home currency. One photo and AI fills amount, currency, and category automatically.
5-day Da Nang budget per person (excluding flight + hotel):
- Food ~ 35% (Local meals $2–5, dinner $10–15)
- Activities ~ 25% (Ba Na Hills + Hoi An + Marble Mountains)
- Transport ~ 15% (Grab + shuttles)
- Shopping ~ 15% (Coffee, rattan bags, noni)
- Spa/massage ~ 10% ($20–32 per session)
Total per-person budget: $350–500 (excluding flight + 4-star hotel). The single best-value Southeast Asia week-long trip from East Asia.
Companion sharing — essential for family trips
Da Nang is one of the top family-trip destinations from Korea and increasingly from Western families too. Sharing the itinerary in Tripop means everyone sees the same plan in real time, with separate editor/viewer roles. Parents without the app? They open the same trip in any browser at tripop.app/web.
AI travel assistant — on the ground in Da Nang
You: Shuttle vs private car to Ba Na Hills?
AI: Shuttle (300,000 VND round-trip, fixed schedule) is fine for solo
or couple. Family of 3+ → private car (~1,000,000 VND round-trip,
flexible schedule) is more cost-effective.
You: Best spot for Hoi An lantern photos?
AI: Cau An Hoi bridge over the Thu Bon River. Stand on the east side
facing west — you get the whole lantern-lined riverside in one
shot. 7:00–7:30PM is the sweet spot.
Da Nang packing checklist
- e-Arrival QR (registered within 24h before arrival)
- Passport with 6+ months validity
- eSIM activated on arrival day
- Swimwear (My Khe Beach + hotel pool)
- Type C/F adapter (220V)
- Mosquito repellent (Hoi An riverside, Ba Na Hills gardens)
- Reef-safe SPF50+ sunscreen
- Light rain shell (May–Oct scattered showers)
- Sandals (hotel slippers limited)
- Small day bag (spa lockers fit small bags only)
Tripop organizes the above list by category and shows a live progress %.
Wrap-up
5 days in Da Nang = Late-night arrival + My Khe → Hoi An lanterns → Ba Na Hills Golden Bridge → Marble Mountains + departure. The most-replicated short-haul itinerary from East Asia.
Tripop's AI generates this skeleton in under a minute. Drop in flight + hotel PDFs as photos and the app links them to the right days. Vouchers, schedule, and expense entries all stay accessible offline — useful at Ba Na Hills where mobile reception drops.
Build this Da Nang itinerary in Tripop — 1 minute
No need to copy this guide manually. Type "Da Nang 5-day itinerary Hoi An Ba Na Hills" into Tripop and get a full hour-by-hour schedule instantly. Upload your flight PDF and it attaches the booking to the right days. VND expense tracker, packing checklist, and companion sharing — all in one app.
- Download on the App Store
- Get it on Google Play
- Start on the web — no install needed
Images: Pexels — Quang Nguyen Vinh (Dragon Bridge sunset), Pragyan Bezbaruah (My Khe Beach sign), Valeria Drozdova (Marble Mountains), Sachith Ravishka Kodikara (Hoi An street) — Pexels License.