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.
Updated August 2026: key fees and reservation details re-verified.
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, which have the 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, though 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, with car-free streets and 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 960,000 VND ($38, 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: 960,000 VND ($38) per adult, cable car included. Ticket is now valid 1–3 days (previously 1 day only). Ba Na Hills is at 1,487m, so 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. Hate lines? The Wow Pass (about 1,000,000 VND extra) gets you priority boarding on the cable car and major rides.
1,487m elevation. All-inclusive ticket (cable car + entry) 960,000 VND ($38, 2026). Valid 1–3 days. World's longest cable car (5,801m, 20 min). Best Golden Bridge photo: 11AM. Check weather before going, since 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. Is "300,000 VND" $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 works from the same plan, with separate editor and viewer roles and changes syncing automatically. 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 runs late-night arrival + My Khe → Hoi An lanterns → Ba Na Hills Golden Bridge → Marble Mountains + departure. It's the most-replicated short-haul itinerary from East Asia.
Tripop's AI generates this skeleton in 1-3 minutes. 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, which helps at Ba Na Hills where mobile reception drops.
Build this Da Nang itinerary in Tripop: 1-3 minutes
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.
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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.