The standard Da Nang 5-day trip works, but most travelers leave wishing they had one more night in Hoi An. Lanterns at sunset, then a coach back to Da Nang at 9 PM — you miss the magic hour. This 6-day version fixes that: one night inside Hoi An to see the lanterns twice, and My Son Sanctuary added on Day 4. Real plan built with Tripop AI travel planner, prices verified for 2026.
Why 6 days — the Hoi An overnight changes everything
The Da Nang 5-day standard treats Hoi An as a day trip. That works for the lantern photo, but you miss:
- Hoi An's morning market (locals only, before tourist buses arrive)
- The 22:00–06:00 quiet — old town with zero tourists, just locals
- My Son Sanctuary — 40 minutes from Hoi An, never possible from Da Nang in one day with Ba Na Hills already in the schedule
- A second lantern night (different photos, different mood)
This 6-day plan:
- Day 1 — Da Nang red-eye arrival → My Khe Beach hotel
- Day 2 — Da Nang + Marble Mountain + Ba Na Hills
- Day 3 — Move to Hoi An + lantern night (sleep in Hoi An)
- Day 4 — My Son Sanctuary + An Bang Beach + lantern night 2 → back to Da Nang
- Day 5 (departure) — Han Market + departure
Before you go — visa, eSIM, money, Grab
- Visa: Most passports (Korean, EU, US, Australian) get 15–45 days visa-free. Passport must be valid 6+ months. File e-Arrival card (xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn) within 24 hours of entry.
- eSIM: Airalo or Holafly 5GB / 5 days around $7–9. LTE is reliable in both Da Nang and Hoi An.
- Money: USD → VND locally — exchange rate is 1.5–2× better than your home country. Bring $300 in cash, exchange the rest at Han Market or hotel desks. Avoid Da Nang airport (worst rates).
- Grab: Southeast Asia's Uber. Da Nang airport → My Khe Beach costs about 90,000–120,000 VND ($3.5–5, 10–15 min). Da Nang → Hoi An (30 km) costs about 250,000–350,000 VND ($10–14, 30–45 min). Book on airport Wi-Fi before stepping out.
Getting from Da Nang Airport (DAD) to your hotel
Da Nang airport is just 3 km from the city center — no need for a shuttle. Head out of arrivals and connect to airport Wi-Fi to open Grab.
| Destination | Grab fare | Time |
|---|---|---|
| My Khe Beach hotels | 90,000–120,000 VND (~$4) | 10–15 min |
| Da Nang city center (Han River area) | 90,000–120,000 VND (~$4) | 10–15 min |
| Hoi An old town (direct) | 250,000–350,000 VND (~$10–14) | 30–45 min |
Note. Mai Linh and Vinasun metered taxis are also legitimate, but Grab pricing is more transparent and usually cheaper. No rail link exists between Da Nang airport and the city.
The full itinerary at a glance
Type "Da Nang + Hoi An 6-day itinerary including My Son" into Tripop, and the AI builds a time-blocked schedule in under a minute. Drag flight and hotel PDFs into the app and they get parsed into events and voucher cards automatically.
Day 1 (arrival) — Da Nang red-eye + My Khe Beach
| Time | Activity | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 01:30 | DAD arrival (red-eye) | |
| 02:30 | e-Arrival QR entry + bag claim | About 30 min |
| 03:00 | Grab to hotel (90,000–120,000 VND) | Choose My Khe Beach area, 10–15 min |
| 04:00 | Early check-in or day-use room | 4-star $50–80 |
| 09:00 | Hotel breakfast + recover | |
| 12:00 | Lunch — Bún Chả Cá 109 (signature fish noodle soup) | ~80,000 VND ($3) |
| 14:00 | My Khe Beach walk + café | |
| 16:00 | 90-min Vietnamese massage | 300,000 VND for a luxury spa |
| 18:00 | Dragon Bridge — fire show Sat/Sun 9 PM | |
| 19:30 | Madame Lan dinner | ~300,000 VND per person |
Tip. Red-eye arrivals mean Day 1 is recovery. Pick a My Khe Beach hotel within walking distance (Vinpearl, A La Carte, Brilliant) at $50–80/night for the best value. Confirm early check-in availability before booking.
Day 2 — Da Nang city + Marble Mountain + Ba Na Hills
| Time | Activity | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 07:30 | Hotel breakfast | |
| 08:30 | Grab to Marble Mountain (~80,000 VND) | 15 min |
| 09:00 | Entry 40,000 VND + elevator 15,000 VND one-way | 1–2.5 hour route, open 07:00–17:30 |
| 10:30 | Head to Ba Na Hills (about 1 hour by car) | |
| 11:30 | Cable car + entry (1,000,000 VND / $40) | World's longest cable car, rides + parks included |
| 12:00 | Golden Bridge — best light at 11 AM | Giant hands holding the bridge |
| 13:00 | Lunch — Ba Na Hills buffet | ~300,000 VND |
| 14:30 | French Village + Fantasy Park | |
| 16:00 | Wine cellar + gardens | |
| 17:30 | Cable car down at sunset | |
| 19:00 | Seafood at Quán Bà Chương | Great value crab & shrimp |
| 21:00 | Han Market night market |
Tip. Marble Mountain (entry 40,000 VND + elevator 15,000 VND/way) has a 1–1.5 hour route (elevator + main cave) or a 2.5-hour deep dive (all caves). Ba Na Hills sits at 1,487m and fog rolls in often — check the weather app before heading up. The 1,000,000 VND ticket ($40) includes cable cars, all rides, and Fantasy Park — no extras needed.
Day 3 — Move to Hoi An + first lantern night
| Time | Activity | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 09:00 | Hotel breakfast + packing | |
| 10:00 | Grab Da Nang → Hoi An (30–45 min) | 250,000–350,000 VND |
| 11:00 | Check in to a Hoi An boutique hotel | Anantara, Almanity, Vinh Hung |
| 12:30 | Lunch — Madam Khánh (The Banh Mi Queen) | Anthony Bourdain visited, ~25,000–35,000 VND |
| 14:00 | Japanese Bridge + heritage houses | Combo ticket 120,000 VND (5 sites of 22) |
| 15:30 | Hoi An Market + Chinatown walk | |
| 17:00 | Hotel rest + change | |
| 18:30 | Lantern boat on Thu Bon River — round 1 | 30 min after sunset is peak, boat 150,000 VND |
| 19:30 | Dinner — Morning Glory Vietnamese course | ~250,000 VND per person |
| 21:00 | Riverside walk + lantern shop photos |
Tip. Old town boutique hotels run $50–80/night and are mostly within 5 minutes' walk of the bridge. Many include a complimentary bike rental. The old town goes vehicle-free from 18:00–22:00, so the streets get quiet and walkable. Buy the Hoi An combo ticket (120,000 VND) at the yellow booths at town entrances — valid for 5 sites of your choice from 22 landmarks.
Day 4 — My Son Sanctuary + An Bang Beach + lantern night 2
| Time | Activity | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 07:30 | Hoi An hotel breakfast | |
| 08:00 | Grab to My Son (40 min) | Round-trip ~350,000 VND |
| 07:30–11:30 | My Son Sanctuary open 7:30 AM | Entry 150,000 VND ($6), tram included |
| 09:00–11:30 | 2-hour walk through Cham Dynasty ruins | Optional guide $10–15 — highly recommended |
| 12:00 | Return to Hoi An | |
| 13:00 | Lunch — Soul Kitchen at An Bang Beach | |
| 14:30 | An Bang Beach + downtime | |
| 16:30 | Hoi An market shopping (rattan, coffee) | |
| 18:00 | Lantern night — round 2 | Full moon doubles the magic |
| 19:30 | Dinner — Madam Khanh "Queen of Banh Mi" | ~40,000 VND |
| 21:00 | Grab back to Da Nang | 250,000–350,000 VND |
Tip. Go to My Son at opening (7:30 AM) — temperatures climb past 35°C by noon and the ruins offer little shade. A guide (booked via your Hoi An hotel, $10–15) makes the visit much more meaningful; without one, the temple groups look similar. If your trip lands on a full-moon night (lunar 14th), Hoi An's lantern intensity doubles — vehicles fully banned, every shop's lanterns lit, river full of boats. 2026 nearest full moons: May 30, Jun 28, Jul 27.
Day 5 (departure) — Han Market + My Khe + night flight
| Time | Activity | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 08:00 | Hotel breakfast + check-out + bag hold | |
| 09:30 | Han Market final shopping | Coffee, rice noodles, rattan |
| 12:00 | Lunch — Mỳ Quảng Bà Vị | ~50,000 VND ($2), Quang Nam noodles |
| 13:30 | My Khe Beach café | Last Vietnamese coffee |
| 15:00 | Da Nang Museum or Coco Bay | |
| 17:00 | Bag pickup + airport (Grab 90,000–120,000 VND) | |
| 18:00 | Airport duty-free | |
| 20:30 | Red-eye home |
Budget — Vietnamese dong auto-converted
The Vietnamese dong has too many zeros. Is "300,000 VND" $12 or $120? Tripop auto-converts VND to your home currency so every expense is shown both ways. One receipt photo populates amount + currency + category automatically.
Da Nang + Hoi An 6-day per-person budget (flights + hotel excluded):
- Food ~ 35% (local meals $2–5, dinners $10–15)
- Activities ~ 30% (Ba Na Hills $40 + My Son $6 + Hoi An ticket $5 + Marble Mountain $2)
- Transit ~ 15% (Grab + private car)
- Shopping ~ 10% (coffee, rattan, noni)
- Spa ~ 10% ($13–30 per session)
Total $450–600 per person, about $80 more than the Da Nang-only 5-day trip.
Companion sharing — especially helpful for couples
Hoi An lantern nights are photo-heavy. Couples drift apart for shots and meet back up. Tripop's invite feature lets both of you edit the same itinerary in real time, so the "where are you?" texts drop by ~80%. For parents who don't use the app, share the trip via tripop.app/web — they can view the schedule on a desktop browser.
AI assistant — works in Hoi An too
Me: From Hoi An to An Bang Beach — Grab or bike?
AI: Biking is the move in Hoi An. Hotel free bike rental,
25 min flat ride 4 km. Grab is 50,000 VND but you miss the rice paddies.
Me: My Son — Grab on your own, or guided tour?
AI: DIY: 350,000 VND round-trip Grab + 150,000 entry = 500,000 VND ($20).
Guided: $20–25 covers car + entry + context. For first-time visitors, the guide is worth it.
These conversations happen inside the trip — tap the AI button next to any event to ask.
Da Nang + Hoi An, don't miss these
Da Nang's signature dish #1. Fresh white fish cakes in a light tomato broth. About 80,000 VND ($3) per person. Perfect first meal after arrival — Vietnamese coffee included.
A Hoi An institution visited by Anthony Bourdain. Located inside the old town, short queue with fast turnover. About 25,000–35,000 VND ($1–1.50). Best lunch on Day 3.
30 minutes after sunset is the golden hour. River fills with lantern boats. Full-moon nights (lunar 14th) are spectacular — vehicles banned, every shop lit. 4-person boat 150,000 VND. 2026 full moons: May 30, Jun 28, Jul 27, Aug 26.
9th–13th century Cham Dynasty Hindu temple complex. 40 minutes from Hoi An by car. Open 7:30 AM–5:30 PM. Go at 7:30–10 AM (heat + crowds). Entry 150,000 VND ($6), includes tram ride. Guide $10–15 adds vital context.
1,487m summit, world's longest cable car + giant hands holding a golden bridge. Instagram's top Vietnam shot. Best light on Golden Bridge: 11 AM. All-inclusive ticket 1,000,000 VND ($40) — rides, parks, cable car all included.
Read moreWrap
Da Nang 5 days covers the must-sees fast. Da Nang + Hoi An 6 days adds depth — central Vietnam's lantern magic + UNESCO history. The Hoi An overnight is the difference between "I saw the lanterns" and "I lived the lanterns."
Plan this Da Nang + Hoi An trip with Tripop in 1 minute
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Images: Pexels (Hoi An old town by Võ Văn Tiến · Japanese Bridge by Quang Nguyen Vinh · My Son Sanctuary by Võ Văn Tiến · Dragon Bridge by Xuân Thống Trần · Lantern shop by Son Tung Tran · Thu Bon River boat by Quang Nguyen Vinh · Marble Mountains by Vincent Liew) — Pexels License.